Should A Freelancer Buy A Tablet Or A Laptop?

There is one aspect of freelancing, which is essential for success. It is technology and you need to be very careful when you are selecting what devices to use.

There have been huge developments in both laptops and tablets and some estimates are suggesting that tablets are going to overtake laptops. But which one should you use as a freelancer? Here are some tips to help you choose.

What Devices Are You Already Using?

You need to consider the purpose you are buying the device for in order to make the right decision. If you mainly use a desktop computer anyway it might be that a tablet is a good option for the occasional times you are out and about.

If you are going to use the device for majority of your work it is still considerably nicer to work with a laptop. This is because the screen size is bigger and the keyboard is much easier to operate. With tablets the typing can be quite a struggle, especially at the start.

How Mobile Are You?

Naturally one of the biggest questions to consider is the amount of time you spend on the move. This will depend a little bit on the type of freelancing you do for living. For example, as a graphic designer you might not travel around that much but if you are a freelance journalist you are probably constantly on the move after a new story.

Although there are plenty of small and lightweight laptops, tablets are still better for a very mobile person. They fit into a smaller space and are generally a lot lighter to carry around.

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What Do You Do On The Move?

But you also have to think about what you need to do with the device when you are on the move. For example, if you have to do a lot of data-heavy work you might want to consider a laptop because of the pure processor advantage they have over tablets.

For someone who just needs to use few applications on the go, such as Word or Excel, for instance, you might prefer to get a tablet. Many tablets don’t have CD or DVD drivers either so you need to think how much you might require one on the go.

With laptops there is often the problem of battery life as well. Generally many tablets have a longer battery life and so if you need to keep the work going for longer without charging you might want to consider a tablet.

What Are You Willing To Pay?

There are generally a lot of options available within both devices when it comes to price. There are cheap tablets and laptops that do an OK job and then there are very pricy options in both as well.
There is a good guide for buying laptops and tablets at the Techradar’s website. It is a really good idea to read some of these guides once you make the decision on which option you want to go with. They’ll help you select just the right tablet or laptop to use.

James Andrew

About the Author:

James Andrew is a very tech savvy person and he likes to help people make better choices with their tech devices. He is also into learning more about C++ and using it for app development. He likes to practice martial arts on his free time.