Can you use a tablet as a laptop? Of course, yes, in the same way that you could use a laptop with a touch screen as a tablet. But the really important thing is to know what options are on the market and what they offer to be able to choose correctly. That is what will make the experience more or less satisfying and the idea of substituting one for the other is possible. So let’s talk about it.
Beyond its tablet function
When the tablets arrived on the market, we all knew that they were devices that expanded and improved certain uses offered by mobile phones. After all, back then, these were just “phones” with a bigger screen.
With the passage of time, the phones increased their diagonal and the tablet was “forced” to evolve. Mainly at the operating system level, introducing improvements and a series of options that differentiate it and give value compared to the mobile. This is how more than one user began to wonder if, perhaps, the time had come when one of these devices could replace the traditional laptop.
Then Microsoft and Surface came in 2012 to finish pushing that post-pc idea. And that really the product of those of Redmond disguised a laptop with an operating system already known as Windows in a tablet body. But that did not matter, what was interesting was that it showed that the idea of adding a keyboard plus pencil could greatly enhance creative tasks. That ultimately was what tablets needed, from being devices to consume content to devices to create them.
As of today, thanks to the evolution of iPadOS mainly and the efforts by other manufacturers to enhance Android with their own apps, tablets have evolved and can be used as the main working tools. Of course, not all are the same and if you had to choose the most interesting tablets on the market to work with them, these would be the candidates.
iPad and iPad Pro
Practically from its beginnings, iPads (both normal and Pro models) have been the most solid proposals for a simple matter of software . With the arrival of iPadOS 13, the jump was even greater, since this version of the system integrated new options such as the Files application and its ability to manage the content stored on an external drive, without forgetting the external keyboard and mouse support.
The iPad and iPad Pro are for these reasons and their wide range of applications tools perfectly valid for a large number of tasks. In addition, the Apple Pencil plugin, and here attentive to how it will improve its use with iPadOS 14 and features such as scribble , make working with it quite comfortable.
Without a doubt, the 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pros like the 10.5- inch iPad Air are the most interesting in terms of power and screen size for these tasks that go beyond consuming content. The “only” problem is that to get the most out of it you have to get a series of accessories that we consider practically essential. Almost no matter what use you are going to make, if you buy an Apple tablet you should also do it with these accessories:
Galaxy Tab S6
It is curious to see the design of the Galaxy Tab S6 , but do not be fooled by its similarity because it is a great device. Samsung has spent many years betting on an element that has been key in its Note range: the pencil. Now all that experience takes years also transferring it to their tablets.
In this Galaxy Tab S6 we have not only a device with a large 10.5-inch screen that looks really good with a panel with sAMOLED technology, also power to spare and our own apps that allow it to offer the maximum.
Combined with its own keyboard case, the productive experience with this tablet is very rewarding. Also, in a way it inherits what they have been achieving with their phones and DeX mode . That is, when running certain applications, they do so in floating window mode, so that the space on the desktop or screen is used even more and is more similar to the laptop experience.
Huawei MatePad Pro
Huawei also has its own tablet designed for demanding users, the MatePad Pro . This device, with a design that is quite reminiscent of the Apple Pro model, offers a series of really powerful technical features.
However, talking about its Kirin 990 processor, 6 GB of RAM or 128 GB of storage really makes little sense when one of the big questions about it is the software. And is that the same situation they live with their smartphones is reflected here.
As standard, the device does not have access to Google services , such as the Play Store. Although the Huawei app store continues to demonstrate that it is growing at a good pace, including a multitude of applications for practically all kinds of needs. From photo editors to text, presentations, etc., you will be able to find.
Therefore, together with the keyboard case plus the pencil, you can make this MatePad Pro behave very well in many of the tasks that you would normally do on a laptop. All this with the advantages in terms of mobility, weight and battery life. As well as the options of use in both portable and tablet modes.
The Huawei device, like the previous ones, is also much more productive if we use a series of additional accessories. Here, next to the keyboard and pencil that can be found in the same pack and at a fairly attractive price, we have that those that should not be missing in your bag or backpack are a USB C HUB and an external storage unit.
Thanks to the use of both, you will not only expand the storage capacity, but also access to other types of devices such as external screens, mouse and keyboard, etc. If you like, we see the essential accessories to squeeze the use of a tablet as a productive tool.
Essential accessories for tablets
The theme of accessories for any device is always very personal, because your needs do not have to be those of another user. Still, we would dare to say that sooner or later these proposals are going to take advantage of them.
We start with an external keyboard . With each and every one of these models you could use any Bluetooth keyboard, even some wired through USB adapters, but the ideal is to resort to their respective keyboard covers.
In the case of Apple tablets, there are the official ones, the SmartKeyboard and Magic Keyboard , but their prices still skyrocket for many. Therefore, good alternatives are those of Logitech. We would even say that they are better, although hopefully they will soon release their version of the Logitech Combo Touch with trackpad for the 12.9 ″ model of iPad Pro.
In the case of the Galaxy Tab S6, opting for the official keyboard case is the best option. A well-finished, quality accessory with a keyboard that is quite comfortable both in touch and in the path of each key. And it also integrates trackpad so you can make the most of DeX mode.
Mouse and Trackpad
If you are going to use the tablet with an external keyboard or even with the case, but this one does not have or you prefer a conventional mouse or trackpad. Here you have several options, but if we have to keep one, it would undoubtedly be the MX Master. One of the best mice that, in turn, you can pair with up to three devices and switch from one to another quickly.
There are many more mice to use with tablets, such as those from Microsoft that with a quite compact design help even when transporting them in a bag or backpack. Here it is a matter of deciding. The only thing, that they are Bluetooth mice as I think it is already obvious that anyone would consider buying to use in their day to day with any other device.
Pencil
The Apple Pencil or, failing that, the Logitech Crayon are essential for any iPad user. If you are going to create content, edit photos, etc., the advantages of having a pencil of this type will allow you to do more and better in less time and with greater precision.
It can be a significant investment, but you will be happy just having it and starting to use it in your day to day. In addition, as we said, the Scribble function that will arrive with iPadOS 14 improves everything, being able to write directly on search boxes, the address drawer of a browser, task manager, etc.
In Samsung and Huawei tablets they are included or you can buy it in a pack at a very good price. So don’t even think about it, because they help a lot.
USB HUB
Although it may seem the least necessary, the truth is that a USB HUB , either through USB C connection (for iPad Pro, Tab S6 and MatePad Pro) as Lightning for iPad, expands the possibilities.
For starters, they allow you to import photos and videos from a camera through the SD and micro SD card reader that they usually include. Also connect external storage units and even a video quality via HDMI to use the systems and their applications on a larger screen.
These above are four interesting models of USB HUB that could be attractive to complete your tablet in productivity tasks.
Tips to be more productive using a tablet
These three proposals, plus Microsoft’s Surface, are currently the greatest exponents of tablet productivity. Still, to really take advantage of it there is still one key aspect: your own adaptation to the device .
It does not matter if you use Android or iOS, the first thing you have to be clear about is that you have to find new workflows . If you intend to do everything the same way as with a laptop and an operating system like Windows or macOS, you’re going wrong.
On tablets you have to think in a single task , although you can resort to display modes where two screens or even three in the best case can be displayed. But because of the size of the screen, it is best that all your focus go to a single app. To some bad, that the second on-screen application is only for reference or data consultation. This is how you will be able to focus on what you really want to do.
You will also have to investigate advanced options such as iOS shortcuts or Android sharing options . Only then can you perform certain actions more efficiently. They will continue to be very different from doing them on a conventional computer, but they won’t take that long. And that is one of the main adaptation problems when working with a tablet, thinking that everything is slowing you down.
The tablet as a gaming platform
Finally, although we focus on the productive options of these devices, you can also use them for leisure . Not only to watch series and movies, YouTube videos like those of our channel or listen to music and podcasts. They are also great to play.
In the case of iPads we have access to all games from the App Store and Apple Arcade . Meanwhile, on Android-based tablets we not only have the Play Store and the new Play Pass service, but also access to streaming gaming services such as GeForce Now and hopefully sooner rather than later to Stadia .
All you have to do is connect a bluetooth gamepad to your tablet to get the most out of it. Something for which you can resort to the Xbox or PS4 controller, two of the best options for many reasons, although they are not the only options on the market.