In the last three years, we’ve gone from “Why do I even need a tablet?” to creating a market for tablets of every possible shape and size. That there’s a need and a massive market for it is now beyond doubt. But, one thing that continues to confound consumers is what size they should go for while purchasing a new tablet. Ranging from as small as 5-inches to as massive as 13-inches, the variety of options you have I the market today is endless. And the wide range of choices, more often than not, does not help the cause of making up one’s mind in a snap. So, we’re going to narrow it down to what are clearly the two most popular sizes – 7-inches and 10-inches – and tell you which one you should go for.
Carrying a 10-inch tablet around can be quite a pain and what’s more painful is using it for long hours with the device propped with one hand. Those things are heavy! The smaller ones are much easier to hold and read or surf the Web for longish periods of time. The virtual keyboard on 7-inch tablets is also nice and compact as opposed to the ones on a 10-inch device, which can be awkwardly expansive especially when used in the landscape mode.
On the flipside, a big screen also means you can just hook it up with a Bluetooth keyboard and you have a hybrid ready to type out those long Excel sheets or articles on! Something, that you won’t be able to replicate as well on a 7-incher.
A better screen resolution on the bigger tablets mean they are better suited for varied multimedia experiences such as watching movies, playing videos or games. You also have a considerably larger screen estate to play around with, which enhances the touch interface you indulge in on a tablet. Most 7-inches, except the Google Nexus 7, do not match up to the screen resolution that the 10-inchers are designed with. The same goes for processors – bigger tablets, better processors – has been the trend so far. The 10-inch league also tends to pack in more internal memory (32GB / 64GB of storage) and this is a big plus if you want to have your music, movies or sitcom on the device all the time.
However, slightly slower processors and a smaller screen size means you don’t have to shell out too much money for a 7-inch tablet as compared to a 10-inch one. Owing to their smaller screen size, they also happen to be a lot more portable and if designed well they can even fit into you denim’s pockets, making them the perfect digital companion on the go. The lower price tag that smaller tablets come with manages to snare most first-time buyers who want to see how a tablet fits into their daily communication needs. Most 7-inch tablets now are being equipped with voice calling facilities, so as a desperate measure you can use a 7-inch tablet as your primary/secondary phone, a functionality that not many 10-inch tablets offer at the moment.