News: Ultrabook vs. Tablet

It’s a question we are getting more and more often – should I buy a tablet or ultrabook? The answer lies pretty much in what you'll be using the device for.

The case for ultrabooks

For content creators, such as writers, designers, digital artists and video editors, the ultrabook’s full size (and increasingly frequently backlit) keyboard, numerous ports and ability to accommodate full versions of Photoshop and other digital software, for example, still give it the edge.

Another area where ultrabooks score is in the computing power, memory, and the more capacious drives. No less important is their capacity for multitasking – browsing the internet, watching a movie and keeping an eye on one’s email simultaneously is no problem for an ultrabook.

A few of the notable ultrabooks one may wish to consider, and which impressed us when they crossed our review desk during the course of this year, include HP's Folio 13, Dell's XPS 13, Asus' Zenbook, the Acer Aspire S3 and Lenovo's IdeaPad U300s.

We would also recommend keeping an eye out for HP's forthcoming Envy ultrabooks if you have a little patience.

Lenovo's IdeaPad U300s is one ultrabook you may wish to consider.

The case for tablets

For content consumption though, tablets quite easily have the upper hand, as browsing the web, reading ebooks and news stories and watching videos is certainly a more comfortable affair than any notebook or ultrabook can claim.

There’s of course the plethora of excellent apps available for tablets that make it an unarguably strong device and portable gaming console in its own right. For drawing, sketching, painting and taking handwritten notes, the touchscreen on a tablet is also a boon.

Tablets worth mentioning include the iPad 2 and the new iPad (obviously), or for those seeking an Android device, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (although you may want to hold out for the next generation), or the Asus Transformer Prime.

Then of course, there is the question of price. Ultrabooks are still generally more expensive than their tablet counterparts, by around R4000 to R10 000.

To the point

Which is better for you? It depends on how much you are willing to spend and on what your primary usage patterns are. Content creation – grab an ultrabook. Content consumption – a tablet is your man.

Ultrabook vs. Tablet

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