Can Tablets Replace Laptops? I tried for 7 days
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Tablets have come a really long way from the early days of the iPad and today’s powerful chips, compact batteries, and incredible screen technology, the line between laptop and tablet has really blurred. There are laptops with removable keyboards, tablets with attached keyboards, and even laptops with two screens where one acts like a digital keyboard. So this got me wondering. Are they actually interchangeable? Can I actually replace my laptop with a tablet? So I set out on a mission to answer this question and for the past 7 days used a tablet instead of my laptop. I still had to do all my usual tasks like managing emails, online shopping, budgeting, everything I would normally have done on my laptop, but I was forced to do it on my tablet.
Please comment below with any questions you might have. Thank you all for watching! I appreciate you!
Disclaimer: This video is purely based on my experiences, research, and opinions. You and only you are responsible for your actions. I made this channel to advise viewers and I truly hope to help you all out. I love making these videos and connecting with my viewers!
One or more of the products shown in this video may have been sent to me at no cost. This does not influence my opinions; I always cover both pros and cons.
This channel is monetized via YouTube ads as well as some affiliate links. If a purchase is made after clicking the link, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to the buyer. Thank you all for watching!
ADDITIONAL REVIEW NOTES:
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
14.6” OLED display
Flagship Snapdragon Gen 2 for Samsung
Extremely slim with great screen to body ratio
1.6lb
In screen fingerprint sensor
Ultra low latency S-Pen
New keyboard cover design
Stacked specs
It’s the best android tablet on the market
This has Samsung Dex which feels like a cheat code.
So in the beginning, things were off to a rough start. It took time
Chrome and Brave are ok, Samsung Internet is ideal. Just make sure you switch to desktop mode
I found alternate apps to make things work and are optimized for tablets.
Hotkeys work! (takes a beat to learn the differences, but most are 1:1 with Windows
You can use Dex on the tablet or on a monitor
Wireless Dex
You can use dex on a monitor while using the tablet as a tablet, but not both
But you can flow pointer to tablet screen
Ports. USB-C plus You can technically insert an SD card (from a camera, etc) but you need a tool to do so
Still good for expanding storage though
But no HDMI, headphone, or USB-A
The Hub from Anker. (Anker 551)
Then things started to pick up and it felt more like a laptop but even better in some ways.
*Cameras on rear for scanning
Has a flash on the rear cameras
*Accurate pen with low latency for natural writing
No laptop pen even comes close
Probably better webcam quality
Two lenses to choose from – standard and ultrawide angle – 4K
Auto framing
Quicker startup
Biometric sign in
Biometrics to unlock lots of things
Smooth and intuitive touch gestures just like a phone
So I was really digging this
But once I really got in the zone, I was able to be productive in apps like
Until I ran into a few issues
My wired printer didn’t work
Strangely only the Tab S9+ offers cellular 5G
Dex is great but many apps are not optimized – Samsung forces though and it sort of works
Tons of apps are not optimized for tablets at all
Can use mobile apps (great!)
You can also get lots of Android widgets on your homescreen
Cannot use work horse apps like Adobe Permiere Pro, Creo, etc.
ALSO BETTER FOR WORKING ON THE GO
Has GPS
Sort of has 5G
Pretty solid battery life
Lighter and thinner than most laptops
This has IP68 Water Resistance!!!
Durable Gorilla Glass Victus+ display
If you are traveling, you could always run remote desktop via the tablet and use a big machine back home
Keyboard case is nice but has no trackpad. Also feels more sturdy on my lap
Daily Board = a better version of screen saver (when charging)
Two different UIs – one dedicated to tablet use, which is easier
COMPARE TO Yoga 9i
Dex feels like a linux OS but with more limitations
A watered down Windows 11
Limited to one external display
If you mostly just browse the web, review PDFs, take handwritten notes, and work with common programs like google docs, excel, powerpoint, or email, this is ideal
If you need any heavy lifting or high output productivity
The device seems capable but the software is not
SUVs analogy
Tablet is basically a computer with phone software
I will not watch the video but the answer is no.
Would absolutely Love to switch to A tablet For djing and while the Ipad is there, support for android tablets is abysmal sadly. really hopeful for the future tho!
Whats the best refurbished one to get
Which docking station is this? Link?
How long do you think a 750 dollar tablet will last !
For 5g you need to get the one that has 5g written on it
Of course it’s better than iPad. 😂
people oft forget that you can get a tablet that runs things like windows or linux, like a surface
i love that they started off like ipads were the first tablets it’s such a pathetically hilarious take. Tablets are not an apple invention
The question of whether a tablet can replace a laptop is a loaded question cuz it depends entirely on what you use a laptop for. A lot of reviewers tend to think that everyone uses laptops the way they do. A lot of reviewers will say a blanket no to the question and some will say maybe. I would say that it depends entirely on what you use computers for. Also, if you are happy with the Chromebook there are plenty of detachable tablets available that will give you perfectly good Chrome OS capabilities and of course there’s the surface pro and other windows 2-in-1 devices
I want a tablet that I can use for coding. Can I use a tablet only or do I have to use a computer to develop software and apps?
Back in 2010 when Samsung introduced the first Galaxy Tab my laptop started running very slowly so I got me the 7 inch galaxy tab and started using it for everything I used my laptop for previously. This was before keyboards and when the experts regarded tablets as little more than a toy. I was able to do everything with my tablet even print with the help of a nearby computer and printer so even then my tablet replaced my laptop and was even nice for the sake of portability.
Almost stopped listening when I heard Apple. Luckily the video kept playing when I went back to look for another one.
A lot to think about in this vid, which is what I’m going to do!
tablets are garbage gimmicks and completely worthless; get an apple M1 air
Laptops and macbook don’t propose 5g. So…..
Loved the video!
I have an iPad mini and love it for its productivity, size and power.
Since my girlfriend is hijacking it for her art i think i’m allowed to buy one for myself and i love Dex! So this is an easy choice.
My laptop battery finally gave up after valiantly serving me for 8 years. Instead of getting a new laptop, I decided to switch a galaxy tab s9 ultra. I realized that there was nothing I could do on my laptop that the tablet couldn’t do, and for me, this was one of the best choices I’ve ever made
I use my tab s9+ for school and its been great. Tests that require lockdown browser is really the only time i use my heavy gaming laptop (i bought it years back when I used to play games on the daily)
Try again but try to use stage manager. It takes time but I can never go back now.
i stopped gaming on pc/Laptop a wile ago and only used my laptop as a typewriter/movie device. going to get me a cheap a9 tab and see if i can use it for all i need. i already have bluetooth keyboards (mainly for my phone) so i guess it should be pretty painless.
I love this idea in theory, and it’s why i bought a surface pro 7 several years ago. I now own a Tab S9 Ultra, a regular laptop, and a PC and it’s just so much better leaning into the strengths of each device, as nice as it’d be to have a device that does it all..
The surface pro, the "laptop" of the tablet world, is just sort bad at everything, honestly. I wouldn’t use my Tab ultra for serious editing or coding, but its fantastic for mind mapping, handwritten notes, and use as a second monitor. I barely use my traditional laptop now honestly.
I am into Apple ecosystem, but definitely if Samsung DEX was more advanced, I would get phone or tablet and use it for my work. I don’t use any specific applications, except citrix which so far is a kinda of a problem for Apple eco system. I have no idea how good/bad is on android.
Thanks Mike. Very good and informative video. I just wish that there were a little bit more screen time of the product itself at the same time you share your insight with us. Sorry for my english.
There is snapchat on pc
Windows sucks as tablet experience. I can’t imagine having a Windows device for entertainment. It’s just terrible overall.
Trackpad should be permanently phased out since there’s such a thing as touch screen or Logitech G604 Bluetooth Mouse which does a much better job.
Quick answer, without even watching the video (im still watching it thou, i love your content) .. Its solely going to depende on your usage. period. I personally use a lot of Microsoft office, youtube, Reddit, chrome, whatssab web.. so for me a Tablet can totally replace a Laptop. but other people has a WAY more heavy usage
This tablet is clearly better than an iPad. The only alternative to this is the latest Huawei MediaPad.
Appreciate the concept of this video. The Fujitsu laptop that I own functions as a laptop but the display can swivel around and fold to become a tablet. I’m thinking of switching to a Microsoft Surface Pro laptop that would enable me to also utilize and detach the display to use as a standalone tablet and is much lighter than my 3.3 pound Fujitsu laptop.
i recently got the lenovo p11 2nd gen. That has PC mode. I absolutely love it
You know samsung app has all the apps that you needed for your editing or i don’t know for your files you just need to search for it? It even has some kind of notes app thats compatible with samsung and do freaking wonders
Hi Mike, you’ve asked some very good questions from my point of view.
What I personally would like to have is 2 in 1 computer with a detachable keyboard with a trackpad and a tablet with a pen running TWO operating systems at once: Linux and Android, so they don’t interfere with each other and use the computer resources cleverly.
As for video editing there is some of video editing software available, which absolutely can and do successfully compete with Adobe. It’s just a readiness to learn and use something new, instead of using what’s familiar.
Best wishes and kind regards currently from the southern Germany 🙂✌🏻
This video should be titled: "Is Android fine for everyday use?". You could simply buy a Microsoft Surface Pro, and you have a tablet that does the same as a laptop, just with touchscreen as a plus.
File management!
Specially with large files. When I tried to manage thousands of photos and videos it was a heavy and very resource demanding task to achieve in a phone or tablet, but when I tried the same at my laptop, same files and Everything, I was able to get it done easily in one night. 36 GB of storage sorted inside an SD card and the android environment was not able of achieving 10% of that in three weeks of attempts
But why in the world the laptops can’t put a tablet quality camera? Incomprehensible to my understanding
yeah, there are bunch of messenger apps that do not work on tablet if they are installed on the phone, like Signal and WhatsApp; on windows or Mac, at least we could use their desktop version ( PWA ) or equivalent, but just can’t do that on tablet, whether it’s Android or iOS but this is nothing to do with Samsung tablet.
Well, it’s interesting to comment to a video that’s a year old, but I have a couple things to add. First of all, the European version of the ultra has a GSM and it works in 5G on T-Mobile. The only thing it doesn’t work is the frequency they have for rural areas. The second thing I wanted to say was I found a workaround for Excel because you usually can only open one sheet but you can open an Excel app and then the Microsoft app or the m365 app and that way you can open up two files. Everything else you said is pretty good. I always have this dilemma. I’ve been working remotely or rather traveling for years and it’s been one of my let’s call it a hobby to find out how to make free VoIP web calls at the time 25 years ago now for 15 bucks T-Mobile takes care of that one and there’s a lot of things they’ve chipped away. The only issue I’m having now I use a remote desktop and when I log into the QuickBooks the the resolution makes the screen so small. I can almost not work on it and I’m trying to figure out how to fix that. Good luck to you. I find your videos very informative.
YES and I don’t even have to watch the video. If it can run on a Raspberry Pi then it can run on a tablet.
Are tablets still popular in 2025????😮
apps don’t allow you to filter out advertising on a website. People are forgetting who owns all these apps and cloud storage. If everyone turns to tablets and phones instead of actual computers soon the digital skill divide with broaden back.,, and GPS tracks you when you sign into all these apps on the go.. from a security point of view, be cautious of promoting a "small" internet future… sincerely, Gen X
I think antroid tablets cannot replace a laptop. But a windows tablet can.
Imagine a tablet being in tablet mode and when a button is pressed it switches to chromeOS mode . Google is really missing out
Im an average joe…like most of the stuff i do is on my phone…i dont really need a computer per se…but i have a desktop which im starting to regret having cause i barely use my desktop…like at all..played games on it at first but i started to not use my desktop all together…now im looking at laptops or tablets…i dont need a desktop/laptop/tablet…but its nice to have when i need it ya know😂…or am i just wasting my money here? Lol
My first Windows 10 laptop decided to update without so much as telling me. Five hours later, and my urgent report still not done, I threw the lump of junk across the room and bought a Samsung Tab S5. I poped that into a large monitor and off I went.
Office was replaced by Google’s versions that are better and free.
I added a Bluetooth mouse, and that was that for a few years.
I’m in an odd position where I must deliver presentations with audio and video components offline, and Google slides can’t handle that, so I was forced to buy a small PC. I build the presentations on Slides, download as a Ppt, add audio and video, and deliver from an S21 phone.
The tablet’s other restrictions are the PC is far better for video editing and audio recording.
Apart from a very few things, my Tab S8 (I updated) is my machine of choice.
By the way, the mouse can be set to work over 2 displays.
The Tab with keyboard is very portable, and I bought a small USB C monitor so I have a twin screen setup I can use anywhere – that really bugs Apple-fanbois in coffee shops.
Of course it has GPS, even $99 Android phones have GPS, it’s a standard Android feature since Day 1….
"It doesn’t have a track pad"
Huh ? No tablet ever made has a track pad ! What are you talking about ??
The seperate keyboard case has the track pad…
Dex is useless. Every time i think i want to use it, i immediately revert back.
I have Samsung 9 ultra. The problem ist don’t have usb and HDMI entire
The only thing that should run on any android tablet is chrome OS. Android tablet OS is useless😊