The major gadgets these days are smartphones and tablets. Mobility is the new buzzword nowadays and due to this, these gadgets are high on demand. Generally, smartphones and tablets are put under the collective heading of “mobile”. The technology is moving ahead so swiftly that devices with Internet connectivity are crossing boundaries and performing similar overlapping functions. Whether it is a smartphone, tablet or a laptop, all are portable and has Internet connectivity. However, all of them have distinct functions and features. Along with many physical differences, there are several other differences among the devices in regard to users, usage, and the location.

Today, we discuss the key differences between a smartphone and a tablet that make them quite different to each other.

A tablet is a luxury while a smartphone is a necessity:

This is absolutely true and is evident with the fact that smartphones users largely outnumber the tablet users. An individual uses a smartphone as a necessity. He takes the phone everywhere he goes and uses it constantly. A phone is not only a device to make calls but it plays the role of a watch, works as a reminder, as a calendar, gives news updates, acts as an easy and continuous source of entertainment and works as a device to handle general official tasks. On the other hand, a tablet is generally kept at home or is taken along only on longer trips. It is more or less an entertainment device. People enjoy watching movies and playing games on the tablet.

In today’s era, people can think of managing without tablets but one can’t do a single day without his smartphone.

Smartphones and tablets have different users:

According to a research, more than 60% of the US population owns a smartphone. However, the case is not with tablets. Moreover, the number of smartphones users is continuously increasing owing to the increased use, marketing and smartphone manufacturing in India and all across the world. Tablets are also increasing but not necessarily among the same users.

Further, smartphones are more or less a personal device. An individual rarely shares his smartphone and its content with anyone else. The device generally contains important documents and secrets conversations of the owner while many people use a single tablet. There are generally one or two tablets in a family that is used by all the family members for watching movies, reading books or playing games. Tablet is a content consumption device and people use it as laptop or desktop replacement.

Differences due to physical dimensions and features:

One cannot deny the difference between smartphones and tablets in their physical dimensions.  Tablets are much bigger in size than smartphones. Tablets models range from 7-inch size to around 10-inch sizes. Instead, smartphone manufacturing in India is focused on manufacturing maximum devices of 4-5inch screen size.

Other than this, the difference lays in the network connectivity. In this, smartphones trump tablets. Virtually all smartphones have 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity while on tablets there is only Wi-Fi for connectivity. Only higher-end or pricier models offer 3G connectivity.

Although tablets and smartphones share the same Android operating system when it comes to applications, they again differ. There are some applications that can run only on tablets and not on smartphones. This is not because of any limitations of the processor but due to small screens of smartphones that cannot support these apps.

Use of smartphones and tablets at different locations: smartphones and tablets are used at different locations. Smartphones are taken at every place the user goes while tablets are generally kept home. A user will take it with him only when he is going on some long trips. As smartphones have permanent Internet connections, they can be used at any location. On the contrary, tablet uses are restricted once it comes out of its Wi-Fi range.

The difference in the use of two devices: Despite so many uses, smartphones are primarily used as a means of communication. On the other hand, tablets can never intend to be a phone replacement. Only a few tablets have the feature of calling or sending SMS, most of them do not have this option.

Further, as the screen of two devices differs, the usage also differs. Watching a long video or buy something online is more comfortable on a tablet than on a smartphone.  Tablets offer rich multimedia experience and allow the user to have more computational capabilities. On the contrary, smartphones are majorly glance-and-put-away devices. Users just look at the screen, get the work done and move on.

In short, we can say that tablets and smartphones are two completely different devices except that they both are mobile devices. Whether you are a user or a marketer of any of the device, you must have to consider these differences to know which device better suits your requirements.