Top Tips on how to purchase the right tablet for your business
As we have seen this year, the use of tablets within businesses has become more and more popular, providing a great way for staff to access important documents and emails whilst on the move.
The market is flooded with tablets and with so many options it becomes difficult to know what to look out for when looking to purchase a tablet for business use.
Take a look at the top tips below on what you should look out for when purchasing a new tablet.
Screen Size
The first thing that will help narrow down your choice is screen size. Apart from a few outliers there are generally three main size categories – the large 10 inch models, the smaller 8-9 inch models and the smallest 7 inch models.
All run the same software and apps and we are seeing the specifications beginning to reach parity too. The 10 inch models are often better for those needing to access documents such as Word and Excel, but for simple tasks of accessing emails the smaller devices are an excellent choice.
One thing to look out for is the screen resolution, the number of pixels included in your display – the more, the better. You’re more likely to fi nd a HD (1920×1080) tablet, but probably no less than 1024×600 (known as WSVGA).
Operating System
Just like your PC or laptop you will need to decide which operating system you want. Right now there are three main contenders iOS, Android and Windows. Apple’s iOS is clean and very easy to use but limited to Apple products, whilst Android provides you with a choice of hardware from different manufacturers. Android also offers maximum configurability and provides seamless integration with Google applications.
Like Apple, Windows is also very specific as you need to have particular hardware requirements for the tablet to be able to run it. Having said this it off ers the closest to a traditional computing experience but this does come at a cost.
Storage Options
Storage space is a very important consideration when buying a tablet. Most tablets off er no way to increase the storage capacity so you will need to consider your requirements before making your decision.
Check the specifications of the models you are looking at as some do provide Micro SD slots which gives you the option to upgrade the storage capacity to 128GB. In addition to this some tablets do provide USB ports which will then allow you to connect the tablet to an external hard drive for additional storage.
Memory
A Tablets RAM determines how responsive it is when loading applications or switching between tasks – so the more, the better. For a serious business tablet we would recommend at least 2GB but always ensure that you never settle for anything less than 1GB.
Battery Life
Long battery life is especially important for business users who depend on their tablet to last throughout the full working day. The average tablet will last between 7-8 hours, but this is certainly worthwhile investigating when looking at the tablet options.
Cameras
More and more tablets these days seem to be incorporating cameras which enables businesses users not only to capture images, but also to use in video conferencing or video conversations.
You will definitely want a forward facing camera if you are making video calls. The thing to bear in mind is the resolution of the camera and whether it has zoom, flash or auto-focus feature.
Processors
Most Tablets use at least a dual-core processor. A quad processor with 2GB RAM adds to the cost but this might be worth looking into if you are a serious business user .
Price
The Old saying is “you get what you pay for” and for the majority of tablets this is quite true. By spending a little bit more money you can get a better specification that can dramatically improve your experience.
Having said that whilst Apple with the iPad or iPad Mini are popular in the market and obvious choices for consumers, they are quite expensive and therefore we would recommend considering other options as they tend to provide a similar and sometimes better experience at a fraction of the cost.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss how tablets can work for your business please contact us.