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.
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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

[Eccentech]

Keep in mind that if you wanna turn your tablet into a computer the Microsoft Surface Pro exists. A computer in a tablet. I loved the Surface Book when I had it.

[rainyd]

All these YouTubers obviously don’t use Microsoft Office as their everyday office tool. When I was still working in the corporate office, I was using Galaxy tablet but I found that tablets just could not do it. Word, Excel, PPT and etc in app version just isn’t as functional as desktop version and I found myself to be limited when using tablets for work.

[tuhinchowdhury]

A few years back, Android tablets were somewhat gimmicky. Not that much performance, not an optimised tablet UI. But now the main problem with Android tablets is finding proper optimized apps. It might take some time but I'm happy that Google started to incorporate tablet features in native android, will definitely help devs to make proper desktop grade tablet apps

[talamakara]

This topic always breaks down into "use case". I love samsung Dex and have been using it for years and wish more people understood it's power and flexability. Do I think it could replace laptops? Again that is bases on the use case. If you set something up for grandma who has her samsung, then it saves her having to buy a laptop and wasting the money. If you are in university with limited space in a dowm room or limited funds, then samsung dex would be an option as most univerities allow you to remote into their servers for your work and citrix as an example works very well in Dex. If you are using it to try and program with or work with applications that need high resources, then no, and even then those kinds of projects should be using a desktop more than a laptop. Would I use Dex over my desktop, no, but I spent all of January and February of 2021 trying, and yes for ME i would use dex to replace my laptops, in fact I have done so. Including the fact i'm typing this all out in DEX right now.

[alanmowle]

The first computer I used was a research machines 380Z, followed by a BBC model B, 1980-1985 ish. I have been using/teaching computing since then, now happily retired. I treated myself to a samsung s9 ultra as my Christmas present to self in December. These youtube video clips are a fantastic means of learning new concepts and skills. Thank you for the time and skill you have put into creating this video. I am confident I will still be learning about s9 ultra, software and hardware accessories next Christmas. I am only 68 and have lots to learn. Maybe in 32 years, I'll know it all? 😊 Anyone else remember punch cards and mark sense cards? Then along came keyboards, mice and GUI. Now it is speech recognition, the s pen and AI. Who knows what will come next? Enjoying reading other comments.

[NotASkrull]

I've gotta say... Switching to a tablet is worth it! I mean it's been months since I started using my tab s9 ultra and from a personal standpoint, IT IS A BEAST!

[MrG]

The 5G options for the Tab S8, S8 ultra, S9 & S9 ultra are available in other markets outside the USA. Nice review

[kayjetcwg]

Just FYI, there is a Keyboard cover for the tabs that come with a mouse pad and the mouse pointer can be used in tablet mode as well. I got the Tab S9 recently and it's a great addition to my work flow alongside my laptop

[anneritchie]

I've been using an S8+ 5G as my go-to mobile device for over a year and love it! I still have a laptop that I schlep from home to office (I prefer to BYOD) and back, but when I'm in court, I almost exclusively use my tablet. I had an ipad and was completely disappointed in its capabilities, so gave it away. I don't use DeX, but instead use a special Android launcher called Win-X launcher that has allowed me to customize my home screen to look like Windows 10 (I run Nova Launcher on my Samsung phone). That little Anker hub you showed is way cool and I'll have to look into getting one. Thanks for the video!

[quedogpop]

Glad you made this! I use a galaxy tab S7 FE with Bluetooth keyboard for school online. I can range notes while watching a video and in disabled so it allows me far greater options than sitting with my laptop. I love it!

[drakonyc]

While it’s true that every person has his/her own necessity of specific devices for working, it’s also true that this need of heavy working apps on desktop OSs is very limited to those specific professionals. Not considering PC gamers, as time goes on, there are less and less people who need a whole Windows pc or Mac, because they can do just fine with a cheap android tablet, or an iPad. I think it’s only a matter of time that tablets and mobile systems will overcome their actual limits and will become the main way of computing for casuals and also professionals.

[gabrielamedrado]

Thanks for mentioning the new Yoga 9i. So far I've seen countless videos comparing tablets to regular laptops, but I feel like the newer 2-in-1 laptops are the ones to beat when it comes to use cases, since they already have tablet mode and pen support, but you also get to keep your favorite windows applications.

The new yoga 9i, the surface pro and the new dell xps 2-in-1 seem like great alternatives to a tablet based workspace because they don't keep the keyboard attached on the back when using tablet mode anymore, which in my opinion is what sucked the most in 2-in-1 devices.

[jangdigity]

I have the S8 ultral with the key board case and it's great. I use it for university and it's replaced my run down old laptop while working great. I don't need to run any big programs, just taking notes, writing word documents, and doing research. It does great for all of those things. By the way, I use it to replace all my notebooks and I gotta say that I'm very impressed with samsung notes. Samsung notes is way better than I expected.

[seanriley]

It's definitely a Game Changer, I have the S8 Ultra and keyboard, it is actually replacing my Monitor more nowadays, easy to sync for work and S22 Ultra. Used DEX the other day and was pleasantly suprised, would like to try Samsung's laptop though.
Enjoy the versatility of the Tablet/ Laptop experience, good video too.
Thanks.

[willwroten]

I am currently looking into this now. I answer emails, and teach online via video chats, create lesson plans, etc. I don't do all the crazy stuff I'd use a laptop for. Just simple use and easy to get from home, work, and traveling. This vídeo actually helped me decide to just go with the tablet

[NBTJacklyn]

Love the framing for this video
Ur so talented

[cheeeeezewizzz]

It really just depends on what you need to get done. For web browsing, google docs, light video editing with Lumafusion, working on images with lightroom (I prefer lightroom mobile to the desktop version of lightroom actually) and quite a few other things a tablet is a great device. But here is the rub, a samsung phone also has dex. Which means you don't even need a tablet to get all of these capabilities. And combined with a mouse and folding keyboard you can get a crazy amount of stuff done with like the xREAL glasses. It's basically this but way more mobile.

[RayLancer]

Yeah I use my iPad Pro 11 with a cheap bluetooth keyboard (Brydge Max+/Goojodoq magic keyboard) and I honestly love traveling with it more than my Legion 5 Pro gaming laptop (for obvious reason, size, battery life). At this point my Legion 5 pro is just a desktop now since it's pretty much stationary now. iPadOS has gotten better with stage manager and the reasons you listed in teh video like better battery life, GPS, etc makes me really enjoy the use of it.

[snehabose]

Wonderful review, answers all my questions 😊 Thanks.

[PedroLopes-zyx]

For tablets to be more complete, one thing I consider essential is the full version of a browser like chrome, that would automatically give more insensitive for developers to optimize their apps to run in android, like Luma Fusion did