Buying an iPad (or Other Tablet) in 2024? 5 Reasons They’re Still Worth Using

If you’re not sure whether an iPad or any other tablet is the right device for your use case, we’ve got you covered. We’ll list some reasons why they’re definitely worth considering so you don’t have to be on the fence anymore.



1 Easier to Carry Around Than Laptops

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iPads and other modern tablets are far lighter and thinner than most traditional laptops, making them extremely portable and travel-friendly. And unlike laptops, you can even fit most tablets in sling bags.

Additionally, you can take an iPad or any modern tablet out of your bag and start using it immediately. Laptops are often in sleep mode when you take them out, and it usually requires a few seconds to restore their state.

And don’t forget that you can use your tablet with one hand when you’re cramped for space in a flight. In these cases, you can detach its keyboard accessory and rely on the on-screen keyboard. When was the last time you did that with a laptop?


2 You Don’t Need a Dedicated Drawing Tablet

Apple Pencil Kept On A Black Surface Showing Apple Pencil Branding
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Your iPad can double as a drawing tablet, and it’s pretty good at that. The optional Apple Pencil accessory for iPads lets you draw with no perceivable latency and supports pressure sensitivity; it’s perfect for budding digital artists.

The App Store houses several great drawing and painting apps to help you get started. Third-party apps like Procreate give you access to so many tools to make your drawing experience on iPads seamless.

You could argue that drawing tablets offer a bigger canvas, which means more room for creativity, but that comes at the cost of portability. And unlike most drawing tablets, you don’t need to connect your iPad or Android tablet to a computer for drawing.


3 They Can Replace Your Trusty Laptop

13-inch iPad Pro attached to a white Magic Keyboard on a desk
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We talked about the portability aspect of iPads and tablets earlier. But that alone isn’t good enough to make them laptop replacements. However, with keyboard accessories, like the expensive Magic Keyboard for iPad, you can get a laptop-like experience with an iPad.

If you’re someone who mostly browses the web, replies to emails, works on documents, and does light photo- or video-editing tasks, an iPad attached to a keyboard is more than adequate. You don’t need a laptop unless you use specific creative apps that require a desktop operating system.


Don’t forget that most laptops have mediocre webcams. The built-in selfie cameras on iPads and other modern tablets are better for video calls, even in low-light conditions. Additionally, the battery life of most Windows laptops and Intel MacBooks pale in comparison to modern tablets that are good enough for nearly 10 hours of web browsing.

Lastly, unlike laptops, you can always buy an iPad or Android tablet with cellular support, so you don’t have to rely on a Wi-Fi network to connect to the internet. When tablets offer all these benefits, what reason do you have to carry your trusty laptop unless you have a specific purpose?

A woman holding an iPad browsing the Netflix library
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iPads (and Android tablets in general) are great for media consumption. When you want to lay back on the couch and watch your favorite Netflix show, you have access to a much bigger screen, unlike a smartphone. At the same time, since it’s not nearly as bulky as a laptop, you’ll have no trouble holding it.

The same applies when you want to play games. On-screen controls can often be finicky on smartphones, but the iPad’s larger canvas makes you feel at ease. And if that’s not enough, you can always connect a game controller to your iPad and mount it on a stand.

5 Ideal for Note-Taking

Why carry a physical notebook around when an iPad has all the space you need to store your notes digitally? Sure, you can type down notes faster with your laptop’s keyboard, but an Apple Pencil recreates that pen-and-paper note-taking experience. And according to a 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, handwritten notes are better for information retention.


You can easily add drawings and annotations to your notes for more context, which is something you can’t do conveniently with a laptop. All you need is one of the best note-taking apps for your iPad to organize everything you write down.

If you find one or more of these factors crucial, you definitely won’t regret investing in an iPad or any other Android tablet. Today, tablet devices are available at various price points, but if you want the best iPads of 2024, you’ll need to pay a premium.

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