The Battle of 7 Inch Tablets Versus 10 Inch Tablets

Tablets are finally starting to settle into size ranges, with 7 and 10 inches being the industry standard. So which size should you buy? Let’s look at 8 areas of comparison, so you can make an educated decision.

Obviously, for many of us, the deciding factor is going to be price. It’s what drove me to go with the Nexus 7. If you are shopping in the 0 price range then a 7 inch tablet is for you (unless you are addicted to Apple products, in which case you’ll have to drop about 9). A good 10 inch tablet is still going to run you 0-0.

The size of the device is also a consideration. Clearly it is easier to carry a 7 inch device around with you. It may fit in the large inside pocket of a man’s overcoat, and most women carry purses large enough to hold a 7 inch tablet. The edge once again goes to 7 inch tablets for ease of transport.

Screen size is a toss up. Many enjoy having a larger screen. If you already have a 4 inch screen on your smart phone, you may feel like a 7 inch tablet is just an oversized phone. Also, for onscreen typing, a 10 inch tablet leaves you more space for the keypad. Of course, gesture type on Android Jellybean makes it easy to type quickly on any size device.

10 inch tablets would seem to have an obvious advantage in movie watching, but it may not be as significantly different as you would think. A 16:9 screen on a 7 inch tablet is going to have a similar viewing area to 4:3 screen on a 10 inch tablet once you add the letter boxing in. So the advantage here goes to the larger tablets, but not by much.

When it comes to gaming, the advantage once again goes to the larger tablets. I can’t imagine any time I would be playing a game and think “You know what would make this game better? A smaller screen!” That having been said, I don’t see any tremendous advantage in playing on a larger screen. The stronger processing power in some larger tablets will, however, make a difference in game play.

What to say about cameras? First of all, if you try to use a tablet of any size as a camera, and I see you, I will laugh and point. Get an actual camera. Front facing cameras are what we really utilize on tablets. Up close and personal video conferencing and self shots for our Instagram and profile pics are pretty much all we want the camera for. So basically any size tablet with a front facing camera will be sufficient for its intended purpose.

I like my 7 inch tablet as an e-reader. It’s small enough and light enough (and back lit enough) that I don’t use my standard e-reader anymore. A 10 inch tablet is a little ungainly, and will make it tough to pretend like you’re reading an actual book.

For web browsing, I’d give the advantage to large tablets. A 7 inch tablet is much better for browsing than a phone. The next size up tablet is better still, even if the amount of difference is not as great.

So there you have it. Everything you need to know to choose between 7 inch and 10 inch tablets.