With the advancement in technology, the smartphones being released nowadays are capable of competing even with mid ranged desktop computers. In some fields, they even have a slight upper hand on traditional computing devices. This is because smartphones—in addition to giving you the functionality of a computer–also provide the functions of a cellular network, i.e. calls and messages. This function is not available in most of laptops and computers.

Getting yourself a laptop when you already have a smartphone might not be a good idea because almost all functionality of the laptop is available in the smartphone. As long as you have a plan to suit your usage you will face no difficulty in deciding what will be a better option for you. Here is a comparison between the technologies to help you sort out your decision.

Screen Size

Laptop

Laptops feature screen sizes ranging from 13″ to 17″. The resolution ranges from 1336×768 to 2880×1800.

Smartphone

Smartphone screens depend on the model and manufacturer. For example, the screen size of Apple iPhone7 is 4.7″ and the resolution is 750×1334, but it will be different in iPhone6.

Verdict: Watching movies and TV serials might be a better experience on a bigger screen with more pixels. Buying yourself a laptop to enjoy the latest movies will be a good option.

Storage Capacity

Laptop

The hard drive capacity of laptops exceeds 1 terabyte and s expected to increase even more in the future. Even the most basic laptops have 250 GB hard disk.

Smartphone

Most smartphones have storage ranging from 8 GB to 64 GB and some have 128 GB in them as well. But the offered storage capacity in mobile phones is way less than a laptop, and components of smartphones can’t be modified as well like they can be on a laptop.

Verdict: If you have a lot of data to store for example hundreds of GBs, you will need a lot of space which is only available on the laptop. Otherwise, you will do just fine having only a smartphone.

Connectivity

Laptop

Most new laptops include Wi-Fi connectivity options and have Ethernet networking features.

Smartphone

Smartphones can not only connect to Wi-Fi, but they also connect to mobile networks from which you can make phone calls.

Verdict: Smartphone takes very little space in your pocket, while a laptop might require a bag to be carried around. If you think that you will not be carrying around your laptop everywhere for staying connected to the internet, having a smartphone makes better sense.

Operating System

Laptop

OS designed for laptops are more extensive and are capable of doing more tasks than a mobile phone.

Smartphone

Mobile operating systems like Android or iOS are specialized for specific devices. They do not offer complete access to system hardware as well.

Verdict: If your work requires heavy CPU usage for example application building, graphics designing, picture editing, and video making, you would probably require a laptop. If you feel that you need very little functionality that is offered on a computer, you will be just fine with a smartphone.

There you have it–the comparison list which will help you decide if you should really buy a laptop if you have a smartphone right now.