Tips on Choosing the Best Tablet for Students

School’s in!
In this article we want to give you key pointers to quickly help you choose the best Tablet for educational purposes.

Before we jump into the main points on the consideration factors when choosing a tablet, let’s begin with the ‘why’. 

Why consider a tablet for educational purposes?

• Cost: Tablets are cheaper than laptops and can perform most of the functions that a student requires
• App: Plentiful of educational apps (free & paid) to aid in your learning; such as getting immediate assessment results such as multiple choice questions 
• Touch Screen: A Touch screen on a tablet allows for greater interactivity when it comes to note-taking with a stylus or simply annotation 
• Portable: Tablets can replace heavy textbooks and cumbersome notebooks, making learning portable and light-weight; imagine being able to revise or learn on the go wherever you go with all your notes in an app. Searching for information is also easier with a search function. 

If you think the points above make sense, here are 4 key consideration factors to help you in your selection of the tablet that fits your needs. 

1. Identify your budget range

1. Budget  RM599 and below
2. Mid-range RM600-2000
3. High-end RM2001 and above

There are are variety of tablets available in the market to cater for the different types of users. Prices can go as low as RM 500 up to over RM 6000. Generally Apple and Microsoft tablets occupy the higher end of the spectrum. Nevertheless, there are many other brands that supply cost effective tablets.

Having a clear understanding of your budget will help start you off in the right direction. Rather than comparing prices of iPads and Surface Pros, perhaps if limited to a mid-range budget, one can start by looking immediately at Xiao Mi, Lenovo and Samsung.

Another way to ensure you get the best bang for your buck is to take advantage of shopping days such as 11.11, Black Friday or Cyber Monday If you miss out on these shopping days, you can still use our Priceshop comparison feature to ensure that you are still getting a good price for your purchase from a trusted merchant. 

2. What are you using it mainly for?

Examples of Primary Usage:

1. Note-taking
2. Artwork
3. Project work
4. Multitasking
5. E-learning via video calls

Tablets are typically built with a specific use case in mind. Microsoft Surface for example is made for work and is capable of running the full suite of Windows operating system and office applications on it. Other tablets are made with artists or note takers in mind and come with stylus (e.g. Apple iPad, Samsung S-series tablets). Yet not forgetting the more basic tablets which caters for mainly reading and web browsing may have lesser processing power than their counterparts. 

Determine the primary and secondary uses for your school and personal life and use that as a guide when deciding the form factor, functions and accessories that you will need to get to ensure you get the most benefit for your use. 

Covid-19 has increased the need for learning from home – so make sure the tablet has a front camera for Zoom calls or online learning. 

3. Determine frequency of upgrade / changing devices

Like all electronic devices, a tablets too will spoil someday. Tablets have a lifespan of 3 to 8 years depending on the OS type, and manufacturer. Keeping that in mind, a tablet costing RM 720 tablet will cost on average RM20 per month or RM0.66 daily if it can be used over 3 years. And if you are able to stretch it’s useful life, that’s extra bang for your buck.

By referring to this average cost per month guide, hopefully you’ll be better equipped to decide how much you want to spend on a tablet. If you plan to maximize the lifespan of your tablet, perhaps it’ll justify investing in a higher end tablet that is likely to also last longer. However, if you plan to get a new device once every two years, then maybe a mid-range or lower cost tablet may make sense to justify the costs. 

Don’t forget to visit Priceshop to see which retailers offer extended warranties or repair services which will also help ensure that your device stays in tip top working condition for a longer time! 

4. Other Specifications

Once you’ve decided on the budget, main use and also frequency of upgrade or change, it’s time to look into some of the specifications that matters.

Here’s a list of specifications that we think are most important to consider prior to making a purchase:

Attribute	Options	Remarks
Screen Size	From 7 to 13 inches	While bigger screens are great reading and doing work, smaller screens make the devices more portable.
Operating Systems	iOS Andriod Windows ChromeOS	Different operating systems support different types of apps. iOS is clean and user friendly but lacks in file management abilities.
Storage space	In-Built storage Expandable Storage	Built-in storage makes work a lot simpler. But opting for higher storage means higher cost. To overcome this, look out for expandable storage options via a Micro-SD card or explore cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive.
Battery life	Up to 10 hours	For mobile users, a larger battery may be ideal when compared to stationed users.
Accessories	Stylus Bluetooth Keyboard Casing	Not all tablets support accessories like smart styluses or keyboards. Be sure to check the accessory compatibility before purchasing.
Hybrid Tablets	2-in-1 Tablets Example: Lenovo Yoga	Use it as a tablet by folding the screen away and when you need it as a laptop, you can fold the keyboard back.