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Consider an user that mainly uses his notebook for:

  • surf the web
  • open 4~6 browsers tabs (ex: google + youtube + amazon + static pages)
  • run msoffice apps (ex: excel + powerpoint + email)
  • watch videos

For such users, is there already in the market a tablet with the same performance of standard notebooks?

ps: Budget is not a constraint (say < US$5000). Of course the cheapest would be better.

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    "Performance of a standard notebook" is rather vague. If it weren't for a lack of memory (and having the wrong CPU architecture for Office), my Raspberry Pi could perform all the tasks you list.
    – Mark
    Nov 13, 2015 at 21:36
  • @Mark There is a long way to go from a Raspberry Pi to a Steve Jobs' user friendly tablet.
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 13, 2015 at 22:08

3 Answers 3

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Nowadays, many tablets have the same, or more, performance than laptops.The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is a very good option for portability and performance. It has a beautiful screen, a powerful processor and a generally well built device.

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  • Yes, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 was the top suggestion I've heard of. But, between a U$300 standard notebook and a U$800 tablet, I think notebooks are still worth it. yet ...
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 14, 2015 at 9:38
  • @MarkMessa You will be surprised the specs you can get for a $800 tablet.
    – Peter Zhu
    Nov 15, 2015 at 2:16
  • Ok, I believe so. But for such kind of users, specs are not that important. All they need is run smoothly such simple tasks. So, if they can achieve that, my guess is that most of them would still prefer paying $300 for a cumbersome standard notebook than $800 for a cool top tablet.
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 15, 2015 at 2:37
  • @MarkMessa yeah, they can get a $300 laptop to satisfy their needs, but is it enjoyable? The slow boot times, slow browser loads, and generally sluggish performance will make their time less enjoyable.
    – Peter Zhu
    Nov 15, 2015 at 2:39
  • @petershu2118 Of course the Surface Pro 4 would be much more enjoyable: no moving parts, no vents, no noise, no heat on the legs, no boot time and detachable keyboard+touchpad when not needed (I'm considering their simple tasks would run as smoothly as in their current standard notebooks, including browser loads). But this party has a considerable price increase. My guess is that most of such users I've mentioned would still prefer $300 standard notebook ...
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 15, 2015 at 3:08
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This is a rather vague question, but I will do my best to answer it. A budget of $5000 will bring you a long way. My recommendation is a Microsoft Surface Book. Without knowing what the "same performance of standard notebooks" is I can almost guarantee that the this insanely powerful Tablet/Laptop hybrid will fit your needs. You could probably also play some video games on it. It ranges from $1500 - $3200 and goes from an i5 with iGPU & 128GB SSD to an i7 with dGPU & 1TB SSD.

Would definitely run 6 Chrome tabs, Excel, PowerPoint, and email at the same time.

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  • By standard notebook I mean the most common notebook configuration being sold. My guess would be US$300 range notebooks.
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 15, 2015 at 1:17
  • @MarkMessa Oh, then I suppose this is not what you are looking for.
    – Rubydesic
    Nov 15, 2015 at 2:02
  • My guess is that, such users I've mentioned, would prefer Surface Pro 4 than Surface Book. The only real advantage they would perceive in Surface Book would be the 13.5" screen size compared to the 12.1" screen size of Surface Pro 4 (which is smaller than their current notebooks), but for a huge increase in price. Specs for them are not that important if they can run smoothly their simple tasks.
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 15, 2015 at 2:59
  • @MarkMessa I was thinking more of what I would use if I needed a Tablet/Laptop, which is why I posted this.
    – Rubydesic
    Nov 15, 2015 at 12:47
  • @MarkMessa Also, I think that you cannot really put the Surface Pro on your lap. You can, however, put a Surface Book on your lap :)
    – Rubydesic
    Nov 15, 2015 at 21:40
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I would suggest Dell XPS 13 family, ex. XPS 13 Non-Touch, or with touch, if needed. It has great screen with ultra thick borders, and for the applications you specify, the screen is important, not the internals - what I mean, that every new laptop nowedays is designed to run flawlessly in common scenarions (which is what you specified). Do not go for internals (i5/i7, 1333/1600Mhz RAM etc. dillemas), go for design you like, touch-non-touch, screen size and quality, and usablity - keybord may come in handy if you use MS office much.

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    Dell XPS 13 family seems to be an excellent laptop. But still is a laptop, and this is the problem. It still have moving parts (vents), get hot in your leg, and you cannot remove the keyboard when you don't need it. My guess is that this is the reason some folks are switching their laptop s to tablets.
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 15, 2015 at 1:52
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    I agree with you about the issue you mention of specifications. For such kind of user, internals don't have to be top of line. But screen size close to the ones of laptops is really important.
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 15, 2015 at 1:57
  • Touch screen is also a must.
    – Mark Messa
    Nov 15, 2015 at 1:58

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