It’s admittedly an arduous task comparing an iPhone and an iPad. They are two siblings with extraordinary characteristics. Despite all their similarities—including their Apple foundation —they have some distinguishing features. These features don’t necessarily make one device better than the other. Rather, they make each device better suited for some functions than others.
An iPad is a tablet PC, and as such, focuses on larger displays which enhances proficiency and user experience in the aspects of work and play. Meanwhile, an iPhone focuses on cellular connectivity and portability. In this article, we’ll discuss what an iPad can do that an iPhone can’t.
What can an iPad do that an iPhone can’t?
Why buy an iPad when you can get a much cheaper iPhone is a question I keep hearing more and more lately. With the introduction of the new iPad Mini the lines became even more blurred than they were before.
The thing about Apple is that they are mastered at targeting user needs and marketing various projects with 90% similar features to different users. Sure an iPad is basically a larger iPhone. However, try replacing your iPhone with an iPad for a day and you’ll see why these two products target different user groups.
So let’s talk about the differences between an iPad and an iPhone.
Apps Designed For the iPad can’t be practically used on the iPhone
As of August 2022, there are about 2.2 million apps on the Apple App Store according to Statista. And while there aren’t official statistics on the number of apps that are iPad specific, we know that they exist, and their number isn’t negligible. So in effect, you get to enjoy more apps on the iPad than with the iPhone.
Virtually all apps built for iPhones also run on an iPad, but the reverse isn’t the case. For example, you can enjoy all apps on the App Store’s Hall of Fame on your iPad, but you don’t have access to some iPad Hall of Fame apps on the App Store. These apps mostly include productivity apps like Adobe Photoshop Touch and Paper by FiftyThree.
So, in essence, iPads will continue to edge out iPhones as long as app developers keep designing exclusive apps for iPads.
The iPad has a much bigger display
iPads have screens ranging from 7.9 inches (for an iPad Mini) to 12.9 inches (for a 4th generation iPad Pro). These completely dwarf displays on most iPhones, which are still about 6 inches on average. This larger size makes the iPad less portable than iPhones, it also makes iPads much easier to use.
App developers take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen to enable split views and pop-overs on their apps. These give you more control and improve the overall experience, with drop-down menus and links on the same screen. So you pinch, tap, swipe, spread, and flick a lot less on iPads than you do on iPhones. The larger screen also makes for more immersive visuals.
Storage options for the iPad range from 128 GB to 2 TB
This is another aspect where an iPad offers more than an iPhone. IPads have always come with more inbuilt memory capacity than iPhones. However, since the launch of the iPhone 4S, both have been featuring identical storage capacity.
Still, iPad models have a higher range of storage capacity than iPhones. For example, the inbuilt memory of Apple iPad Pro 12.9 released in 2021 ranges from 128GB to 2TB. Meanwhile, its iPhone counterpart released in the same year, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, also has memory capacities that begin from 128GB, but you can only get a model with a maximum of 1TB.
The iPad has a bigger battery life!
Both iPhone and iPad operate with identical processors and offer the same efficiency in power. However, iPad trumps iPhone with better battery life. You can go longer on an iPad without needing to charge than you can with an iPhone.
With an iPad Mini or a fourth-generation iPad for example, you can surf the internet, watch movies, and more for about 10 hours before you need to charge the battery. You can’t take that long on your iPhone without needing to charge it.
Apple has been improving iPhone’s battery life to make recent models last longer than their predecessors. Still, they don’t come close to the iPads in this aspect.
The iPad is the multitasking king of the iOS world
This is another feature that iPhone can’t dream to have. iPad allows you to multitask, taking advantage of its big screen. The “split view” allows you to use up to three apps at the same time, each app displayed in a resizable pane. That way, you can decide which app is displayed the largest.
You can also use the “slide over “ feature, which also allows you to use two apps concurrently. With the slide-over feature though, it displays one app over the other. The floating app is displayed in a smaller pane.
You also have a split view in Safari, which allows you to view two tabs at the same time.
Better for business-related tasks
The iPad is more optimized for business-related tasks, thanks to some apps exclusive to it. You have apps like Paperdesk, Notes Plus, and Noteshelf, which are all excellent for taking notes during meetings. Even apps and accessories common to both devices are much better with the iPad. It’s impractical to use a Bluetooth keyboard or the handwriting features are impractical. More on this later.
Still on the Bluetooth keyboard, with a Bluetooth keyboard or any of Apple’s Smart keyboards, you can use keyboard shortcuts just like you do on your MacBook. For example, Cmd+C allows you to copy, and paste with Cmd+V. Yes, you can also connect a keyboard to your iPhone, but it doesn’t support such shortcuts.
The iPad is a much better substitute for a laptop
Similar to the previous point, an iPad can better serve as a substitute for a laptop in certain situations. It offers almost all the tools you need on your laptop, will adding the advantage of portability, and ease of carriage.
Do you need to respond to some mail, or attend a virtual meeting on the go? An iPad will serve you better for such tasks than an iPhone. You not only enjoy the optimized apps, but also the battery life in such scenarios.
The iPad has apple pencil support
Our final point talks a bit more about the Apple pencil. The iPad takes advantage of its large screen and supports illustrating sketches and writing notes using the Apple Pencil. This comes in handy if, for any reason, you don’t wish to type. This is a feature that the iPhone doesn’t support.
Conclusion
As I said in the beginning, these features or benefits do not make an iPad better than an iPhone. Some tasks and functions make all these advantages a necessity, and as such, going for an iPad becomes the best choice. If these advantages address your needs, all we can say is; “what are you waiting for?”
Where To Next?
This blog is a blog dedicated to using modern computing devices to run and manage a business. If you’re interested in using an iPad for your business, either as an entrepreneur, a small business owner or for your employees to use I recommend reading the following articles:
