Not everyone needs a tablet, but for the right person, it can be an absolute game-changer. Drawing from my years of experience using phones, laptops, tablets, and desktops with ultrawide displays, here are seven telltale signs that you are a tablet person.

1 You Prefer The Bigger Picture—Literally

Do you feel that the 6.8-inch display on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could’ve been a bit bigger? Are you puzzled watching folks reading notifications and health stats on their smartwatches and wondering how they do it? Is watching Netflix on a smartphone more of a chore than an entertaining experience?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you, my friend, are a tablet person. And why wouldn’t you be? Having a larger screen really helps with many use cases, particularly media consumption. For instance, watching movies and web series on a 6-inch-ish display can often diminish the experience. However, step up to an 11-inch tablet at the same viewing distance as a smartphone, and movies become much more immersive.

Of course, there are also productivity gains. Reading spreadsheets, managing digital kanban boards, and organizing your calendar become much smoother with a larger display. And speaking of reading, you’ll definitely enjoy owning a tablet if you have a habit of reading lots of articles, ebooks, or graphic novels while cruising around your living room.

2 You Enjoy Using a Pen

Personal computers introduced the concept of a mouse as an input device, and smartphones standardized touch controls, but let’s face it—nothing feels as natural and intuitive as using a pen. If you feel the same way, then you’ll love getting a tablet for taking notes, drawing, or occasional scribbling.

In fact, there are legitimate studies championing the benefits of using pen and paper to write down notes, as it aids in memory retention and understanding. The main reason pen and paper are less common is because digital notes are easier to store, retrieve, and edit. However, tablets let us capture the best of both worlds by allowing us to use a stylus, like the Apple Pencil or S Pen, to create digital notes or drawings.

3 You Feel Phones Are Too Small But Laptops Too Cumbersome

If you’re anything like me, you probably feel that you’re most productive working from a desktop with a multi-window setup. In that case, smartphones, with their small screens hiding away user interface (UI) elements behind hamburger menus or slide-out panels, can feel limiting—not to mention how cluttered they can get while multitasking.

Now, laptops do offer a much more productive work experience—especially the 15-16″ models—but they present an ergonomics problem. If you’re sitting straight and have the laptop screen at eye level, then the keyboard is too high. If the keyboard is at a comfortable height to type on, then the screen is likely too low, and you need to hunch over.

Thankfully, a tablet lets you avoid all those issues. Most apps and websites behave similarly to how they would on a desktop on a tablet screen. Multi-window productivity is also possible. And while working, you can easily raise the tablet to eye-level using a stand while having a connected wireless keyboard at arm level to type.

4 You’re Looking for Better Battery Life

Tablets, with their larger form factors, pack bigger batteries that lead to exceptionally long battery life—even though they have larger displays. For example, I own an iPad Air M2 and Mi Pad 5, and I generally charge them every 2–3 days. You never need to worry about your device dying on you as you binge an 8-hour-long series.

Also, here’s something you’ve never considered—your tablet can even extend your smartphone’s battery life! And no, I’m not talking about reverse charging—while that’s possible—I’m talking about distributed labor. When you own a tablet, you naturally start delegating tasks between devices.

For example, I use my smartphone for calls, messages, Uber, and music streaming, while my tablet is there for note-taking, media consumption, and calendar management. This division of labor means your smartphone gets used less intensively throughout the day, helping it last longer.

5 You Want a Dedicated Second Screen

A tablet can be the perfect second screen, especially if you don’t want a dual-monitor setup with a distracting bezel down the middle. A tablet usually offers a much more flexible and portable secondary display option. You can use Sidecar to turn your iPad into a second screen for your Mac, while spacedesk allows you to turn any Android tablet into an extended display for your Windows PC.

At 11–13 inches, tablets are large enough for desktop-type workloads and can pair well with a laptop and even a desktop. I personally have my tablet right below my monitor, in front of the keyboard. This way, I can use my 34″ ultrawide to view all my research and reference material while I use my tablet as a dedicated distraction-free writing space.

That said, the best part is that you don’t have to use the tablet display merely as an extension to your computer. For example, instead of opening an app on your computer and dragging its window to the tablet’s view, you can just open that app on your tablet. This way, you get to use the computing power of two devices for smoother multitasking.

6 You’re a Fan of Digital Board Games

I’ve grown an increasing proclivity for board games, especially when having friends over—it’s just a better way to socialize compared to sitting side-by-side and staring at a TV in front of you. That said, as you build up your board game collection, you’ll start to see your bookshelves and cabinets fill up with big boxes.

This is where digital board games come into the picture—and tablets offer the best way to play them! I mean, can you imagine four friends gathered around a smartphone playing Monopoly? Tablets, with their 11-13 inch displays, are perfect for everyone gathered around to play some Risk, The Game of Life, or Scrabble.

7 You Have Large Hands

Tablets can be unwieldy. They’re typically two-handed devices, and with a protective case, they can get pretty heavy. That said, if you’ve got large hands like I do, this becomes much less of an issue.

I’m no Shaq, but I do have moderately large hands that can comfortably grip an 11-inch tablet—my Mi Pad 5. I basically use it like a smartphone (a behemoth of a smartphone), with one hand free to navigate the display or take notes with a stylus.

That said, even if you weren’t blessed with a big grip, you can still expect a similar experience with mini tablets or phablets rocking 7–8-inch displays. They are still great for note-taking and media consumption and perfect for gaming with touch controls.

Whether you’re seeking a more immersive entertainment experience, craving a natural note-taking solution, or just wanting to give your smartphone a break, tablets offer unique benefits that neither phones nor laptops can match. If you identify with a few or several of the signs I mentioned, I’m sure you won’t regret the tablet experience.