Smartphones are more powerful than ever. So, is time to ditch that laptop for good?

Our laptops are undoubtedly helpful in our everyday lives, but are they becoming redundant? In many ways, no. Laptops are still hugely helpful, depending on your job, hobbies, and more. However, your smartphone can now perform many of the functions that were once unique to laptops and computers with the increasingly advanced technology they use. So, here's how your smartphone can actually replace your laptop for good.

1. Portability

One of the key things that make smartphones so popular is the fact that they can be taken pretty much anywhere. Whether you're headed out for a walk, to the gym, or to a party, you can easily take your smartphone along with you, which cannot be said for laptops.

While laptops have certainly decreased in size over the years, they can still be a pain to carry around, and they can't be used unless you're stationary. This makes smartphones the most convenient device to use over tablets, computers, and laptops.

2. Larger Screens for Entertainment

Remember the first iPhone? Compared to Apple's most recent smartphone model (which is over double the size of the iPhone 3G), the screen size of older iPhones could be considered minuscule, and the same goes for many other smartphone developers. As the years pass, smartphone screen sizes are increasing, to the point where one can thoroughly enjoy streaming and gaming using their phone.

On top of this, the increasing quality of smartphone screens makes them a great option for watching videos and movies or playing smartphone games. The introduction of OLED and AMOLED screens has given smartphones a new lease of life, with crisp and vivid displays that can even outshine laptop screens. Many popular PC or console games now even have a smartphone app to keep up with the ever-increasing popularity of smartphones over other devices.

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3. Huge Range of Apps Available

When you think of an app, the device that probably comes to mind is a smartphone. This is because apps are a great way to carry out a range of different tasks or activities on your smartphone without needing a laptop. So, even though apps are available on laptops, there's a reason why they're so popular on smartphones over everything else.

Need to buy some cleaning products? There's an app for that. Looking to create a to-do list? There's an app for that, too. In short, there's a smartphone app available for pretty much everything you could want to do. Because of this, many of the things you would once do on a laptop, including shopping, photo editing, checking the news, and creating schedules and routines, can now be done easily on a smartphone.

You can even manage your finances and pay your bills using your smartphone, so you don't even need a laptop for many of the essential tasks you need to carry out in your everyday life. This gives you the convenience and portability of a smartphone combined with all the app options offered by a laptop.

A particularly useful app offered on newer Samsung smartphone models is Samsung DeX. Along with the DeX Station and DeX Pad, one can use Samsung DeX to extend your smartphone into a desktop experience. This means that you can view your smartphone screen on your monitor and carry out a range of tasks without the need for a laptop or PC. You can even access an on-screen keyboard, so don't worry if you don't have a physical keyboard on hand.

4. Wireless and Portable Charging

Ever had your laptop die on you when your charger isn't in reach? Whether you're working in a café or simply a different room than usual, not having your charger there when your laptop's battery goes flat is irritating, to say the least. What's more, not having access to a power outlet can also prevent you from charging your laptop, which isn't great if you're in a public setting.

This is where smartphones really shine. You can both wirelessly and portably charge smartphones, so you never have to worry about running out of battery life when you're away from home. On top of this, portable and wireless chargers aren't too expensive. You can find a basic portable charger for $20, with wireless chargers starting at around the same price. Check out our buyer's guide listing the best wireless chargers out there right now if you're interested in grabbing one for yourself.

5. Longer Battery Life

Both laptop and smartphone battery lives can be frustratingly short, but the latter can usually be a more dependable option when you're away from home without a charger. A big reason for this is that, unlike a laptop, you're more likely to turn your phone's screen off whenever you're not directly using it, while it's natural to leave your laptop open and on.

On top of this, laptops are larger, with more hardware that needs constant power to function. Because your phone is, in a sense, a less powerful laptop, one charge can last longer than it would on a laptop, making them more reliable for out-of-home use.

6. Speech to Text Capabilities

Typing out long documents, messages, and emails on your phone or laptop can be pretty tedious, especially when you've got other tasks that you need to see to. This is where speech to text is hugely useful.

Speech to text involves inputting text into your device using your voice. Your phone interprets what you're saying and automatically types it into your device, which is generally much quicker and easier than manually typing. While you can use speech to text on a laptop, it's often a lot more accessible on your phone and can be used across a wide range of different apps.

This means that you can communicate with friends or colleagues, write out to-do lists, create documents, and more using text to speech, and you won't need to lift a finger. And, if you prefer manually typing but find using a small smartphone screen frustrating, you can also buy a detachable keyboard that syncs up to your phone and allows you to type as you would on a laptop.

The Downsides of Using A Smartphone Instead of a Laptop

Though smartphones are incredibly versatile, they do come with downsides, and there are some ways they just don't match up to laptops. Firstly, the storage space available on a laptop is typically significantly higher than what is offered by smartphones, so you can't really rely on your smartphone to store huge numbers of files, videos, and apps without using a physical or cloud backup option. Furthermore, if your smartphone doesn't have an expansion slot, your storage space is capped (unless you pay out for a cloud storage provider).

Laptops are also capable of running much more powerful software than smartphones, so operating a larger or more complex program could fast become an issue on a smartphone, whereas it would not be such on a laptop. These two factors are important to note, especially if your job relies on running multiple software programs on your laptop, which consume both processing power and storage.

One Day, You Won't Need Your Laptop

Nowadays, our phones are truly ready to replace the tech we once found we needed. Whether it's SatNav, television, or your trusty laptop, there are multiple ways through which we can use our phone as an all-in-one option for work, entertainment, or otherwise. Maybe one day we truly won't need our laptops at all.

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Katie is a Staff Writer at MUO with experience in content writing in travel and mental health. She as a specific interest in Samsung, and so has chosen to focus on Android in her position at MUO. She has written pieces for IMNOTABARISTA, Tourmeric and Vocal in the past, including one of her favourite pieces on remaining positive and strong through trying times, which can be found at the link above. Outside of her working life, Katie loves growing plants, cooking, and practicing yoga.

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