2024 has come and gone and the only future announcement for me is the iPad mini 7. According to numerous leaker claims, it’s just days away.
I want to talk a little bit about mobile gaming, but I also want to talk about mobile productivity and what makes a good tablet for me. If you ask someone what a good tablet is for them, they’ll probably mention a certain Samsung Galaxy Tab or iPad.
That’s great, but as I suggested above, for me a tablet needs to be able to do “real gaming” (not mobile gaming) and “real productivity”, not iPadOS or Android productivity. there is.
I’ve tried both for years, and sorry Android fans, but the iPad has always been better for my needs. For real productivity. But it’s not my tablet of choice anymore. Let me explain…
Pros and cons of the iPad from a productivity and gaming perspective
iPad Air (Image credit – PhoneArena)
Even the newest, cheapest iPad is technically powerful enough to provide the productivity I need. iPad has a lot of great, well-optimized, and affordable productivity apps to get your work done. If you’re an artist, buy an Apple Pencil and use the Procreate app. If you edit videos, which I often do, get the LumaFusion app. I think this is almost perfect in that regard. It just works without any hiccups or interruptions to your workflow.
However, you need to do something in your web browser. And at the end of the day, you want the web browsing experience of a “real” desktop PC, and you can’t get that on an iPad or Android tablet.
The iPad’s default web browser – Safari – actually tries to provide a true desktop experience, has a bookmarks bar, and loads websites in desktop format by default, but it’s still a mobile browser. The admin panel and banking site do not load properly.
Even if it works, certain web elements won’t work. For example, clicking a button that is supposed to open a page or pop-up window does nothing, often completely breaking site functionality. Some websites may also explicitly instruct you to use a desktop web browser such as Chrome. Not mobile Chrome or mobile Safari, but desktop browser Chrome.
And this is where things naturally go wrong for me when it comes to tablet productivity. No matter how much I love the features and apps on my iPad, or the DeX mode on my Samsung Galaxy Tab, I always find myself needing to do some work with . The website I’m using doesn’t seem to work as intended in any mobile web browser I’ve tried so far.
So what are the Windows PC options?
Before we answer that, let’s also talk about the game. Or a tablet – when it comes to mobile gaming, you can’t play Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077 on your iPad, but you can play thousands of mobile games designed primarily with touchscreen controls in mind. No doubt about it.
Well, I don’t like them. Just like I want a “real” web browser, I like “real” games. For example, it’s great to hit the adjustable gamepad on your iPad mini and play some of the mobile titles that support gamepads, but they’re not on the same level as PC games. But obviously tablets aren’t powerful enough to run them, right? Or are they? …
I bought a Steam Deck and it became my gateway to something else, which became my iPad killer
Steam Deck (Image credit – Valve)
So, as I mentioned earlier, mobile gaming has never really appealed to me, especially after I found out devices like Valve’s Steam Deck existed. It’s a portable minicomputer with a built-in gamepad that lets you play a surprising number of PC games, including most triple-A titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring.
Not only that, but it also has a touch screen and full desktop mode if you need it. Once you connect it to your TV, it boots into a desktop Linux experience, and you can use the aforementioned “real” Chrome web browser for all your browser-based tasks without any problems. It’s real!
But after my honeymoon with Steam Deck ended, I started looking at its newer competitors. I wanted a more versatile device that was all about being a great tablet and could preferably run Windows 11. And I found it…
It’s the Lenovo Legion Go – a gaming console, a capable tablet, and a powerful work PC.
Legion Go (Image credit – Lenovo)
I know my requirements are niche, but the Lenovo Legion Go has nailed them. Yes, this is a gaming device with a controller that can run all the triple-A games I want to play.
It’s larger than the Steam Deck, has a higher resolution screen, and runs full Windows 11. You can remove the two joystick modules and turn it into just a nice little tablet. The joystick module on the right transforms into a vertical mouse on the go. The tablet also has a built-in kickstand. It’s exactly what I wanted, a versatile beast that can adapt to what you need in any scenario.
It’s similar to the iPad mini as a tablet, but it becomes my main powerful PC that can play all the PC games I want and do all the work I need to do on the go. Sure, you might need to carry a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with you. Ideally, you should have a large screen that you can connect it to (I do this both in the office and in hotel rooms when I travel). But my usual tablet compromises are: Gone.
Legion Go in tablet mode (Image credit – Lenovo)
The versatility of this device is amazing to me, and while it’s not without its complaints, including terrible speakers, fairly weak battery life, and a loud fan, if you want triple-A gaming , I think you’ll have to make new compromises to achieve the full productivity of Windows 11 on the go. And for now, I’m okay with them.
The point is, my iPad was a huge part of my workflow. You can edit videos there, play PC games by emulating Windows (Apple now offers emulation apps in Europe), and have a hard time using it to do web browser-based tasks. I did…
But for the past few weeks, my iPad has been gathering dust, as has Steam Deck, and surprisingly both have been completely replaced by Legion Go.
Again, just because I found the perfect device for enjoying tablet slash games on the go doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. But for me, that’s ideal. And I’m so glad I took the financial risk of buying yet another mobile device to find the one that best suited my needs. I think I’ve found it anyway.
I’m still looking forward to the next iPad mini, and it looks like it’s coming soon, what do you think?
Are you using an iPad or android tablet For gaming or productivity? How are you doing?
Additionally, do you own a Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go? Have you given the ever-growing handheld PC market a chance yet? Share your thoughts and experiences with fellow tech enthusiasts in the comments section below .
