What is most economical device, smartphone, tablet or laptop?

When we have to make a purchase related to the world of technology is common to think about the features of the laptop, the screen has the smartphone operating system or our tablet. All this plus the price we’re willing to pay, but we thought at some point, which is cheaper device, smartphone, tablet or laptop. Because it’s something that will not depend solely on the price paid.

We will propose a comparative exercise price of these devices depending on the use we make of them, the life of them, so that based on these data it clear that we get cheaper. It is important to note that the final result will depend a lot on how you use demos so for each user can be different.

What investment we make in buying a smartphone, tablet and laptop?

We are going to consider mid-range computers, with a good quality provide us that also lengthen the period of depreciation or use of the same. For our scenario we are going to think that the notebook user uses it to surf the web or to buy something, visualize series or movies. The time you use the notebook series for 16 hours a week, would lead us to rise about 70 hours per month.

With the tablets are more complicated, as it depends greatly on the size of the screen, but also the operating system you have. Without going too far, we could fix a price for a mid-range tablet around 350 €, where if we are going to screen size 7″ will be of a higher quality than if we focus on screens around 10″. In any case we speak of models of WiFi connectivity, not associated with a data rate.

With regard to smartphones, we could also put the midrange in the 350 €, although here the final price will depend a lot on whether or not the device is subsidized by a carrier in exchange for a stay under a certain fee. If we are willing to accept certain conditions we could get even more economical.

How long we use the smartphone, tablet and laptop?

This is the most complicated aspect since each user can make a different use. For our scenario we will think that the laptop user uses it to surf the web, do some shopping, viewing movies or series. The usage time of the laptop would be about 16 hours a week, which would lead us to rise about 70 hours per month.

In the case of the tablet propose a somewhat similar scenario, which also has a recreational component of games, but also for use as a second screen we interact with watching TV, for example, the laptop is not as strong. In this case the use would be approximately 20 hours a week or 86 hours per month to use the tablet.

The time of use could be improved because the laptop or the tablets do not have to be strictly personal use devices. In this way, if there are a number of members of a family that used the notebook, for example, could double the time of use and reduce costs.

The smartphone is a very specific case. It seems that only used five minutes, but we do everywhere in traveling to work or school by public tramsporte, while watching TV, when we are in the bathroom… to play, to read, to social networks, etc.. The versatile smartphone makes its usage time is multiplied, so it is not unreasonable to think you would use about five hours a day, which would lead to a 150 hours per month of smartphone use.

Payback period and cost per device time

We understand the amortization period the life they will have. Here we will be more or less generous and understand that we will take very good care to extend life, setting the lifetime of the laptop in 6 years, four for tablet and smartphone, being generous. This would lead us to have annual costs as purchase prices, discussed earlier of € 100 per year for Laptop 87.5 € for tablet and smartphone, would be what it costs us each year of life these devices. The laptop seems to be the most expensive, but with little difference from the other two because it usually lasts longer.

If we introduce the variable usage time, we could say that the laptop would cost € 0.12, the tablet would fall to € 0.08 and € smartphone 0.05 per hour of use for each device. This smartphone would be cheap if we make personal use of all of them, if we add more hours of use for laptops or tablets by other family members, the fact is that things are much equals.

All this without taking into account costs that we can have over the lifetime of these devices as repair, replacement of components such as batteries or purchase of accessories including bags or external keyboards to give two examples.