Large Android tablets are nearing extinction

Over the past few years, we’ve seen tablets take off in a way that nobody expected. The invention that used to be known as “the giant smartphone” has evolved into a breed of devices that millions of people use everyday. Perhaps, though, the size of tablets is something that’s changing. While they used to cover a range of sizes, tablets seem to finally be settling on the sweet spot for what people want.

When Android tablets first began to gain traction, a slew of models hit the market. There were a few small tablets in the mix, but the vast majority were 10-inch monsters that worked to set a standard for what a tablet was. The tablets were big and heavy — believe me, I owned one for a while — but they excelled at productivity and were great for watching media.

As time went on, smaller tablets began to enter the scene in a more prominent way. A mixture of sizes was available on the market, but many consumers began to opt for the smaller versions that offered more portability while retaining almost all of the features of their larger counterparts. These smaller tablets allowed for more ease of use and an on-the-go factor that the larger tablets struggled with.

Several years since the inception of Android tablets, we’ve seen the market shift dramatically away from larger tablets. The most common devices on the market are 7-inch tablets such as the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire. Larger 10-inch tablets have struggled to keep up due simply to their size. Of course, portability isn’t the only hindrance to a 10-inch tablet.

If you’ve ever owned a 10-inch tablet, then you know the hassle of finding apps that look proper on the display. Most apps simply aren’t configured for that large screen. Sure, they work, but they don’t look nice. Tablet-optimized apps have become more common, but they’re still a rare breed. Apps well-suited to the 10-inch form factor are even more rare, with most apps simply scaling up to account for the additional size.

10-inch tablets remain on the market, but not in the prevalence that they used to. And in most cases, 10-inch tablets have a smaller counterpart to accompany them. The fact of the matter is, 10-inch tablets just don’t have the popularity that they used to. The market has moved towards smaller, more portable tablets that feel more like what a tablet should be. Indeed, when talking about a 10-inch tablet to the everyday folks, many ask, “Why not just use a laptop if it’s going to be that big?”

That’s the truth of it. The additional screen size is fantastic for watching movies and TV shows, there’s no denying that. But 10-inch tablets have few tasks that they can perform better than their smaller counterparts, and yet can’t complete many of the tasks that a laptop of similar size can. The point I’m getting at is that a laptop can do much more than a 10-inch tablet while maintaining a similar size. With the continued recession of 10-inch tablets on the market, it appears that many are thinking that way and that large Android tablets could be nearing extinction.

Perhaps I’m wrong. The market for large tablets could be bigger and more demanding than I know. What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you also think that large tablets are on their way out? Or are they here to stay? Drop a comment down below!

source: androidandme