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Tablet computers are not offering users the memory they expect – dramatically reducing the number of songs, films, pictures and apps they can hold.
Firms such as Apple, Samsung and Microsoft pack the devices with so much operating software that the amount of storage space left for users is relatively small.
An investigation by consumer watchdog Which? found some tablets have less than half the usable space stated on the box.
An investigation by consumer watchdog Which? found some tablets have less than half the usable space stated on the box. The Apple iPad Air 2 (pictured with Tim Cook) is advertised with 16GB of storage. But Which? found it has just 10.3GB of available storage - 36 per cent less than claimed
A Which? spokesman said: 'If someone sold you a loaf of bread with half the slices already eaten, you'd feel a bit miffed - yet this is effectively happening all the time with the claimed storage on tablets.'
The Apple iPad Air 2 is advertised with 16GB of storage.
But Which? found it has just 10.3GB of available storage - 36 per cent less than claimed.
TABLETS AND THEIR STORAGEThe Apple iPad Air 2 is advertised with 16GB of storage. But Which? found it has just 10.3GB of available storage - 36 per cent less than claimed.
The 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 has little more than half the storage available to use.
An 8GB LG G Pad 7.0 costs less than £100, but had a 2.8GB of usable space once its operating system was taken into account.
The problem can be even worse when it comes to Windows devices, as they also reserve some space for a 'recovery partition' in case you need to restart your tablet from scratch.
It means the 64GB Microsoft Surface 3 only actually has 34GB of available storage - just 53 per cent of the claimed capacity.
The 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 has little more than half the storage available to use.
Which? said the cheaper the tablet, the bigger the problem.
An 8GB LG G Pad 7.0 costs less than £100, but had a 2.8GB of usable space once its operating system was taken into account.
That is barely enough for about ten music albums and an HD film.
Which? said this is not just a problem for users who like to store a lot of data.
It can also mean there is not enough space to upgrade the operating system.
This means apps and data has to be deleted before an update can take place.
Which? said the problem occurs because tablets reserve part of their storage for functions, such as the operating system.
< p class="mol-para-with-font">Most also feature a standard set of apps and tools.The makers are not doing anything illegal – the devices have the memory claimed, even if it is not all available to the user.
An 8GB LG G Pad 7.0 (pictured) costs less than £100, but had a 2.8GB of usable space once its operating system was taken into account. That is barely enough for about ten music albums and an HD film
The problem can be even worse when it comes to Windows devices, as they also reserve some space for a 'recovery partition' in case you need to restart your tablet from scratch. It means the 64GB Microsoft Surface 3 (pictured) only actually has 34GB of available storage - just 53 per cent of the claimed capacity
But the storage size quoted by the manufacturer is the empty container before any such software is downloaded to the tablet.
Most manufacturers also tend to load on a standard set of apps and third-party tools as well, which lead to significantly less storage than a buyer would expect.
The problem can be even worse when it comes to Windows devices, as they also reserve some space for a 'recovery partition' in case you need to restart your tablet from scratch.
It means the 64GB Microsoft Surface 3 only actually has 34GB of available storage - just 53 per cent of the claimed capacity.
Source: Tablets with HALF the memory you expect: Investigation reveals devices are filled with so much software the room for your files is reduced
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