Consumers are more likely to use smartphones than tablets for most mobile activities, according to a new study from European market research firm GfK.

Tablets win when it comes to viewing full TV episodes and other activities where longer time frames and larger screen sizes are decisive factors, the firm adds.

The study, How People Use Media: Smartphones and Tablets, found folks are more likely to use smartphones for 11 out of 15 common uses, including searching the Internet, listening to music, and filming video. Users preferred tablets for game playing, watching TV programs, and reading books or magazines.

“The amount of time people spend using smartphones is creating a sense of comfort that seems to trump concerns about screen size,” GfK says. “As smartphones become larger and more viewing oriented, they may erode the tablet’s advantages for even long viewing sessions. The fact that Generations X and Y have an almost native ease with smartphones will only accentuate this trend.”

Comfort with using the smartphone as a media device varied greatly among key age groups. Among smartphone viewers in Generation X (ages 33 to 46), 44 percent reported that they watch both clips and full episodes of TV shows on smartphones, compared to 24 percent for Generation Y (ages 13 to 32) and 17 percent for Baby Boomers (ages 47 to 54).

In addition, 22 percent of Generation Y smartphone viewers report that their smartphone viewing is replacing time with regular TV, compared to 14 percent for Generation X and Baby Boomers.

The new report also shows that, across eight program genres, 65–86 percent of smartphone viewers said that the small-screen experience is either “as good as regular TV” or “good enough.” Generation Y was most likely to report this agnostic view of screen size.

The report is based on interviews with 1,001 smartphone and/or tablet owners ages 13 to 54.

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