A flatbed-whether standalone or as part of an all-in-one printer-is also the only choice for thick materials like books and magazines. In these cases, a flatbed scanner will provide better results with less wear and tear on the originals. Even our recommended portable photo scanner could damage particularly old or priceless photos.
(Not to mention dependent on a steady hand.) Portable document scanners and all-in-one printer flatbeds produce better-looking scans but are typically limited to 600 or 1,200 dpi resolution.
People who need to scan at very high resolutions: Mobile scanning apps are limited in resolution by your device’s camera, and the image quality is usually little more than serviceable.