Who came top of the drops in tablet tests?

Latest stress tests on popular Christmas wishlist tablets show size is not necessarily everything

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S 8.4 came out top of the drops in stringent durability tests carried out on 10 best-selling tablets by protection plan provider SquareTrade.

The SquareTrade Breakability Score ranks the most popular tablets based on how prone they are to break due to accidents. The higher the device scored, the more likely it was to break when dropped.

Tests took in factors such as front and back panel design, edge construction and materials, size, weight, friction quotient, water resistance and grip-ability and the firm claimed its tests filled in the gaps left by traditional reviews.

The flimsiest tablet was the Tmax 9 HD, which scored 8.2 and broke apart on impact. However, for those on a budget the most durable performer was the Asus Memo Pad 7, which scored well on most tests, followed closely by the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

Overall, compact tablets performed above expectations, faring better in drop and dunk tests than larger models such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 or Tmax 9 HD. Durable and water-resistant models like the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (4 breakability score), and Apple iPad Mini 3 (4.4 breakability score) also held their own.

Popular devices that run higher risks of breaking due to an accident include the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (6 breakability score) and the Apple iPad Air 2 (6.1 breakability score) which lost points in slide and drop tests.

Kevin Gillan, European managing director of SquareTrade, said: “For the first time, we put 10 tablets through the rigor of our breakability tests and found that size does indeed matter. These expensive devices are the contemporary equivalents of Swiss Army knives – but they’re nowhere near as durable. The bargain basement tablet we tested literally broke in two.”

To see the tests in action, click here.