What are the toughest tablets on the market?

A new pre-Christmas tablet ‘breakability test’ has found that smaller tablet computers are generally tougher than their larger counterparts.

The most robust tablet was the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 scoring 3.3 in the breakability test (the lower the score, out of 10, the better), while the Tmax 9 HD was the most fragile, scoring 8.2.

The experiment, conducted by device protection plan provider SquareTrade, involved testing ten of the most popular tablets on the market to find out how prone they are to break due to accidents.

Areas tested included front and back panel designs, edge construction and materials, size, weight, friction quotient, water resistance and ‘grip-ability’, with the tablets dropped and dunked in water.

SquareTrade said in a statement: "Overall, compact tablets performed above expectations, faring better in drop and dunk tests than larger models like 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) performed admirably. Popular devices that run higher risks of breaking due to an accident include 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.

"The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 scored well in the drop and dunk tests, making it the least breakable option this Christmas.

"The most durable and budget-friendly performer was the Asus Memo Pad 7, which performed well on most tests, followed closely by the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact."

Kevin Gillan, European MD for SquareTrade, added: “Size does indeed matter. The bargain basement tablet we tested literally broke in two.”