Most reliable tablet brands for 2021

Tablets are inherently more reliable than laptops thanks to simpler designs and fewer moving parts. However, there are some common tablet faults to look out for. For example, many Which? members we surveyed reported that their tablet had started to spontaneously reboot, while other devices just stopped working completely with no warning.

Knowing which brands develop the most faults, and how quickly, can be an important buying decision. That’s why each year in our unique reliability survey we ask over 10,000 Which? members to tell us whether they are happy, or have experienced problems, with their purchases.

Our survey data takes into account the reported fault rates, severity of these faults and the speed with which they occurred. In our latest analysis we've looked at the performance of the biggest tablet manufacturers – including Amazon, Apple and Samsung – and have calculated a reliability rating for each so you know which brands to choose – and which to avoid.   

Difference between the best and worst tablet brands

As you can see, there's a big difference between the most and least reliable laptop brands, and the satisfaction score reported by customers. 

The most reliable laptop brands

The table below summarises this year’s reliability results. Brands are ranked by their customer score, which relates to whether their customers would recommend it. The more stars for reliability, the fewer the problems reported.

Only logged-in Which? members can view which brands achieved the ratings and verdicts in the table below. If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Common tablet problems

Tablets don’t suffer too many technical faults, with around 15% of people who have bought tablets in the past seven years having a problem.

Most problems are minor, but there are a few more major issues that have been uncovered data, including 6% of problems resulting in the tablet not working with no obvious reason given. Another 8% reported their tablet turning off without warning, and 16% said their tablet's battery life became significantly worse over a short period of time. 

Which tablet brand stays fault free for longest?

The graph above shows how the brand that stays fault-free for longest compares with the worst brand, as well as the overall average. Which? members can see how brands compare for faults over a five-year period in the table below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view which brands achieved the ratings and verdicts in the table below. If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access. 

How we measure faults and reliability in tablets

Our reliability score takes into account minor, major and catastrophic faults:

• Minor: a fault that doesn't affect the product's performance significantly or a fault that only occurs occasionally with minimal impact. This issue may be irritating or annoying but it isn't frequently problematic and you can easily work around it. For example, a dip in sound quality or performance.
• Major: a fault that has a noticeable effect on the product’s performance. This fault affects how you use the product and can be problematic. For example, a faulty screen or a serious drop in battery life.
• Catastrophic: a fault that renders the product unusable, with the fault needing to be repaired or parts replaced before it can be used again. For example, a failed storage device or a completely dead battery.

Tablet brands rated

Choose a brand from the list below to find out more detail about its performance in our survey.

Head to our tablet reviews

Know which tablet brand you want? Use the links to go straight to our reviews and find your ideal model:

• Acer tablet reviews
• Amazon tablet reviews
• Apple tablet reviews
• Google tablet reviews
• Huawei tablet reviews
• Lenovo tablet reviews
• Microsoft tablet reviews
• Samsung tablet reviews

How we calculate the best and worst brands

Which? has a wealth of information on Britain's favourite computing brands. Every year we ask Which? members to tell us about the technology products they own – from how likely they would be to recommend a brand, to how reliable the products are once they get them home. This year nearly 10,000 Which? members told us about more than 20,000 devices. We calculate a brand's reliability and its customer score based on the results of our annual survey.

Our reliability surveys, combined with our extensive lab tests, mean we can recommend the best tablets you should buy.

This data is crucial for our testing, too. If a brand falls far below the category average, we take away the manufacturer’s Best Buy status and won’t recommend any of its products unless a marked improvement in reliability is shown.