Why are tablets so hard to keep going?
Because two of the things that fail most, the battery and the screen, are among the hardest to fix. The Open Repair Alliance calls tablets one of the worst product categories for repairs (its page uses older data), and the newer records back that up.
Screens are the worst. Volunteers fixed screen and display faults only 30% of the time. Battery faults and charging-port or connection faults both got fixed 38% of the time. Software problems are the easy ones, fixed 60% of the time, usually with a reset or an update.
That leaves two things that decide how long a tablet lasts: whether it survives the faults that are hard to fix, and how long it keeps getting updates. You can protect the screen. You choose the update support when you buy.
Figures from Open Repair Data (July 2026 release, 4,026 tablet records). The fix rate is the share of repair attempts that worked at volunteer repair events. We could sort fewer than half the records by fault.
How long do tablets get updates?
Samsung puts it in writing. The Galaxy Tab S11 gets up to 7 Android upgrades and 7 years of security updates from its September 2025 launch, which takes it into 2032.
Apple doesn't promise a number, but its record is long. iPadOS 27, out in September 2026, still runs on the iPad Pro and iPad Air from 2020. It dropped the 2018 iPad Pro after almost eight years of updates.
The base iPad is the exception. iPadOS 27 also dropped the 2020 base iPad, after six years. Base iPads launch with an older chip than the Air and Pro, and they lose support sooner.
So if you want years out of a tablet, pay for the newest chip you can afford. That matters more than the screen, the storage or the accessories.
What we looked at
We judged each tablet on four things:
Software support. Written promises where there are any, and each maker's record where there aren't.
Repairability. Can the screen, battery and charging port be replaced, and can you or a repair shop get the parts? We use iFixit scores where they exist.
Build. Aluminum enclosures, water resistance and how well the screen is protected.
Repair data. The Open Repair records above, by brand.
Disclosure: Some product links on Sundr are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't influence our analysis. See our full affiliate disclosure.
Which tablets last?
Apple iPad Pro 11" (M5). Longest Support - Durability: 9/10 · Repairability: 5/10 (iFixit, provisional) · Warranty: 1 year - Price: ~$1,700 · Check price on Amazon
The M5 is the newest chip Apple has put in a full-size iPad, so if Apple's record holds, this one gets updates the longest. It has a tandem OLED display in an aluminum enclosure.
iFixit gave it a provisional 5 out of 10. The display and battery are glued in, and swapping the two battery cells means pulling ten adhesive strips. The USB-C port, cameras and speakers can each be replaced on their own, though.
Trade-offs: It's the most expensive tablet here, and it has more power than most people will ever use. A cracked OLED screen is an expensive fix, so look up Apple's price for it on the [iPad repair page](https://support.apple.com/ipad/repair) before you buy.
Apple iPad Air 11" (M4). Best Value - Durability: 8/10 · Repairability: no iFixit score yet · Warranty: 1 year - Price: ~$940 · Check price on Amazon
The M4 chip that first went into the 2024 iPad Pro, with 12GB of memory, in an aluminum enclosure. Apple released it in March 2026. It's one chip generation behind the Pro for a lot less money.
Trade-offs: Against the Pro, you give up the OLED screen, Face ID and the faster Thunderbolt port. Apple hasn't said how long it will support it.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S11. Best Android - Durability: 8/10 · Updates: 7 years of security updates, promised in writing - Price: ~$1,399 · Check price on Amazon
The only tablet here with a written update promise: up to 7 Android upgrades and 7 years of security updates. It's also the only one rated IP68 for dust and water, which no iPad is. It has an aluminum frame and comes with the S Pen in the box.
Trade-offs: Samsung's 7-year promise is new, so nobody has seen it run all the way yet. At repair events, Samsung tablets got fixed a little less often than Apple's: 43% against 47%.
Apple iPad (A16). Best Budget - Durability: 8/10 · Warranty: 1 year - Price: ~$649 · Check price on Amazon
The cheapest current iPad: Apple's A16 chip and an aluminum enclosure, with 128GB of storage to start. For reading, video, video calls and schoolwork, it does everything most people need.
Trade-offs: Lately, base iPads have had the shortest support. The 2020 model lost updates after six years, while the 2018 iPad Pro got almost eight. Expect the shorter end here.
Our top picks are side by side on DurableFinds.
Durability scores are our editorial ratings, not measurements. Repairability is iFixit's score where one exists.
What breaks tablets?
Among the repair records we could sort by fault, here's what brought tablets in:
- Battery and charging. The most common fault (won't charge, battery dies fast), and fixed only 38% of the time. Apple designs iPad batteries to keep up to 80% of their capacity after 1,000 full charges, so heavy daily use wears one down in a few years. Apple offers battery service for iPads, and on a tablet you still like, a new battery is the first repair to price.
- Software. About as common as screen faults, and the easiest to fix: 60% of the time. A reset or an update often does it.
- Screens and displays. Fixed just 30% of the time, the worst of the common faults. Tablet screens are big, glued in and expensive to replace.
- Charging ports and connections. Fixed 38% of the time, and most of these records name a charging port, USB or connector. Lint clogs ports and daily plugging wears them out. Clean the port gently before you assume it's broken.
There's one thing the repair records can't show: tablets that still work but stopped getting updates. That's why software support matters so much in this category.
What should you look for when shopping?
Buy the newest chip you can afford. Update support follows the chip. A newer chip on a cheaper model usually beats an older chip on a fancier one.
Check the update promise for the exact model. Samsung's 7-year promise covers the Galaxy Tab S11. Promises vary from model to model, so look up the one you're buying.
Protect the screen from day one. Of the common faults, screens are the one volunteers fix least often. A case and a screen protector cost far less than a new screen.
Look up the repair price before you buy. Apple lists its out-of-warranty prices by model on its iPad repair page. If a screen repair costs half of what the tablet does, you'll want that case.
Independent repair is getting easier for iPads. Since 2025 Apple has sold genuine iPad displays, batteries, cameras and charging ports for recent models through its Self Service Repair store, in Canada as well as the US. Independent shops in the US can buy them through MobileSentrix.
Cheap is fine for some jobs. For a kid's first tablet or a recipe screen in the kitchen, a cheap tablet does the job. Just don't expect years of updates from it.
Compare Brands
See how Apple and Samsung compare on tablet reliability data from community repair records:
- Tablet brand reliability rankings. Apple, Samsung & more, ranked by repair success rate
- Apple vs Samsung tablets: which brand is more reliable?
- Apple vs Lenovo tablets: which brand is more reliable?
- Should you repair or replace your tablet?