Lightest tablets for hazardous areas in 2026

The ranking

Our picks for the lightest tablets

1. 

   1 Lightest tablet for Zone 1

   i.safe MOBILE IS930.1

   i.safe MOBILE · Dedicated Ex tablet

   Certified for

   Zone 1/21

   Marking

   II 2G Ex ib IIC T4 Gb

   Certification

   ATEX + IECEx + UKEX, Class I Division 1

   Operating system

   Android 14

   Security updates

   Until Q1 2027

   Weight

   890 g

   For teams that want a certified tablet they can carry through a whole shift, the IS930.1 is the lightest Zone 1 tablet in our data, at 890 g. It is an 8-inch Android 14 tablet with a 13 MP autofocus camera, a red SOS key and two programmable keys, which suits operators, inspectors and supervisors who walk the plant and want more screen than a phone without a heavy device on a strap.

   It is intrinsically safe (Ex ib) to IIC T4 with dust group IIIC for Zone 1/21 under ATEX, IECEx and UKEX, with Class I Division 1 for North America and further approvals including INMETRO (Brazil) and KCs (Korea). It is rated IP68 and to +60 °C, and i.safe offers a mining version (IS930.M1).

   The weight comes with a short support life. i.safe lists security updates only until Q1 2027, so plan a replacement if you want the tablet in service for years. The battery is not user-replaceable, charging happens outside the hazardous area only, memory is 4 GB, and T4 means checking any gas on your site that ignites below 135 °C.

   View full details + Add to compare✓ In your comparison i.safe MOBILE IS930.1
2. 

   2 Lightest Zone 1 tablet at T6

   Atexxo Zone 1 Galaxy Tab Active5

   Atexxo · Converted tablet for the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5

   Certified for

   Zone 1/21

   Marking

   II 2G Ex db IIC T6 Gb

   Certification

   ATEX + IECEx

   Operating system

   Android 16

   Security updates

   Until January 2029 (unconfirmed)

   Weight

   940 g (including the tablet)

   If your site handles gases that ignite below 135 °C, a T4 tablet will not do, and this is the lightest T6 tablet for Zone 1 in our data. The Atexxo Zone 1 Galaxy Tab Active5 is a flameproof (Ex db) conversion of an 8-inch Samsung tablet and weighs 940 g including the tablet. It is certified IIC T6 with dust group IIIC (Ex tb IIIC T85°C) for Zone 1/21 under both ATEX and IECEx.

   Inside is a standard Galaxy Tab Active5 with a 600-nit display, a 13 MP autofocus camera with flash and 4K video recording. Atexxo states that the rear camera works behind a toughened glass opening and that the touch screen works through the front window. Charging is outside the hazardous area only, with the bottom cover removed in a safe area.

   The limits sit in the certificate. It is rated to +50 °C, there is no Class I Division listing in our data, and the glass window must be protected from impact energy above 2 J, so check how the tablet will be handled. No Ex-rated pen, keyboard or dock is listed. Samsung’s security update date for the standard model is January 2029, but Atexxo does not say which edition it uses, so treat that date as unconfirmed.

   View full details + Add to compare✓ In your comparison Atexxo Zone 1 Galaxy Tab Active5
3. 

   3 Lightest Zone 1 iPad

   Atexxo Zone 1 iPad mini 7

   Atexxo · Converted tablet for the iPad mini (A17 Pro)

   Certified for

   Zone 1/21

   Marking

   II 2G Ex db IIC T4 Gb

   Certification

   ATEX + IECEx, Class I Division 2

   Operating system

   iPadOS 27

   Security updates

   At least until October 2029 (Apple's minimum)

   Weight

   990 g (including the tablet)

   Fleets standardized on iPads will find the Atexxo Zone 1 iPad mini 7 the lightest Zone 1 iPad we pick, at 990 g including the tablet. It is a flameproof (Ex db) conversion of the 8.3-inch iPad mini with an A17 Pro chip, a 12 MP camera with flash and 4K video, so inspectors keep the iPadOS apps and device management they already use. (The Atexxo Zone 1 iPad mini 6 weighs the same, but Apple’s guaranteed minimum for its security updates ended in September 2026.)

   It is certified for Zone 1/21 to IIC T4 under ATEX and IECEx, with a CSA listing for North America that includes Class I Division 2, and an INMETRO approval for Brazil. Two limits are worth knowing. T4 means checking gases that ignite below 135 °C, and dust group IIIA covers combustible flyings only, not conductive dust, so it is a poor fit for areas with metal or carbon dust.

   The conversion changes the iPad: Touch ID is removed, the front camera and speakers are inferred rather than stated for this exact model, the battery is not user-replaceable and charging goes through a bottom cover opened in a safe area. The ambient rating tops out at +50 °C. Apple’s minimum security update date is October 2029, a minimum rather than an end date. A camera-free version (the “-BC” variant) is available for sites that restrict cameras.

   View full details + Add to compare✓ In your comparison Atexxo Zone 1 iPad mini 7
4. 

   4 Lightest 10-inch tablet for Zone 1

   i.safe MOBILE IS940.1

   i.safe MOBILE · Dedicated Ex tablet

   Certified for

   Zone 1/21

   Marking

   II 2G Ex ib IIC T4 Gb

   Certification

   ATEX + IECEx, Class I Division 1

   Operating system

   Android 14

   Security updates

   Until Q4 2032

   Weight

   1059 g

   When the work needs more screen than an 8-inch tablet gives, the IS940.1 is the lightest Zone 1 tablet with a 10.1-inch display, at 1,059 g. The Windows IS945.1 on the same hardware weighs the same. For people who read drawings and fill in forms on rounds, it adds a glove-usable Gorilla Glass display, 8 GB of memory, a 50 MP autofocus camera and 5G for 169 g more than the IS930.1.

   It is intrinsically safe (Ex ib) to IIC T4 with dust group IIIC for Zone 1/21 under ATEX and IECEx, with Class I Division 1 for North America. It is rated IP68 and to +55 °C, i.safe states security updates until Q4 2032, and the battery is user-replaceable outside the hazardous area. It is also the only one of our five picks that may be charged in the hazardous area, within the certificate’s limits.

   Against the lighter picks, it is a bigger and heavier device to carry on a strap. T4 applies here too, so check gases that ignite below 135 °C, and it is not certified for Zone 0.

   View full details + Add to compare✓ In your comparison i.safe MOBILE IS940.1
5. 

   5 Lightest tablet for Zone 2-only sites

   Getac ZX80-EX

   Getac · Rugged tablet, Ex version

   Certified for

   Zone 2/22

   Marking

   II 3G Ex ic op is IIC T4 Gc

   Certification

   ATEX + IECEx

   Operating system

   Android 15

   Security updates

   Until February 2029 (unconfirmed)

   Weight

   780 g

   For sites where every hazardous area is Zone 2, the Getac ZX80-EX weighs 780 g, the joint lightest confirmed weight of any current tablet in our data. Its Windows twin, the Getac ZX80W-EX, weighs the same but no certificate names it yet, and the Atexxo Zone 2 Galaxy Tab A9 conversion also weighs 780 g, but one distributor shows it as out of stock, so we do not pick it. The ZX80-EX is an 8-inch rugged Android 15 tablet with a 1,000-nit display, a 16 MP autofocus camera, 12 GB of memory, IP67 and a user-replaceable battery.

   It is certified for Zone 2/22 only, as intrinsically safe (Ex ic) with optical radiation protection (“op is”) to IIC T4 with dust group IIIC, and rated to +55 °C. Its IECEx certificate (issued January 2026) names the ZX80-Exc but not the generation, which we matched to this model by its batteries and ratings; we found no published ATEX certificate, so check what your site needs. Getac lists security updates until February 2029, which is its date for the standard model.

   It cannot be used in Zone 1, so it is not a lighter alternative to the first four picks. The certificate also bars its USB, docking and other interfaces, and battery changes and charging, from hazardous areas.

   View full details + Add to compare✓ In your comparison Getac ZX80-EX

Before you buy

What to check about weight

Your site’s hazardous area classification decides which tablets are allowed at all. Within those, compare weight the way your crews will carry it.

• Weight as carried

  For an Ex case or a conversion, the weight includes the tablet inside. For a dedicated tablet it is the device itself. Compare like for like, with the battery fitted.

• Zone first

  Weight does not change what a tablet is certified for. A Zone 2-only tablet such as the Getac ZX80-EX cannot be used in a Zone 1 area however light it is, while a Zone 1 tablet can also be used in Zone 2.

• Screen size

  The lightest Zone 1 tablets have 8 to 8.3-inch screens, and a 10-inch Zone 1 tablet such as the i.safe MOBILE IS940.1 weighs 1,059 g. Check that the screen is big enough for your drawings and forms before you choose on weight alone.

• Support dates

  The lightest Zone 1 tablet, the i.safe MOBILE IS930.1, gets security updates only until Q1 2027. Check the update date for the exact model, because a light tablet that goes out of support early is a short-term buy.

• Confirmed weights

  Makers sometimes publish different weights for the same tablet. We mark those on the tablet’s page and never rank on one, so check the datasheet for your exact version and accessories.