Best for · By zone

Best Zone 1 tablets in 2026

Zone 1 is where an explosive gas atmosphere is likely to occur during normal operation, so a tablet used there needs Zone 1 (or Zone 0) certification under your region’s scheme, such as ATEX, IECEx or the NEC and CEC. Beyond the certificate, what matters is the work a tablet lets your team do: reading drawings and permits, photographing and scanning equipment, running Windows software or staying charged through a long shift. These are our picks for each kind of Zone 1 work, from iPad inspection teams to multi-region sites, Samsung fleets and Windows users.

At a glance

The top 5 compared

RankTabletBest forTemperature classDustScreenBrightnessCertification
1Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inchBest overall for Zone 1T6 (≤ 85 °C)IIIC, Zone 2111 inch1000 nits (SDR max)ATEX
2ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1Best for multi-region and North American sitesT6 (≤ 85 °C)IIIC, Zone 218 inch60 nits0 nitsATEX, IECEx, Class I Div 1, KCs (Korea), South Africa
3i.safe MOBILE IS940.1Best for long shifts and charging in the zoneT4 (≤ 135 °C)IIIC, Zone 2110.1 inchNot verifiedATEX, IECEx, Class I Div 1, South Africa
4Atexxo Zone 1 Galaxy Tab Active5Best for Samsung fleetsT6 (≤ 85 °C)IIIC, Zone 218 inch60 nits0 nitsATEX, IECEx
5Eaton MTL GECMA IS Tablet PCBest for Windows software and sites with Zone 0 areasT4 (≤ 135 °C)IIIC, Zone 2010.1 inch54 nits0 nitsATEX, IECEx, Class I Div 1

All five are certified for Zone 1 and dust Zone 21 in gas group IIC and dust group IIIC, and can also be used in Zone 2. The Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch is ATEX only. Prices are on request.

The ranking

Our picks for Zone 1

  1. Best overall for Zone 1

    Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch

    Xshielder · Certified Ex case for the iPad Pro 11-inch (M5)

    Certified for
    Zone 1/21
    Marking
    II 2G Ex db IIC T6 Gb
    Certification
    ATEX
    Operating system
    iPadOS 27
    Security updates
    7–8 years (based on previous iPad Pro support)
    Weight
    1350 g (including the tablet)

    Our top choice for Zone 1 is the Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch, the tablet we would hand to an inspection, engineering or maintenance team that works from drawings, photographs and 3D scans. Inside the flameproof (Ex db) cover is a standard iPad Pro 11-inch (M5) running iPadOS 27, with an 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR screen at 1,000 nits, the largest screen of any current Zone 1 tablet and the brightest of those whose maker states a figure, and 12–16 GB of memory depending on the storage option. Xshielder confirms that the 12 MP rear camera with 4K ProRes video, the LiDAR scanner, the 12 MP front camera with Face ID, stylus input, USB-C charging and data, and audio in and out all work through the cover. In practice that means photographing a flange, scanning a pipe run with LiDAR, marking up a drawing with the stylus and joining a video call with an expert, all on the iPad apps your team already uses.

    Its certificate covers the full Zone 1 range. The cover is rated Ex db IIC T6 Gb for gas and Ex tb IIIC T80 °C Db for dust, for Zone 1/21: every gas group, the strictest temperature class and conductive dust, a range only the ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1 and Atexxo Zone 1 Galaxy Tab Active5 also reach among current tablets with a confirmed marking. Apple security updates are expected for 7–8 years (based on previous iPad Pro support), which would run into late 2032 and is not the longest on this list. Because the tablet inside is an ordinary iPad Pro, it works with the same apps and device management as the iPads elsewhere in your fleet.

    Check the limits before you specify it. The certificate is ATEX only, with no IECEx or North American listing yet, and it is rated to +45 °C, ten degrees below the ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1. It weighs 1,350 g including the iPad, the IP65 rating is pending testing, and the battery is not user-replaceable, with Apple rating it for up to 10 hours of web or video on Wi-Fi. Our data does not say whether charging over USB-C is allowed inside the zone, so confirm that with Xshielder. Stylus input is confirmed, but the Ex rating of the stylus is not stated, and Apple Pencil attachment and charging through the cover are not confirmed.

    View full details Request a price

  2. Best for multi-region and North American sites

    ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1

    ecom (Pepperl+Fuchs) · Dedicated Ex tablet

    Certified for
    Zone 1/21
    Marking
    II 2G Ex db ia IIC T6 Gb
    Certification
    ATEX + IECEx, Class I Division 1
    Operating system
    Android 16
    Security updates
    Q1 2032 (maker’s statement)
    Weight
    1122 g

    If your Zone 1 work spans several regions, or includes US sites classified in Divisions, the Tab-Ex 05 DZ1 is the tablet we would start with, and it is the strongest alternative to rank 1. This 8-inch Android tablet has a flameproof (Ex db ia) marking of IIC T6 for gas and IIIC for dust, certified under ATEX and IECEx. The SGS North American certificate adds Class I Division 1 Groups A to D at T6, Class II Division 1, Class III and Class I Zone 1 AEx, and national approvals add Brazil (Inmetro), Korea (KC) and South Africa (IA/MASC).

    It is also the tougher tablet of the two. It is rated to +55 °C, IP68 and MIL-STD-810H, works with gloves and wet hands, comes with an S Pen, and has NFC, 5G and a programmable function key that can be set to push-to-talk, an emergency call or an alarm. A camera-free version suits sites that restrict cameras, and ecom’s Ident-Ex 02 wireless 1D/2D scanner carries its own Ex approval for Zone 1 scanning. ecom quotes up to 14 hours of battery life.

    The screen is the trade-off: 8 inches at 600 nits, with an Exynos 1380 and 6 GB of memory and no LiDAR, so it is a smaller canvas for drawings and 3D work than rank 1. It weighs 1,122 g, charging and battery work happen outside the hazardous area, and ecom states security updates to 2032 (Q1 2032 in our data), a date we show as unconfirmed.

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  3. Best for long shifts and charging in the zone

    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

    For crews whose shift is longer than a battery, the IS940.1 is the Zone 1 tablet we would pick. i.safe allows it to charge inside the hazardous area, for example on its IS-DS940.1 docking station, so it can sit on a dock between tasks instead of leaving the zone. With the Windows-based IS945.1 it is one of only two Zone 1 tablets in our data with that permission, and the certificate limits charging to 0 °C to +45 °C. A programmable red key can be set up for lone-worker or SOS alarms, and a docked Mobile Operator Panel version exists for fixed positions.

    It is an intrinsically safe (Ex ib) 10.1-inch Android tablet, rated IIC T4 and IIIC for Zone 1/21 under ATEX and IECEx, with a Class I Division 1 listing for North America and approvals in South Africa, China, Brazil, Japan, India and Korea. A 50 MP autofocus camera, 5G, NFC, IP68 and MIL-STD-810H cover the field basics, and i.safe states security updates until Q4 2032. A mining version, the IS940.M1, is certified for Group I underground work.

    The limits are the temperature class and the screen. T4 caps the surface at 135 °C, so it does not suit substances that ignite below that, and our data lists no brightness figure for it. At 1,059 g with Android 14 and no LiDAR it is a capture-and-check tablet more than a drawing board, the stylus is an optional passive accessory, and battery swaps happen outside the hazardous area.

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  4. Best for Samsung fleets

    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)

    Teams that run Samsung Knox and want the same tablet family in Zone 1 can look at this conversion of the Galaxy Tab Active5. Atexxo fits it into a flameproof (Ex db) housing rated IIC T6 for gas and IIIC at T85 °C for dust, for Zone 1/21 under both ATEX and IECEx. At 940 g including the tablet it is the lightest T6 Zone 1 tablet we list, 410 g lighter than the Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch’s 1,350 g.

    Atexxo states that the rear camera, the touchscreen and the push buttons work through the housing, behind toughened glass and aluminum buttons. The tablet itself offers an 8-inch 120 Hz screen at 600 nits, an Exynos 1380 and a 13 MP autofocus camera with flash, with 5G on the cellular model. No Ex-rated pen, dock or keyboard is listed, so plan on touch input.

    It has the shortest support horizon of the five: Samsung’s date for the standard model is January 2029, and the Enterprise Edition gets longer support, though Atexxo does not say which it uses. It is rated to +50 °C, we have no North American listing for it, the IP64 figure comes from Atexxo’s page alone, and charging means removing the bottom cover in a safe area. The certificate asks you to protect the glass window from impacts above 2 J.

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  5. Best for Windows software and sites with Zone 0 areas

    Eaton MTL GECMA IS Tablet PC

    Eaton · Dedicated Ex tablet

    Certified for
    Zone 1/21
    Marking
    II 1GD Ex ia IIC T4 Ga
    Certification
    ATEX + IECEx, Class I Division 1
    Operating system
    Windows 11 IoT Enterprise
    Security updates
    Until October 2034 (unconfirmed)
    Weight
    1430 g

    When the job needs desktop Windows software, this is the Zone 1 tablet to look at. The Eaton MTL GECMA IS Tablet PC runs Windows 11 IoT Enterprise on an x86 Intel processor, so x86 applications run natively with no emulation, and its 10.1-inch screen has a 2560 × 1600 resolution. It also has the biggest battery in this group, 49.7 Wh and a typical 12 hours according to Eaton, and optional LTE, NFC and a camera-free version for sites that restrict cameras.

    It is intrinsically safe (Ex ia), certified IIC T4 and IIIC for Zone 1/21 under ATEX and IECEx, and it is also certified for Zone 0, which no other pick here is, but only inside the case the maker supplies. In North America the UL listing covers Class I Division 1 for Groups C and D only. Eaton’s manual gives IP67. Our data lists security updates to October 2034, which is Microsoft’s date for Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024; Eaton does not state the edition year, so treat the date as unconfirmed.

    Zone 0 is not needed for Zone 1 work, so it does not decide the ranking. At 1,430 g with a 540-nit screen and a quad-core Atom processor, it is the heaviest of the five and has the dimmest screen of those with a listed figure. Charging, connecting and the battery pack are all for safe areas only, and no accessories or extensions may be used in the hazardous area.

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Method

How we ranked them

Rank 1 goes to the tablet that covers the full Zone 1 gas and dust range at the strictest temperature class and can do the most work there. We judge that on a collection of data points rather than one: the certificate (IIC T6 with dust group IIIC, which only three current tablets with a confirmed marking reach), screen size and brightness, processing power, a camera system the maker confirms works inside the Ex enclosure, and expected security support. The Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch leads on the collection: an 11-inch, 1,000-nit screen against 10.1 inches or smaller for every other current Zone 1 tablet, with none of the others listing more than 600 nits, the M5 chip with 12–16 GB, and 12 MP camera, LiDAR and Face ID confirmed through its cover. Support is not the deciding point, because the i.safe MOBILE IS940.1 and the Eaton MTL GECMA IS Tablet PC run as long or longer.

Positions 2 to 5 each name the strongest choice for a different kind of work: multi-region and North American sites, long shifts, Samsung fleets, and Windows software with Zone 0 areas. Prices are on request for every brand, so cost does not affect the order. A Zone 0 rating is not required for Zone 1, so it is not scored here. Zone 1 iPad options whose marking we cannot confirm are left out of the ranking and appear on the iPad page and in the table of other tablets below.

The order follows the certificates and the data, and it would change if a certificate showed another tablet covering more of Zone 1. If you need IECEx, a North American listing or an ambient rating above +45 °C, start with position 2.

Every figure comes from certificates, declarations of conformity and manufacturer datasheets, and the same rules apply to every brand. Read how we rate or see the disclosure.

Before you buy

What a Zone 1 tablet must show

Your site’s hazardous area classification decides which of these matter. Confirm it with your safety engineer, then check each tablet’s certificate for your exact model.

  • Gas group

    IIC is the most demanding group and covers hydrogen and acetylene as well as IIB and IIA gases. Some Zone 1 iPad options are only IIB, so match the group to the gases on your site.

  • Temperature class

    The class caps the surface temperature: T4 is 135 °C and T6 is 85 °C. The Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch, ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1 and Atexxo Zone 1 Galaxy Tab Active5 are T6, while the i.safe MOBILE IS940.1 and Eaton MTL GECMA IS Tablet PC are T4.

  • Dust group

    Where combustible dust is present, look for Zone 21 and the right dust group. IIIC includes conductive dust, whereas Atexxo’s iPad mini conversions are only IIIA, which covers combustible flyings.

  • Protection method

    Intrinsic safety (Ex ia, Ex ib) limits the energy in the circuits, as in the i.safe and Eaton tablets. A flameproof (Ex db) enclosure contains an ignition inside it, as in the Xshielder, ecom and Atexxo picks. Both are accepted in Zone 1.

  • Certification schemes

    ATEX is the EU scheme and IECEx is accepted in many other markets, while North America uses NEC and CEC listings. The Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch is ATEX only, so check that your region accepts it.

  • Charging, battery and temperature range

    Only the i.safe MOBILE IS940.1 and IS945.1 are allowed to charge inside the zone. The ecom, Atexxo and Eaton picks charge in a safe area only, and our data does not say whether the Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch may be charged inside the zone. Check the certified ambient range too: it tops out at +45 °C for the Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch and +55 °C for the ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1.

More choice

Other Zone 1 tablets on sale

Filter all Zone 1 tablets
TabletTypeScreenGas groupTemperature classCertificationOSWeight
Atexxo Zone 1 iPad mini 6Converted tablet8.3 inchIICT4 (≤ 135 °C)ATEX, IECEx, Class I Div 2, INMETRO (Brazil)iPadOS 27990 g
Atexxo Zone 1 iPad mini 7Converted tablet8.3 inchIICT4 (≤ 135 °C)ATEX, IECEx, Class I Div 2, INMETRO (Brazil)iPadOS 27990 g
i.safe MOBILE IS930.1Dedicated Ex tablet8 inchIICT4 (≤ 135 °C)ATEX, IECEx, UKEX, Class I Div 1Android 14890 g
i.safe MOBILE IS945.1Dedicated Ex tablet10.1 inchIICT4 (≤ 135 °C)ATEX, IECEx, Class I Div 1, South AfricaWindows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC for Arm641059 g
The Joy Factory aXtion Extreme iPad miniCertified Ex case8.3 inchIICT6 (≤ 85 °C)ATEX, IECExiPadOS 271396 g (unconfirmed)
Xciel XCZ1 iPad mini 5Check availabilityCertified Ex case7.9 inchIICT5 (≤ 100 °C)ATEX, IECExiPadOS 261111 g
Xciel XCZ1 iPad mini 6Certified Ex case8.3 inchIIBT6 (≤ 85 °C)ATEX, IECExiPadOS 271350 g
Xciel XCZ1 iPad mini 7Certified Ex case8.3 inchIIBT6 (≤ 85 °C)ATEX, IECExiPadOS 271350 g (unconfirmed)

Discontinued models are left out; Find tablets lists them. A temperature class or marking shown as “Not verified” or “(unconfirmed)” is one we could not confirm from a certificate.

Xshielder

Zone 1 iPads for your team

Xshielder’s flameproof (Ex db) cover fits the iPad Pro 11-inch (M5), rated IIC T6 with dust group IIIC for Zone 1/21 under ATEX, with cameras, LiDAR, Face ID, stylus input and USB-C working through the cover. Tell the team about your site and fleet size to get a quote. See the iPad Pro 11-inch cover.

Get a quote Ask us for impartial advice

FAQ

Zone 1 tablet questions

What is the best tablet for Zone 1 hazardous areas?

On our criteria the Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch ranks first: it is rated Ex db IIC T6 with dust group IIIC for Zone 1/21 under ATEX, has an 11-inch, 1,000-nit screen and an M5 chip, and its cameras and LiDAR work through the cover. It is ATEX only and rated to +45 °C, so for IECEx, North American or +55 °C sites the ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1 is the pick.

Can I use a Zone 2 tablet in a Zone 1 area?

No. Zone 1 needs equipment certified to protection level Gb or higher, so a tablet rated for Zone 2 only is not permitted there. A Zone 1 tablet can be used in Zone 2.

Can an iPad be used in a Zone 1 hazardous area?

Yes, but only inside a certified Zone 1 Ex case or as a certified conversion, because a standard iPad has no Ex certificate. The Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch (ATEX, Ex db IIC T6) and the Atexxo Zone 1 iPad mini 7 (ATEX and IECEx, T4) are two options with a confirmed marking.

Is there an intrinsically safe tablet for Zone 1?

Yes. The i.safe MOBILE IS940.1 (Ex ib, Android) and the Eaton MTL GECMA IS Tablet PC (Ex ia, Windows) limit the energy in their circuits instead of containing an ignition. The Xshielder, ecom and Atexxo Zone 1 tablets use flameproof (Ex db) enclosures and are explosion-proof, not intrinsically safe.

What does T6 mean for a Zone 1 tablet?

T6 means the surface temperature does not exceed 85 °C, the strictest temperature class. It suits gases that ignite at lower temperatures than a T4 tablet, which is limited to 135 °C, can handle. Three current Zone 1 tablets with a confirmed marking are T6: the Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch, ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1 and Atexxo Zone 1 Galaxy Tab Active5.

Does a Zone 1 tablet need both ATEX and IECEx certification?

Which scheme you need depends on the country. ATEX is required in the EU, IECEx is accepted in many other markets, and North America uses NEC and CEC listings, with Class I Division 1 listings on the ecom Tab-Ex 05 DZ1, i.safe MOBILE IS940.1 and Eaton MTL GECMA IS Tablet PC. The Xshielder iPad Pro 11-inch carries ATEX only for now.

Facts last verified on against certificates, declarations of conformity and manufacturer data. Always check the certificate for your exact model before use. Spotted an error? Tell us.