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Device catalog

The best devices for event check-in

Ranked by what organizers actually bring to the door. Every device below runs the Eventor app or the web dashboard; the notes tell you where each one shines.

iPad (A16, 11″)iOS app$$

Apple

iPad (A16, 11″)

Best for: Seated welcome desk, one hostess per device

  • 11″ Liquid Retina, readable in daylight
  • 12 MP camera, scans QR codes at arm’s length
  • About 10 hours of screen-on time
  • iPadOS 17 or later

The most used tablet at the door: 1,475 registrations of the iPad 9th, 10th and 11th generation since 2024

iPad Air (M-series, 11″ or 13″)iOS app$$$

Apple

iPad Air (M-series, 11″ or 13″)

Best for: Premium entrances, VIP desks, brand events

  • 11″ or 13″ laminated display, anti-reflective
  • 12 MP camera, fast focus in low light
  • About 10 hours of screen-on time
  • iPadOS 17 or later

590+ registrations of the M-series iPad Air since 2024

iPad mini (8.3″)iOS app$$

Apple

iPad mini (8.3″)

Best for: Roaming hostesses, queue busting, VIP escorts

  • 8.3″ Liquid Retina, fits one hand
  • 12 MP camera, scans QR codes in under a second
  • About 10 hours of screen-on time
  • iPadOS 17 or later

260+ registrations since 2024, the favourite of PR agencies

iPhone 13 to 17iOS app$$

Apple

iPhone 13 to 17

Best for: Any door. Your team already has one in their pocket

  • 6.1″ to 6.9″ OLED, bright enough outdoors
  • The fastest QR scanner we measure: lock-on in 0.4 s
  • A full evening on one charge; bring a power bank for all-day doors
  • iOS 15 or later (iPhone XR and newer)

The most common check-in device overall: 15,700+ iPhone registrations since 2024, 64% of all devices

Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ (11″)Android app$

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ (11″)

Best for: Multi-device setups on a budget, rental fleets

  • 11″ LCD, 90 Hz
  • 8 MP camera, reliable for QR codes at close range
  • About 10 hours, charges over USB-C
  • Android 13 or later

The most used Android tablet line: 440+ registrations of the Galaxy Tab A8 and A9 since 2024

Samsung Galaxy S23 to S25Android app$$

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S23 to S25

Best for: Android teams, promoters with their own phones

  • 6.1″ to 6.9″ AMOLED
  • 50 MP camera, quick QR lock-on
  • A full evening on one charge
  • Android 13 or later

190+ registrations of the Galaxy S series since 2024

MacBook Air or MacBook ProWeb dashboard$$$

Apple · Safari or Chrome

MacBook Air or MacBook Pro

Best for: Registration desks, back office, the organizer’s own laptop

  • 13″ to 16″: search, filters and live counters side by side
  • No QR scanning and no offline mode: computers need a connection and check guests in by name
  • All day on battery, or plugged in at the desk
  • macOS with Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox

Check-in in the browser works like in the apps: search, tap, plus-ones, check-out. Two things only the iPhone, iPad and Android apps can do: scan QR codes with the camera, and keep checking guests in when the connection drops. Imports, exports and team management are web only.

Every event is created on the web dashboard; many registration desks check guests in there as well

iMac (24″)Web dashboard$$$

Apple · Safari or Chrome

iMac (24″)

Best for: Fixed reception desks, hotel and venue front desks, back office

  • 24″ 4.5K display: the whole guest list without scrolling
  • No QR scanning and no offline mode: needs a connection, check-in by name
  • Mains powered
  • macOS with Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox

Used at reception desks that run several events a week from one screen

Windows laptop (Surface Laptop, ThinkPad, XPS…)Web dashboard$$

Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell, HP · Edge or Chrome

Windows laptop (Surface Laptop, ThinkPad, XPS…)

Best for: Corporate registration desks, back office, any company laptop

  • 13″ to 16″: the full dashboard with keyboard search
  • No QR scanning and no offline mode: needs a connection, check-in by name
  • A full day on most current models
  • Windows 10 or 11 with Edge, Chrome or Firefox

The web dashboard has no install and no admin rights required, so it runs on locked-down company laptops

Microsoft Surface ProWeb dashboard$$$

Microsoft · Edge or Chrome

Microsoft Surface Pro

Best for: Corporate events where the IT department issues Surface devices

  • 13″ touch display, laptop or tablet
  • No app, so no QR scanning and no offline mode; the web dashboard needs a connection
  • About 10 hours
  • Windows 11 with Edge or Chrome

There is no Windows app. The web dashboard works with touch on the Surface, but it cannot scan QR codes and it cannot work offline. Pair it with an iPhone or Android phone for scanning.

Seen at corporate and conference desks running the web dashboard in tablet mode

iPad Pro (11″ or 13″)iOS app$$$

Apple

iPad Pro (11″ or 13″)

Best for: Dark venues, clubs, stage-side check-in

  • 11″ or 13″ OLED, the brightest tablet display
  • 12 MP camera with LiDAR, excellent in dark venues
  • About 10 hours of screen-on time
  • iPadOS 17 or later

Popular with production companies; 380+ registrations since 2024

iPhone 11 to 12, iPhone SEiOS app$

Apple

iPhone 11 to 12, iPhone SE

Best for: Spare devices, second-hand fleets for one night

  • 4.7″ to 6.1″
  • Works well for QR codes; slower autofocus than newer models
  • Shorter than current models, keep a charger nearby
  • iOS 15 or later

Still 1,200+ registrations since 2024, mostly agency spares

  • Scan QR codes: the camera scanner exists only in the iPhone, iPad and Android apps.
  • Check guests in offline: the web dashboard needs a connection at all times. The apps keep working without one and sync later.
  • Add devices: a laptop does not count as a check-in device and does not consume a device slot.

Usage figures are check-in device registrations on Eventor events from January 2024 to September 2026 (24,748 devices); computers use the web dashboard and are not registered, so their notes are qualitative. Specifications are the manufacturers’ published figures for current models; product images are the manufacturers’ own renders.

Before the doors open

Power for the whole shift

A door shift with the screen on drains a phone in 4 to 5 hours. One power bank per device, or a charging stand at the desk.

Brightness up, auto-lock off

Set screen brightness to maximum and disable auto-lock in the device settings; the app keeps the list on screen.

A strap for roaming staff

A hand strap or a case with a loop keeps an iPad mini or phone safe in a moving queue.

Mobile data beats venue Wi-Fi

Turn off congested venue Wi-Fi and use 4G/5G, or tether the tablets to one phone hotspot. Check-ins queue offline anyway.

Renting devices

Rental iPads arrive wiped: install the app, sign in with a team account and open the event while online before the event day.

One account per role

Give hostesses a check-in-only login and keep the owner account for the back office. Roles apply on every device.

Not supported, and what to do instead

  • Amazon Fire tabletsNo Google Play; the Android app cannot be installed. Fire tablets do work with the web dashboard in the Silk browser.
  • Devices below iOS 15 or Android 7Older iPads (e.g. iPad 4, Air 1, mini 2) and old Android tablets are no longer supported by the apps. The web dashboard still works in their browsers.
  • Dedicated barcode scanner gunsNot needed. The phone camera is the scanner. Bluetooth scanners are not supported by the apps.

Not sure what to buy or rent?

Send us your event size, the number of entrances and your budget. We reply with a device list, and for larger events we can point you to rental partners.

support@eventor.app

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