diff --git a/test/null/test_tensor.py b/test/null/test_tensor.py
index 84fdae1a5a..d288e94b54 100644
--- a/test/null/test_tensor.py
+++ b/test/null/test_tensor.py
@@ -170,5 +170,9 @@ class TestRand(unittest.TestCase):
     Tensor.rand(2**17, 2**17).schedule()
     Tensor.rand(2**17, 2**17).schedule()
 
+class TestTensorDevice(unittest.TestCase):
+  def test_create_from_single_device_tuple(self):
+    (Tensor([1.0], device=(Device.DEFAULT,)) + Tensor([2.0])).realize()
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
   unittest.main()
diff --git a/tinygrad/tensor.py b/tinygrad/tensor.py
index b23c254fb7..9b12b07f5d 100644
--- a/tinygrad/tensor.py
+++ b/tinygrad/tensor.py
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ from tinygrad.engine.allocations import transform_to_call
 
 # TODO: this should be the only usage of Device
 def canonicalize_device(device:str|tuple|list|None) -> str|tuple[str, ...]:
-  return tuple(Device.canonicalize(d) for d in device) if isinstance(device, (tuple, list)) else Device.canonicalize(device)
+  if not isinstance(device, (tuple, list)): return Device.canonicalize(device)
+  return canonical[0] if len(canonical:=tuple(Device.canonicalize(d) for d in device)) == 1 else canonical
 
 # *** all in scope Tensors are here. this gets relevant UOps ***