Panasonic releases new ‘semi-rugged’ 14″ Toughbooks
Panasonic announces new models in its Toughbook series of rugged business laptops. The CF-54mk2 is available with a 14″ HD screen, a full HD variant or a full HD touchscreen. These are ‘semi-rugged’ laptops, which can withstand drops from a height of up to 76 cm.
According to Panasonic, the full-HD model has an IPS panel with a maximum brightness of 1000cd/m², which should also make it easy to read outside. There is a variant with a capacitive touch screen, which can be operated with gloves on. The HD version has a panel of an unknown type, with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels.
All models are equipped with an Intel Core i5-6300U processor of the Skylake generation. The dual-core has a clock speed of 2.4GHz with turbo boost to 3.0GHz. There is built-in 4GB of RAM, which can be expanded up to 16GB. All variants come with a 256GB SSD. With the full-HD model, you can choose to add an AMD FirePro M5100 GPU. The CF-54mk2-Toughbooks weigh 2.1kg, are 29.8mm thick and come with Windows 10 Pro.
The housing contains a ‘flexible configuration zone’, in which a DVD reader, second battery, smart card reader or PC card can be installed as desired. There is also a ‘flexible configuration port’, for a second network connection, D-GPS, fourth USB 2.0 port or ‘rugged’ USB connection. Furthermore, the Toughbooks are equipped with a serial port for industrial applications.
The magnesium housing has a handle and according to the specifications is resistant to drops up to 76 cm high. The keyboard and touchpad are splash-proof. The laptops can be used at temperatures from -10°C to +50°C, the Toughbooks are equipped with HDD/SSD heating. The sturdy laptops are also protected against shock and vibration when installed in vehicles, says Panasonic. The manufacturer promises to carry out repairs within 96 hours for defects covered by the warranty.
Panasonic gives the Toughbook CF-54mk2 with HD screen recommended prices from 2097 euros. The full-HD model costs about 2284 euros and the full-HD version with touchscreen is sold for 2835 euros.