Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 and FZ-X1: small, rugged tablets designed for the jobsite

Updated Jul 11, 2014

Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1Panasonic has introduced its Toughpad FZ-E1 and FZ-X1 tablets, which are designed to withstand impact, water and other conditions on the jobsite.

The FZ-E1 is powered by Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld, while the FZ-X1 runs on Android 4.2.2. And though these are technically tablets, according to the announcement from Panasonic they do ship with both LTE and 3G antennas making mobile data and voice calls possible with a carrier plan.

These aren’t exactly svelte devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 Activ, measuring more than an inch thick. But each 5-inch tablet is built to MIL-810G, IP65 and IP68 spec meaning they can resist drops of up to 10 feet to concrete, submersion in up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes and other variables such as impact, shock, vibration, altitude and extreme humidity.

Another pretty impressive feature is the devices’ 14-hour battery life.

Additionally, the devices can operate in temperatures ranging from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and are fully sealed to keep out dust.

The sunlight-readable, anti-reflective HD 10-point capacitive multi-touchscreen can be used with heavy gloves and includes a rain-sensing feature that allows for single touch use in wet conditions.

Other features include and 8.0-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front camera, 2GB RAM, 32GB flash memory and micro SDXC card slot for additional memory. The tablets will be available later this year for about $1,300 each.

Editor’s Note: Amanda Bayhi is the online editor for sister sites Better Roads and Aggregates Manager.