Panasonic has rebuilt its fully rugged Toughbook laptop from the ground up.
Not only is the laptop extremely durable – built to survive 6-foot drops, temperature extremes from -20 to 145 degrees, dust, humidity and rain – but Panasonic says, the new Toughbook 40 is also extremely customizable, with more than 6,000 configuration combinations.
As needs change and technology advances, users can swap out or add on features on the Toughbook 40‘s eight module locations, including four expansion pack areas, as well as the battery, memory, storage and keyboard. Users can install and remove the expansion packs, or xPaks, on the fly in the field.
“The great thing about this modular concept is it allows people to future-proof their purchases,” Anthony Mungiello, Toughbook senior product manager, tells Equipment World. “Someone may need a contactless fingerprint reader today, but maybe the IT department will change the regulations in the future. Instead of sending that unit back or buying a new unit, you just swap out that one piece.”
The unit comes standard with 11th Gen Intel vPro processors. Optional AMD dedicated graphics or Intel Iris Xe Graphics boost computing power to process large amounts of data, images and video feeds in real-time.
Better Connectivity – No Matter Your Location
To support workers anywhere the job takes them, ranging from dense urban environments to rural communities, the Toughbook 40 features multiple cellular and connectivity options, including a 4G modem or 5G modem.
The 4G modem supports LTE, LTE-A and speeds up to 2 Gbps. The 5G modem supports 4G (LTE, LTE-A) as well as 5G (mmWave, C-band, Sub6) and speeds up to 5.5 Gbps.
Easier Communication – No Matter Your Environment
The upgraded model is over a pound lighter than its predecessor, the Toughbook 31, despite having a larger 14-inch FHD touchscreen display. Enhanced tetra array microphones, 95-decibel speakers and a 5MP infrared webcam ease communication on noisy jobsites. Add on an optional second battery and the laptop will run for up to 36 hours between charges.
Panasonic also improved the capacitive display and re-engineered the resistive touchpad to be 60% larger while still being usable in the rain or when wearing gloves.
“Originally, we had four different modes that you could choose from – glove mode, rain mode, touch mode and pen mode. With the Toughbook 40, we have an auto mode that automatically picks the best setting based on the environment,” says Mungiello.
The screen can be easily viewed in a variety of lighting conditions, while a color-selectable backlit keyboard, backlit power button and keyboard icons for better night viewing.
While there is no backward compatibility with the Toughbook 31 docking station, the new docking mechanism will be compatible with future Panasonic releases, the company says. The new dock features quad pass-through connectors, 4x4 MIMI and faster USB and Ethernet ports. The previous charger is still compatible with the Toughbook 40.
Hardware and Software Support
Panasonic offers onsite and offsite deployment resources to assist IT departments with software installation to get new laptops into employees’ hands quickly. The new Secure Wipe feature can clear the contents on the drive in seconds.
For customers requiring devices on a short-term basis, Panasonic also offers a rental program, Toughbook-as-a-Service. Units can be rented for as short as three months and extended as needed.
While this program is only currently available for handheld devices, it will soon include laptops such as the Toughbook 40.
Quick Specs:
- 14’’ FHD touchscreen, 1,200 nit display
- Rugged certifications include 6’ Drop, MIL-STD-810H, MIL-STD-461H, C1D2, IP66
- 11th Gen Intel CoreTM i5 or i7 Processor
- 512GB-2TB NVMe main storage (quick-release and user-replaceable)
- 16-64GB DDR4 RAM (user-replaceable)
- USB-A and USB-C ports including Thunderbolt 4 port supporting 40Gbps data transfer speeds, power delivery and daisy chaining up to five monitors
- Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1
- MSRP starting at $4,899
