Panasonic's mammoth 20-inch 4K tablet may be delayed until mid-February

Panasonic's mammoth 20-inch 4K tablet reportedly delayed until mid-February
What's the hold-up, Toughguy?

When you're crafting the world's first-ever 4K tablet, it probably takes a little while to get everything right, which would explain why the world still awaits the Panasonic Toughpad 4K a year after its unveiling.

The giant 20-inch slate with a resolution of 3840 x 2560 (230ppi) was first showcased at CES 2013 last January, promising a big screen solution for medical professionals, designers, architects and the like.

And despite reports claiming the $6,000 (£3,648/AU$6,743) slate would hit the market this month, the latest word is that the Windows 8.1 Toughpad won't drop until mid-February.

The Toughpad 4K, as the name would suggest, is hardened to the elements thanks to a magnesium alloy casing. It's also half-an-inch thick and weighs 5.27lbs.

Respectable specs

All of that screen power means battery life is compromised with Panasonic promising only two hours of juice for the Toughpad 4K.

Inside there's an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, a Nvidia GeForce GT745M dedicated GPU, 256GB of internal storage and a respectable 8GB RAM.

While some may consider the Toughpad 4K to be perfect for their needs, Panasonic may be wise to get it out of the door and onto the shelves as soon as possible.

Right now it's the only dog in the fight, but with this year's CES expo just days away, it'd be little surprise to see more 4K slates announced during the show.

Via PhoneArena

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.