Panasonic announces pair of ruggedised Windows and Android business tablets

Hot on the heels of Samsung and its Galaxy Tab Active, Panasonic has announced a pair of tough-as-nails business tablets designed to take a few knocks and scrapes.

On first impressions, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference between the Toughpad FZ-E1 and the Toughpad FX-X1, aside from the operating system, with the former running Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld and the other powered by Android TM 4.2.2.

Both sport toughened anti-reflective HD (1280 x 720) displays with 10-point capacitive multi-touch that can be used with gloves on. They also have a rain-sensing feature that means they'll still work in wet conditions.

They're fully sealed against dust and can be plunged up to 1.5 meters deep into water for up to 30 minutes, according to Panasonic, meeting IP68 certification requirements.

Well-connected

On the connectivity front, both are voice-enabled and configurable with 4g LTE/3G/GPRS. They also get an integrated Micro USB port, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, GPS and Bluetooth 4.0.

Panasonic reckons both devices will last for a whopping 14 hours thanks to each housing a 6,200mAh swappable battery that can charge up to 50% in less than an hour.

As is usually the case with ruggedised business tablets, the price tag is a little higher than your average consumer slate. The Toughpad FZ-E1 (Windows) is out now starting £1,204, while the FZ-X1 (Android) will be available in November from £1,056.