Panasonic yesterday launched the Toughbook 55 (FZ-55) laptop as the replacement to the Panasonic Toughbook 54, a ruggedized laptop designed for work harsh climates.
| Toughbook 54 | Toughbook 55 | |
| Processor | 7th-gen dual-core Intel Core i5-7300U 7th-gen dual-core Intel Core i7 | 8th-gen quad-core Intel Core i5-8365U 8th-gen quad-core Intel Core i7 |
| Graphics | Intel UHD graphics 620 AMD Radeon Pro WX 4150 (performance model) | Intel UHD graphics 620 AMD Radeon Pro WX 4150 (expansion pack) |
| Display | 14.0” HD non-touch FHD touchscreen | 14.0” HD non-touch FHD touchscreen, 1000 nits |
| Durability | IP51, MIL-STD-810G | IP53, MIL-STD-810H |
| Ports |
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| Weight | 4.4 lb (HD model) 4.6 lb (Touch FHD mode) | 4.6 lbs (HD model) 4.9 lbs. (Touch FHD model) |
| Battery | Up to 12 hours on internal battery, up to 20 hours with expansion battery pack | 20 hours internal, up to 40 hours with expansion battery pack |
The Toughbook 55’s IP53 dust and water resistance rating means that it’s protected against contact with dust and spraying water. Because it’s not completely weatherproof, it’s intended as a hardy solution for back-end work. Its targeted audience includes warehouse workers, civil engineers, emergency responders, and the military.
In addition to its IP53 rating, the Toughbook 55 is also MIL-STD-810H certified. This means it can withstand drops from three feet, operate in extreme temperatures from 50°C to -28°C, and work in altitude of up to 7,000 feet. For extremely cold temperatures, the Toughbook 55 has an integrated hard drive heater to keep it within operational limits.
By default, the Toughbook 55 ships with an Intel 8th-gen Core i5 or i7 vPro processor, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and up to 1TB storage. It’s also equipped with a super bright 1,000 nit display, which comes in SD and HD resolutions. Users can opt for touch and non-touch displays as well. During its release presentation, Panasonic says that Its internal battery can last up to 20 hours on a single charge.
The Toughbook 55 also comes with a loud 96dB speaker system. Panasonic said that this is the minimum sound intensity to cut through siren noise in an emergency vehicle. Furthermore, it includes a quad-mic array for cleaner vocie and better speech recognition.
Enterprise users often have a wide range of needs. In addition to providing user-upgradable RAM and storage compartments, Panasonic also offers expansion packs that add extra functionalities. For example, the Toughbook 55 accepts a secondary battery to extend the runtime to up to 40 hours, or slot in a port module for more connectivity options. Designers and engineers can also opt for the AMD Radeon Pro W4150 graphics processor complete with its own heatsink and fan.
The Panasonic Toughbook 55 is available now. Pricing depends on order details.
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