A rugged tablet with Android is first of all hardware with an operating system. Whether ten or two hundred of them can be controlled centrally, loaded with the same apps and supplied with security updates for years depends on the management framework. On Android it is called Android Enterprise. This article assumes you have already decided on Android. The question of Windows or Android is answered in Windows or Android on the rugged tablet, and we expand its section on device management here. The statements about Android Enterprise come from Google (android.com/enterprise, developers.google.com and androidenterprisepartners.withgoogle.com), retrieved on 20.10.2026. The device values come from our data sheets. Where Google or a manufacturer does not state something, we say it is not stated.
In the documentation for the Android Management API, Google describes four scenarios: work profile on a personally owned device, work profile on a company-owned device, fully managed device and dedicated device. Which one applies is set when the device is enrolled. Enrollment determines who owns the device and how far management reaches.
The employee owns the device. Work apps and work data sit in a separate area next to the personal profile. The organization has full control over the work profile but, according to Google, no visibility into the personal profile. For a rugged tablet that belongs to the company, this scenario is ruled out. Zero-touch does not apply to it either.
The company owns the device and allows mixed use. The organization manages the work profile and can also enforce policies for the whole device. The personal side stays invisible to it. If you do not want to allow private use of a work tablet, you do not need this scenario.
The company owns the device, and it is intended exclusively for work. Because there is no personal profile, the organization can, according to Google, apply the full range of policies, including some that are not available for work profiles.
A dedicated device, formerly called COSU (company-owned single-use), is a subset of fully managed devices with one specific purpose. It is typically locked to one app or a few apps. More on this in the section on kiosk operation.
Tablets on a picking trolley, in a vehicle or in a workshop usually belong to the company and often change hands between shifts. That leaves fully managed device and dedicated device as the two obvious scenarios.
According to Google, zero-touch runs through the reseller. At the point of sale the reseller creates a zero-touch account for the customer and assigns the devices using serial number, hardware ID and other identifiers. The customer links the devices to a configuration. At first power-on the device downloads the app of the chosen device policy controller (DPC) and sets itself up with it. IT does not have to touch any device individually.
Google gives Android 8.0 as the minimum version, and Android 7.1 for Pixel devices. Zero-touch applies to company-owned devices with a work profile, to fully managed devices and to dedicated devices, not to the work profile on personally owned devices. All devices in our table further down run Android 12 to 15 and are therefore above this limit.
This implies an order of events: enrollment belongs to the purchase, not to commissioning. If you order from a reseller that does not support zero-touch, there are alternatives from Google's table of enrollment methods: QR code from Android 7.0, NFC from Android 6.0 (only for full device management) and the DPC identifier. QR code and NFC set up a new or factory-reset device one at a time.
What our data sheets say: the Fieldbook N101 with Android 9.0 is listed there as Google Zero Touch compatible. For the Getac ZX80 and ZX10 G2, the AER directory (see below) lists zero-touch support. For the Fieldbook N101 G2, Fieldbook N80 G2, RuggON Viking II 07A and RuggON Vulcan 10A, the data sheets do not mention zero-touch. That does not mean it is missing. We simply cannot document it.
Google describes dedicated devices as company-owned devices for a single purpose, such as digital signage or inventory management. An administrator can restrict them to one app or a small group of apps and block other apps and actions. Users are not supposed to be able to break out of the locked-down device.
Kiosk mode is set in the Android Management API through the install type KIOSK of an app. That app starts automatically at boot, runs full screen and is pinned so that users cannot leave it. A device has only one such kiosk app, and further apps can be linked to it. For web applications you define a web app as the kiosk app and require Chrome as a mandatory app. An allowlist and a blocklist for URLs limit Chrome to the target page. If users are to reach several apps from the home screen, you enable the kiosk launcher.
Lock task mode, which pins an app to the screen, is available from Android 6.0. According to Google, extended control, for example over the home button and notifications, requires Android 9.0.
Look closely at updates. In its example policy for dedicated devices, Google recommends system updates in a daily maintenance window of 120 to 240 minutes. Only for dedicated devices does Google's feature list for management tools also include a freeze period as a standard feature, during which system updates are blocked (from Android 9.0). Management tools must be able to postpone system updates by up to 30 days, and according to Google that leaves security patches unaffected.
A maintenance window only works if the device is running during that time. According to the data sheet, the RuggON vehicle computers Viking II 07A and Vulcan 10A have ignition management. The data sheet does not say how that fits with a nightly window. That belongs in your test.
According to Google, Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) is a shortlist of business devices and solutions that meet Google's requirements. The requirements page has separate sections for knowledge worker devices and for rugged devices. For rugged devices with Android 15 and 16 it lists:
This page does not set a fixed minimum duration for security updates. Google requires transparency: the end date and the interval must be published. How long the commitment lasts is up to the manufacturer.
The table shows the Android devices from our data sheets with the Android version and ingress protection as given in the data sheet. Whether a device appears in the AER directory (androidenterprisepartners.withgoogle.com) we checked on 20.10.2026 using the directory's search, by manufacturer and device name. No entry means: not found. It does not mean the device fails the requirements.
| Device | Android per data sheet | Ingress protection | In the AER directory | Security updates until, per directory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getac ZX80 | Android 15.0 | IP67 | Yes, rugged, validated for Android 13 and 15 | 02/2029, quarterly |
| Getac ZX10 G2 | Android 15.0 | IP66 | Yes, rugged, validated for Android 13 and 15 | 12/2029, interval not stated |
| Fieldbook N101 G2 | Android 14 with Google services (GMS) | IP65 | No entry found | not stated |
| Fieldbook N80 G2 | Android 12 with Google services (GMS) | IP67 | No entry found | not stated |
| RuggON Viking II 07A | Android 14 with Google services (GMS) | IP65 | No entry found | not stated |
| RuggON Vulcan 10A | Android 14 with Google services (GMS) | IP66 | No entry found | not stated |
Both Getac tablets are listed. According to the directory, the ZX80 gets security updates until 02/2029 at a quarterly interval, and the directory refers to the manufacturer's support portal for details. For the ZX10 G2 the directory shows 12/2029, and the entry does not state the interval.
We did not find the Fieldbook N101 G2 and N80 G2 or the RuggON Viking II 07A and Vulcan 10A under any name. For RuggON the directory lists only two other devices, PA501 and PA501BGR, both without Recommended status. Our data sheets give no end date for security updates for any of the six devices.
All six devices have a higher ingress protection than the minimum of IP54 in the rugged requirements. This comparison says no more than that, because RAM, storage, drop test and updates are separate requirements. You will find further data on the tablets in the comparison table of tablets.
Android Enterprise governs how a device is managed. It governs neither whether your specialist application exists for Android nor how long the manufacturer supports the model.
If your software runs only on Windows, the question is settled before management matters. For data capture with a scanner, see mobile data terminal or rugged tablet. The data in the AER directory comes from the manufacturer. Google requires it to be published but sets no minimum duration. For devices without an entry you have to ask the manufacturer or reseller for the end date and the interval.
Which of the four scenarios your management tool supports is something to check with its vendor. This article does not compare tools, and it does not cover smartphones or devices for potentially explosive atmospheres. Before ordering, clarify four points in writing:
The enrollment documentation we read names Android versions and methods, but not AER status as a condition. Google describes AER as a shortlist. A device without an entry therefore cannot be ruled out, but you then have to document the update commitment some other way.
Both belong to the company and are for work only. The dedicated device is the subset that is locked to one app or a few apps, usually in kiosk mode. A fully managed device is not restricted to individual apps from the outset.
According to Google, the reseller assigns the devices to the account as part of the sale. Whether it does so afterwards is something to clarify with the reseller. For devices already delivered, QR code and NFC remain, which set up a new or reset device one at a time.
According to our check of 20.10.2026, the Getac ZX80 and the Getac ZX10 G2. For the Fieldbook N101 G2 and N80 G2 and for the RuggON Viking II 07A and Vulcan 10A we found no entry.
If you need an update period that a Google source documents, only the Getac ZX80 (8 inches, 590 g) and the Getac ZX10 G2 (10.1 inches) in our selection have an entry in the AER directory. For the picking trolley or the hand, these are the two tablets where zero-touch and end date can be read from a Google source. The Fieldbook N80 G2 and the Fieldbook N101 G2 are alternatives if 600 g (N80 G2) or a 10.1-inch display (N101 G2) matters more to you than an entry. You then ask the reseller for the end date and the interval.
For vehicle installation, the RuggON Viking II 07A (7 inches) and Vulcan 10A (10.4 inches) come into question. The entry is missing there too, and according to its data sheet the Viking II 07A ships with Android 14. The Android Enterprise route does not suit you if your specialist application runs only on Windows.
The RobustBook team will gladly help you clarify which tablet suits your scenario before you order.