Anyone looking for a Toughbook alternative, or weighing Getac vs Toughbook, usually has a specific problem: the existing device is no longer built, the fleet is to be extended with a second brand, or a tender calls for comparison quotes. TOUGHBOOK is the brand name of Panasonic's rugged laptops and tablets. The main alternatives are the manufacturers Getac and Durabook, whose devices you will find at Robustbook. This article does not compare by test verdicts but by criteria you can check yourself: protection class, MIL-STD tests, display brightness, swappable battery, expansion modules and service options. The devices are arranged by class so that you compare like with like.
TOUGHBOOK is a product brand of Panasonic. Panasonic describes it as a range of rugged laptops and tablets for use under extreme conditions. In everyday speech, however, the word is often used for rugged laptops in general. Anyone who types “Toughbook alternative” is therefore often not looking for a Panasonic device but for a rugged notebook that replaces or matches a model of this brand. The search for a “Dell Toughbook” falls into the same category: no such device exists, because Dell sold its rugged devices as “Latitude Rugged”, and on the current Dell site the line is called “Dell Pro Rugged”.
A rough division into four classes is enough for the comparison. The terms are not standards. We use them only where the manufacturer or the respective product page uses them itself; the tested values remain what counts.
What lies behind the protection classes is explained in the article IP protection classes; the tests to the military standard are covered in Laptop to military standard (MIL-STD).
On its manufacturer site, Panasonic currently lists the models TOUGHBOOK 40, 55, G2 and 33, among others. The following details come from the product pages of Panasonic Europe; the current manufacturer data for the respective configuration is always what counts.
Panasonic lists the TOUGHBOOK 40 as a “Fully rugged laptop” with a 14-inch touchscreen. According to the manufacturer, the magnesium housing meets MIL-STD-810H and IP66, the drop resistance is stated as 180 cm, and the operating temperature range as −29 °C to +63 °C. The display reaches up to 1200 cd/m². According to Panasonic, the battery can be replaced without tools and without shutting down; as an option, a second battery can be inserted in the right-hand expansion area. The rear area accepts, among other things, a second LAN port, serial interfaces and VGA. Panasonic names a three-year ProTect service as standard; an extended programme (“ProTect PLUS”) is optional.
Panasonic describes the TOUGHBOOK 55 as a “rugged, customisable laptop” with a 14-inch display. The test specifications are IP53 and MIL-STD-810H, the brightness up to 1000 cd/m², and the operating temperature range −29 °C to +60 °C. Panasonic names hot-swappable dual batteries and three expansion areas (left, right, rear). Panasonic does not classify it as “semi-rugged” on the product page; the IP53 protection class does, however, place the device technically in the same column as the semi-rugged models of other manufacturers.
According to Panasonic, the TOUGHBOOK G2 is a “Fully rugged tablet 2-in-1” with a 10.1-inch display, IP65 and MIL-STD-810H, 180 cm drop height and up to 1000 cd/m². Hot-swap operation is optional, two modular expansion areas (rear and top) are available, and the keyboard is detachable. The TOUGHBOOK 33 is a “Fully rugged 2-in-1 tablet” with a 12-inch display, IP65, MIL-STD-810H, 150 cm drop height and up to 1200 cd/m². Its batteries are hot-swappable, and a business expansion module with smartcard reader, NFC and fingerprint reader is available as an option.
A fair comparison relies on figures that can be looked up for every manufacturer. We recommend these six criteria, in this order:
The features of our models come from the respective product pages and data sheets on Robustbook. A side-by-side view of all laptops can be found in the laptop comparison table, and of the tablets in the tablet comparison table.
The TOUGHBOOK 40 stands for 14 inches, IP66 and MIL-STD-810H. Four devices in our range fall into this class, all of which state IP66 and MIL-STD-810H.
In direct comparison with the TOUGHBOOK 40, it is notable that IP66 and MIL-STD-810H are stated identically for all four devices. The differences lie in the details: screen size, battery concept (dual battery with LifeSupport, hot-swap as standard or as an option), expansion areas and weight. The X600 and the Z14I offer many interfaces and expansion options but are also the heavier devices; the V120 and the B360G3 are the more compact ones.
The TOUGHBOOK 55 carries IP53 and MIL-STD-810H with a 14-inch display. These devices from our range make comparable statements:
Important in this class: the devices differ less in the test standard than in the battery concept. The TOUGHBOOK 55 and the Durabook S14I offer hot-swappable second batteries; the S15 does not provide for this. Anyone planning shift operation without charging breaks should check this first.
Both Panasonic models are tablets with a detachable keyboard, IP65 and MIL-STD-810H. These devices from our range belong to the class:
One difference from the Panasonic models is the form factor: the G2 and 33 are designed as 2-in-1 tablets with a detachable keyboard, the V110 G3 as a convertible. The tablets F110 G7, U11I and R11 are pure tablets; input is via the touchscreen. Which form factor fits depends on whether the keyboard is needed every day or only in the vehicle or at the workstation.
On its product pages, Panasonic names a three-year ProTect service as standard and an optional “ProTect PLUS” programme. For Durabook, the configurators on our product pages show the options “Extended warranty”, “Accidental damage” and “Extended battery warranty”. For the Getac devices, our product pages state no warranty term; ask for it in the quote. You should therefore not compare warranties on the basis of brochures, but have the term, scope of service and replacement procedure confirmed in writing.
TOUGHBOOK is a Panasonic brand. In colloquial use the word often stands for rugged laptops in general. When a quote request asks for a “Toughbook alternative”, what is usually meant is a rugged notebook with comparable test values, not necessarily a specific Panasonic model.
No, TOUGHBOOK is a Panasonic brand. Dell sold its rugged devices as “Latitude Rugged”; on the current Dell site the line is called “Dell Pro Rugged”.
By protection class and testing, the Getac B360G3, V120 and X600 and the Durabook Z14I are in the same class: IP66 and MIL-STD-810H. Which of them fits is decided by screen size, battery concept, interfaces and weight.
That depends on where it is used. IP53 is sufficient for workshops and warehouses with moderate dust and splash-water exposure; if water jets can hit the device, for example during cleaning or outdoor use, IP66 is the suitable class. The details are in the article on IP protection classes.
Different devices come into question as a Toughbook alternative depending on the class. In the fully rugged class, the Getac B360G3, V120, X600 and Durabook Z14I match the TOUGHBOOK 40 on IP66 and MIL-STD-810H; among the semi-rugged models, the Getac S410 G5 and S510 and the Durabook S14I and S15 are on the level of the TOUGHBOOK 55. For tablets and 2-in-1 devices, the Getac V110 G3 and F110 G7 and the Durabook U11I and R11 are the counterparts to the G2 and 33. The differences lie in the battery concept, the expansion options, weight and form factor. Before comparing, decide which protection class, which battery life and which interfaces your use requires, and check every figure against the data sheet of the configuration you want. The Robustbook team will gladly support you with the selection.