When talking about rugged laptops, two brands lead the way, Panasonic with their Toughbook range and Getac.

Overview:

Panasonic has forged a solid reputation in the rugged laptop market with its well-regarded ‘Toughbook’ laptops and tablets. Panasonic has spent at least 20 years developing and improving their range.

Getac, founded in 1989, have developed as leaders in the industry of rugged laptop in UAE. Thanks to their tough devices that offer solutions for professionals working in severe environments.

Getac remains separate from competition, and the reason is that a team of almost 250 full-time engineers working to find more reliable ways to deliver tough and portable devices for every industry.

Panasonic Toughbook CF-33:

Most people consider the Panasonic Toughbook CF-33 to be one of the best-rugged laptops in the world. It is a 2-1 in tablet and laptop, so you are able to either use it along with the keyboard or detach it to enjoy the portability of a fully rugged tablet.

It has an Intel Core i5-7300U Processor that is excellent for most business applications and provides good battery life. A magnesium alloy handled case provides even more protection and portability.

The large 12 inches display has daylight readability technology that makes the CF-33 amongst the best laptops on the market for screen brightness, with a maximum brightness of about 1,200 nits.

The touchscreen can be practiced in all-weather circumstances. Thanks to glove touch and rain touch capacities, making this one of the best laptops for massive outdoor use, even in bright sunlight or rain.

Advantages:

• 256GB Solid State Drive
• Lightweight 2.5kg
• Ports and connectors protected by hinged covers
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• High quality, high res, bright display, one of the best available

Disadvantages:

• More expensive than Getac B300
• Small spacebar not ideal for fast typing
• Some people claim the small track-bar is awkward to use

Getac B300:

Getac B300 is the Getac’s best-selling rugged laptop. It has an Intel Core i5-6200U Processor similar to the Panasonic Toughbook, but the Getac is a sixth-generation i5 Processor compared to the Toughbook 7th generation processor.

The B300 has a bigger display than the Toughbook (13.3 inches) and an impressive battery life (30 hours with two batteries). However, the screen is the lower resolution (XGA) and less bright, rated to about 700 Nits. It does have an option for the upgrade, so, for a price, you can order the B300 with a super bright and about 1,400 Nit display.

Getac B300 fits plenty of flexibility as it includes a media bay that can hold another optical drive, second hard disk, or second battery for increased operation. GPS antenna connection, Connectivity options are good with USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and an optional SIM card slot.

This device has incredible security features, including a fingerprint scanner, a smart card reader for more secure verification, and a Trusted Platform Module 2.0, technology that checks for signs of intrusion during system start-up.

Advantages:

• Cheaper than the CF-33
• Built-in media bay for increased options
• Advanced security options
• Most extended battery life in the industry

Disadvantages:

• 500GB HDD storage (more storage than the CF-33 but unfortunately not an SSD)
• More substantial and bulkier than Toughbook
• Big screen but relatively low resolution