Panasonic’s semi-rugged laptop is designed for people on the go.
Panasonic has announced enhancements to its new TOUGHBOOK 55 mk2, a customizable mobile computer engineered for better performance, flexibility and functionality for mobile workers. The changes are expected to boost performance in demanding and unpredictable environments. In addition, for users of the earlier TOUGHBOOK 54, the TOUGHBOOK 55 is backward capable with vehicle and desktop docks.
“For the last 25 years, we have listened to the evolving needs of our customers and have prioritized the development of solutions that deliver on the needs of mission-critical mobile workers,” said Panasonic’s Magnus McDermid, Sr. “With the latest TOUGHBOOK 55, we’ve evolved in lockstep as our customers’ needs change, providing increased modularity, reliability and flexibility to vertical workers operating in unpredictable environments.”
The laptop comes with a modular design featuring expansion areas like user-replaceable memory storage and keyboards. This allows users to customize the device based on their specific needs, whether they work in manufacturing, transportation, logistics, field services, utilities, public safety, or a government agency. Since its inception in 2019, Panasonic says the TOUGHBOOK 55’s high degree of customization has been a selling point for customers.
The upgraded TOUGHBOOK 55 features an 11th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processor, including Intel vPro Technology, with double the standard memory as the earlier version, while speeds have increased by 50 percent. Additionally, the new version has optional Intel Iris Xe graphics. The improved Intel graphics deliver up to a two times higher Fire Strike score with Intel UHD and a nearly three times higher score with the Iris Xe.
Thunderbolt 4 and an NVMe OPAL SSD are also part of the upgrades that provide solid performance and bolster enterprise security and device management for those working in enterprise fields. The TOUGHBOOK 55 comes with the capability to connect to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. It also offers enhanced connectivity, as the device is designed primarily for mobile workers who often need access to real-time information critical to their jobs. Mobile workers, like first responders and public safety professionals who use the TOUGHBOOK 55, also often operate in noisy environments, which is why the laptop was built with 92 dB speakers with integrated tetra-array microphones for high speech recognition accuracy even in challenging environments.
According to Panasonic, the TOUGHBOOK 55 is one of the first rugged laptops with dual SIM to ensure that workers can choose between using the physical SIM slot or the eSIM. While the notion of a powerful laptop might conjure images of a heavy and bulky device, the TOUGHBOOK 55 is relatively lightweight at 4.6 pounds for the HD model, making it portable for workers who migrate between various office, vehicle and field conditions. In addition, the laptop comes with all-day battery life and an optional second battery for uninterrupted workdays. Combined with a 14-inch screen with an optional 1000 nits touchscreen, these features allow users to leverage complex software for mapping, charting and reporting needs and tasks that require enhanced graphics.
The laptop offers removable xPAKs, including I/O ports, optical drives, authentication readers and a barcode reader, which can be used by public safety officers who may need to scan IDs. External ports can also be swapped out with different PAKs, keeping the device in service for various federal or military operational uses.
The TOUGHBOOK 55 also comes with between 16 and 64 GB of memory, an optional dedicated GPS with 4G LTE multi-carrier, a color-selectable backlit keyboard and a USB-A port with transfer speeds up to 10Gbps.
