Pansonic has a new rugged tablet aimed at Enterprise customers as they have just announced their new Android-based Toughpad FZ-A2, which comes running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a large 10.1-inch screen to interact with. While this wouldn’t be Panasonic’s first tablet that runs Android, nor its first tablet that brings a focused approach to delivering a tough as nails tablet for Enterprise customers, it does offer up some of the latest features both in software and hardware. Panasonic boasts that it also has the Android-For-Work security software features built right in, so those who are looking for something that can not only take a beating but also keep things protected and secure on the software front are covered with the Toughpad FZ-A2.
In addition to Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a 10.1-inch display, which carries a WUXGA resolution, the Toughpad FZ-A2 also comes powered by an Intel Atom x5-Z8550 processor that clocks up to 2.4GHz. The tablet has 4GB of RAM so it should be more than enough for multitasking which is a boon for those using this as a work device, and it has 32GB of internal storage space to boot, although there is a microSD card slot if 32GB is simply not enough space for all your documents and files.
There’s a 2-megapixel front-facing camera as well as an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera on board, and while Pansonic doesn’t list the actual mAh capacity of the battery inside, they do note that it’s capable of lasting up to 9 hours, and the battery can be hot swapped if need be which means you can switch out the battery on the fly. The tablet comes with your standard connectivity options like Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2LE, and a 3.5mm audio jack, but it also comes with a full-size USB 3.0 port and USB Type-C, so you’ll be getting the next generation for charging and connection standards, as well as a regular USB 3.0 port for backwards compatibility with other devices. It’s also equipped with built-in GPS and what Panasonic is calling an integrated passive pen. Although the tablet typically connects to Wi-Fi only, it does offer the option to connect to LTE networks through AT&T or Verizon via WWAN, although it’s worth reiterating that this is optional and is not standard on the tablet as an included feature, and is instead an additional version of the tablet. The base model which is Wi-Fi only will cost $2,189 and is available for purchase as of today, although units don’t seem to be shipping until at least February or March according to one of the retail sites where the tablet is sold. Panasonic does not list a price for the LTE-capable model.
