Panasonic further strengthened its popular Android line-up today with the launch of the TOUGHBOOK A3, a fully rugged tablet with a 10.1 inch display. With businesses increasingly turning to Android for their rugged mobile tablet and handheld needs, the TOUGHBOOK A3 is ideal for emergency services personnel, utilities and field service agents, as well as transport and logistics operators, and those working in automotive.

Fully rugged, the device has a powerful battery life of 9 hours [1] with standard batteries and 15.5 hours with optional large batteries with dual battery capability, is designed for use and easy viewing in all light and weather conditions and has a range of flexible ports options that can be configured to meet the mobile workforce’s needs. The device also supports Panasonic COMPASS 2.0 , the suite of enterprise management tools for Panasonic TOUGHBOOK rugged tablets and handheld devices running the Android operating system.

“A successor to the popular TOUGHBOOK A2, this latest device is more rugged, powerful and able to work even longer in the field than its predecessor,” said Jan Kaempfer, General Manager of Marketing for Mobile Solutions Business Division – Europe. “The TOUGHBOOK A3 is ready-made for mobile workers in warehouses and using forklifts, field service agents and automotive workers needing devices for diagnostics, data management and operational controls and emergency services personnel requiring a secure and effective mobile computing solution.”

Tougher than ever

The TOUGHBOOK A3 is equipped to help mobile workers combat the toughest tasks in the field. It is water and dust resistant (IP65) and drop tested to an increased 1.5 metres. Using the Android™ 9 Pie operating system, the device is powered by the latest long-term-support Qualcomm® Octa-Core SDM660 CPU (1.8GHz-2.2GHz) with 4GB memory and an increased 64GB eMMC storage.

 Clear and responsive display

The 10.1 inch outside viewable display (1920x1200), with high visibility has been designed for easy use and clarity of vision both outside and indoors. The 10-point capacitive touchscreen display can be used by hand, gloved hand or with the capacitive stylus pen for accurate annotation or signature collection even in the rain. It also includes a front camera and mic for video conferencing and a back camera with flash for document and image capture.

Flexible to business needs

The tablet comes with a rich set of business interfaces including USB Type-C® (USB 3.0) and USB Type-A (USB 2.0). Three different customizable gadget port options in five different combinations allow the device to be tailored to exact business requirements, including an optional smartcard reader, barcode reader or an additional USB Type-A (USB 2.0).

Ready for vehicle use, the TOUGHBOOK A3 can be used with a vehicle dock and its communication capabilities are unrivalled with Bluetooth 5.0 to deliver faster data exchange or communicate over longer distances. It also supports WLAN IEEE802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/d/h/i/r/k/v/w with MIMO functionality. The TOUGHBOOK A3 is optimised for Global Positioning use with Galileo and GPS in Europe, GLONASS in Russia, QZSS in Japan and Beidou support in China.

Secure and Enterprise-ready

To ensure the rugged tablet is secure and enterprise-ready, the TOUGHBOOK A3 come bundled with the Panasonic COMPASS suite of Enterprise Management tools. The latest additions to the Complete Android Services and Security package include a new proprietary rapid configuration tool, enhanced security updates up to End of Service plus 3 years , as well as “OMNIA”, the new TOUGHBOOK Mobile Enterprise Application Platform, and an application submission portal to certify new applications for Panasonic Android devices.

The TOUGHBOOK A3 comes with a range of accessories, a standard 3 year warranty and will be available from August 2020. Prices start at £1,182 plus tax.

*Android is a trademark of Google LLC.

[1] Measured with LCD brightness:150 cd/m2, Web browsing every 20 seconds through WLAN.Varies depending on the usage conditions, or when an optional device is attached.