The best rugged tablets are durable, robust, and reliable whether you're working on site our out in the field - and these are the devices we recommend using.
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Our team of expert reviewers have tested the best tablets and the best business tablets - so we know what's important to you when choosing the most durable and rugged tablet.
With toughened bodywork, MIL-STD and IP ratings, a good display, and running Android 11, the Oukitel RT1 is our top pick for a rugged tablet. But we've rounded up a number of options to suit your professional needs.
As with our tests of the best rugged laptops, the best rugged hard drives, and the best rugged phones, we've compared specs, performance, design, and conducting our own drop tests to make sure these are the tablets you can rely on whether you're camping, hiking, or working in hostile environments.
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you&#;re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Best rugged tablet overall
(Image credit: Future)
A shock-resistant tablet that can make calls and runs on Android 11
Our expert review:
OS:
Android 11
Ratings:
IP68, IP68K, MIL-STD-810G
Screen:
10.1in, xp
Rear camera:
16MP
Front camera:
16MP
CPU:
MediaTek Helio P22
RAM:
4GB
Storage:
64GB
Dimensions:
251x170x14.5mm
Weight:
850g
Battery:
10 mAh
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Stunning value for money
+
Dual SIM, 4G connectivity
+
Massive 10Ah battery supports OTG
-
No NFC or audio port
-
Aftersales and long term support doubtful
Secretly, this is a rugged tablet I&#;ve been waiting for, for a long time. One that supports the latest version of Android, can make calls, is waterproof, has a big battery, has two speakers, and doesn&#;t cost the Earth.
Oukitel delivers all this with the RT1 and yes, although there are some corners cut, we still believe it is the best value-for-money rugged tablet out there. Don&#;t expect it to be a speed champion though or to be able to connect to your wired headphones.
The Mediatek Helio P22 processor that powers it is adequate only for light tasks - think playing Spotify, scanning barcodes in a warehouse, and Google Maps for gig operators - which should cater to most users. Anything more will make it grind to an atrocious halt.
Overall, this IP K-rated tablet is a must-buy if you&#;re looking for an affordable yet capable outdoor companion.
Read our full Oukitel RT1 review.
Best rugged tablet on a budget
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
The Doogee S100 in tablet form
Our expert review:
OS:
Android 13
Ratings:
IP68, IP69K, MIL-STD-810H
Screen:
10.36in, xp
Rear camera:
20MP
Front camera:
16MP
CPU:
MediaTek Helio G99
RAM:
8GB
Storage:
128GB
Dimensions:
258x169x13.5mm
Weight:
826g
Battery:
mAh
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Inexpensive
+
IP68 Waterproof, IP69K
+
Dual SIM
+
Android 13
+
Widevine L1
+
8GB+7GB RAM
-
Missing American mobile frequencies
-
Doesn&#;t get the most from the CPU
All the Chinese rugged makers appear to have had the same idea at the same time. That being to take tried and tested technology and slap it into a ruggedised tablet case with a larger screen.
The Doogee version of this concept is the R10. On paper, apart from the cameras, it has an uncanny similarity to the specifications of the Doogee S100 .
Aiming for a close to $200 price tag, some cost savings were made on camera sensors and a camera app that doesn&#;t exploit the ones it was given. But in other respects, this is a very serviceable device that combines water and dust protection with a decent battery life and a predictable platform.
It lacks the sort of accessories on more expensive designs, like docking stations and vehicle mounts. One bonus it does have is that this is one of the few Doogee devices that is Widevine L1 compliant, enabling it to stream p video from most of the main movie and TV services.
Overall, this is a robust and feature-rich design at a bargain price. But its isn&#;t the quickest tablet we&#;ve tested or the one with the best cameras.
Read our full Doogee R10 review.
Best rugged tablet for battery life
(Image credit: Anthony Spadafora)
Panasonic&#;s most rugged Android tablet yet doesn&#;t disappoint
Our expert review:
OS:
Android 9
Ratings:
IP65, MIL-STD-810G
Screen :
10.1in, xp
Rear camera:
8MP
Front camera:
5MP
CPU:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
RAM:
4GB
Storage:
64GB
Dimensions:
171.8x196x16.5mm
Weight:
900g
Battery:
Dual 3,800mAh
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Programmable physical buttons
+
Hot-swappable batteries
+
Water and dusts resistant
-
Android 9
-
Expensive
-
Not waterproof
The Panasonic Toughbook A3 is a great tablet for outdoor work with lots of protection, a screen that's well suited to use in bright daylight, and many customization options for field workers.
The tablet works well in busy environments, too, with loudspeakers to be heard over the din, and there's also enough tech inside for it to be a useful tablet for a range of functions.
After rigorously testing out this bit of kit, we felt the Panasonic Toughbook A3 checks all the boxes for what a large organization needs in a rugged tablet for employees. Device management easy for IT teams with the built-in software, and the included dual batteries offer more than enough power for everyday use. The bright display and anti-reflective coating also make the A3 ideal for outdoor use, with loud speakers that can easily rise above the sounds in noisy environments.
Overall, we were impressed with Panasonic's offering, and could easily see field workers, first responders and other professionals using this tablet to get the job done.
Read our full Panasonic Toughbook A3 review.
Best rugged tablet camera sensors
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
Few rugged Android tablets offer the same battery life and camera sensors as this one
Our expert review:
OS:
DokeOS_P 3.0 (Android 13)
Ratings:
IP68, IP69K, MIL-STD-810H
Screen:
10.36in, x p
Rear camera:
48MP
Front camera:
16MP
CPU:
MediaTek Helio G99
RAM:
8GB
Storage:
256GB
Dimensions:
256.3x165.8x16.8mm
Weight:
976g
Battery:
mAh
Check Amazon+
Still inexpensive
+
IP68 Waterproof, IP69K
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Global design, Dual SIM
+
mAh battery
-
Camera app could be better
-
Only Widevine L3 encryption
Blackview has decided to avoid the race to the bottom of the rugged tablet price scale and instead produce a reasonably specified tablet for a rational asking price.
For around $290, the Active 8 Pro is built around the popular MediaTek Helio G99 SoC, a chip used in many phones and tablets. It comes with a 33W fast charger, a stylus, a SIM card ejector pin, a USB-C cable, and a hand strap for attachment to the back by screws. The robust outer shell is designed to withstand full water immersion at less than 1.5M for 30 minutes, and it is also dust resistant.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of rugged tablet manufacturer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
But the best aspect of the Active 8 Pro is the huge mAh battery that can keep it alive on standby for sixty days. Its ability to use that battery capacity to charge other devices over USB-C is also helpful.
Another positive feature is the 48MP Samsung ISOCELL GM2 primary camera sensor that can take good quality images even in low light conditions. Although we wish Blackview had included more special photo and video modes that could exploit this camera.
Overall, the Blackview Active 8 Pro is a notch above the cheaper rugged tablets and probably worth the extra money the makers are asking.
Read our full Blackview Active 8 Pro review.
Best rugged tablet for 5G
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
5G connectivity and more battery capacity than a Tesla
Our expert review:
OS:
Android 13
Ratings:
IP68, IP69K, MIL-STD-810H
Screen:
10.1in, xp
Rear cameras:
48MP, 20MP , 2MP
Front camera:
32MP
CPU:
MediaTek Dimensity 720
RAM:
12GB
Storage:
256GB
Dimensions:
249.1x167.8x19.8mm
Weight:
g
Battery:
mAh
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Tough and built to last
+
mAh battery
+
Great camera selection
+
5G comms
-
Heavy
-
Screen isn&#;t bright enough for outdoors
-
Battery use needs optimising
An entirely different approach to the concept of a rugged Android tablet from Oukitel. The R7 Titan 5G is a $500 tablet sporting a massive 32,000mAh battery and four excellent camera sensors.
Built on the MediaTek Dimensity 720 SoC, the other great selling point is that it supports 5G communications for those regions that have deployed that technology. The downside of that much battery is that this tablet is over g, and that&#;s before you&#;ve added the alloy handle/stand, the wrist support and the included carry strap. It does offer 33W fast charging, but even using it, you should expect a complete charge to take over 7 hours.
But what is more likely to put off potential customers is the price tag since other brands are heading down to $200, and a few are even lower. It is a high-quality design built to survive the environment, can take impressive pictures and captures 4K video. But it&#;s heavy, the screen isn&#;t bright enough to use in sunlight, it&#;s heavier than the quoted weight, and the battery only lasts a little longer than the 22,000mAh in the Blackview Active 8 Pro due to some efficiency issue.
Read more in our Oukitel R7 Titan 5G review.
Best 2-in-1 rugged tablet
(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)
A Windows tablet made for demanding vertical markets
Our expert review:
OS:
Windows 10/11 IoT Enterprise
Ratings:
IP65, MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-461F
Screen :
10.1in, xp
Rear camera:
8MP
Front camera:
5MP
CPU:
Intel Core i5 - i7
RAM:
Up to 16GB
Storage:
Up to 1TB
Dimensions:
198x280x21.9mm
Weight:
g
Battery:
mAh
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Very rugged
+
Swappable batteries
+
Exceptionally bright touchscreen
-
Heavy
-
Awkward stand
-
Slow battery charging
-
Limited external ports
Some laptops claim to be rugged, but the DT Research DT301Y is built to a high specification to secure sales in the medical and military sectors.
Built around an Intel 11th Gen platform, DT Research offers this with Core i5 and i7 class processors, up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
It features a super-bright 800nit 10.1-inch touch panel, water-resistant port covers all around, and it can hot-swap its batteries. However, to get the most out of this hardware, you will need many of the available accessories. These include spare batteries and external charger, along with mounting kits for vehicles.
These all give the DT301Y a wider range of use cases, but they also increase the cost of ownership significantly. Where the initial cost of purchase might not be much more than a typical rugged Dell or Panasonic, once you&#;ve factored in needed accessories and a service contract, this machine might end up costing substantially more.
It also has a few quirks, like a poorly conceived kickstand, slow battery charging and the lack of any external video output that might put a few customers off. Therefore anyone considering investing in these might want to talk to a DT Research reseller to experience the hardware and get the memory and storage needs right beforehand.
Read our full DT Research DT301Y review .
Best rugged tablet for customization
(Image credit: Getac)
Well-protected and versatile device
OS:
Windows 10 Pro
Ratings:
IP66, MIL-STD 810H
Screen :
10.1in, xp
Rear camera:
8MP
Front camera:
FHD
CPU:
Intel Pentium, Intel i5 - i7
RAM:
8GB
Storage:
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Dimensions:
276.8x194.5x23.5mm
Weight:
g
Battery:
mAh
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Very well protected
+
Decent screen specs
-
Rather heavy
-
Battery life isn't the best
One of the best rugged tablets you can buy right now is the Getac UX10, from Getac which is known for its well-protected and versatile devices.
The Getac UX10 is a fairly customizable rugged tablet, as you can pick from a variety of Intel Core CPU options, and there are a variety of accessories you can pick up to tailor the UX10 to a variety of work situations. This makes it fairly versatile, and along with its decent screen specs, rugged protection, and various high-storage options, the device is great for working out in the field.
Getac doesn't publish a price for the UX10, but you can request a quote for the device at the Getac website by clicking here.
Best rugged tablet for teachers
(Image credit: Lenovo)
For the school of hard knocks
Average Amazon review:OS:
ChromeOS
Rating:
-
Screen:
10.1in, xp
Rear camera:
5MP
Front camera:
2MP
CPU:
MediaTek
RAM:
4GB
Storage:
32GB
Dimensions:
249.5x164.5x9.45mm
Weight:
500g
Battery:
31.5whr
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Lightweight
+
Designed for kids
-
Not that powerful
-
Low storage and memory
Not all rugged tablets are designed to withstand temperatures, knocks, dust, or water; some are meant to protect from the most destructive force of all: kids. The Lenovo 10e Chromebook is designed to be great as a learning tool for children.
The tablet is fairly big and well-protected, and its processor, memory, and storage are all designed for the kinds of tools a child will be using, so there's not plenty of storage space or processing power, but it's enough for schoolwork and learning. You can also buy an optional keyboard to turn the device into a pseudo-laptop.
Find great deals on tablets with our Lenovo promo codes.
Best rugged tablets: FAQs
There are probably more similarities between rugged and regular tablets than there are differences. Functionally, they're the same, with a touchscreen, app downloads, usually running Android, Windows, or ChromeOS. Like traditional tablets, they feature front and rear cameras, and they're highly portable. You'll even see both rugged and regular tablets protecting displays with Gorilla Glass or similar.
However, the very best rugged tablet is built to be a lot stronger than your regular tablet. The bodywork is tougher, and the casing is sealed to protect against dust, water, shocks, and drops. They will usually include IP ratings, and tested against MIL-STD 810 standards, used the the US military to test equipment under extreme conditions.
A rugged tablet is purposely designed to cope in hostile environments, extreme weather conditions, and the great outdoors. Because of this, they also typically have a longer-lasting battery life.
When deciding which rugged tablet is best for you, there are a number of key factors to check.
Operating system
Like regular tablets, a rugged tablet will usually run Android, or some variation of it. However, there are Windows tablets, which may be better for enterprise use, depending on your IT needs. ChromeOS is a very popular choice, but even the best Chromebooks need an internet connection to really get the most from the device. If you're working off-the-grid, that may not be ideal.
Specs
Like buying any device, check the processor, RAM, and storage. MediaTek and Qualcomm remain the preferred CPU as the processors they use are optimized for mobile and tablet use. The higher the memory or RAM, the smoother your experience should be. Ideally, look for 16GB for fluid performance. Storage will depend on your use, but an absolute minimum of 128GB, although more is preferred. Depending on profession, make sure the tablet has adequate cameras and camera sensors.
Ratings and standards
Unlike the best Android tablets or the best iPads, the very best rugged tablets will feature IP ratings and will be tested to MIL-STD 810 standards. It doesn't mean it's ready for combat, but does mean it's been tested to the same grade as US military equipment under extreme conditions. Carefully check those Ingress Protection (IP) ratings, as they'll let you know whether a device is waterproof or just water-resistant. You can find out more about reading IP ratings from the International Electrotechnical Commission by clicking right here.
Portable
Although they're popular for their portability, rugged tablets will be heavy and bulkier than your standard device. That's because the construction quality is different, with a weightier, mightier chassis. The battery also tends to be larger, which also affects portability (but means it will last longer in the field).
How we test the best rugged tablets
Our team of expert reviewers have hand-tested a massive range of the best tablets for professional use. And whether we're comparing the specs of the best drawing tablets or analyzing the performance of those build for working, camping, and hiking outdoors, our extensive testing process remains the same.
This means benchmarking speed and performance. So, we know how well the tablet performs (and performs against the competition) - there's nothing more infuriating than a tablet that lags even under light workloads like checking emails and web browsing. We also measure dimensions and weight, to make sure the tablet is genuinely portable, even if it's weightier than regular tablets.
For protected devices, like the best rugged hard drives, phones, and tablets, we've even engineered our very own drop tests and water tests. We take untold amounts of pleasure flinging tablets from great heights and submerging them under water for extended periods of time. Then we can see how rugged these tablets really are.
Get in touch
Rugged industrial tablet computers are strongly made and capable of withstanding rough handling. The operating conditions specified for a rugged device indicate its level of ruggedness. Operating conditions include operating and storage temperature, maximum operating and storage altitude, and relative humidity. Only Getac manufactures rugged tablets down to the chassis. Several of their tablets have been engineered to survive drops, shocks, rain, vibration, dust, liquid and more.
Built for extreme environments where you need the most versatility and connectivity, these industrial tablets are the best choice for a wide range of industries. Each tablet comes with built-in WiFi, 4G data connectivity, and GPS for field service management, construction, warehousing, and law enforcement services.
Able to withstand drops onto concrete from 4ft, these tablets redefine what it means to be rugged and durable.
Incorporating industrial tablets into your business&#; workflow provides you with new possibilities for productivity. With rugged, military-rated housing to keep the tablet secure in all conditions, you can trust in these tablet&#;s versatility and lifetime.
Shatter and scratch-resistant touch screens ensure durability in even the toughest conditions, indoors and out. With easy-to-use interfaces on android systems, these tablets provide the benefit of being familiar to handle. This means less downtime and training time for employers, while making on-the-job applications straightforward and seamless for any individual.
Rugged tablets can be utilized in a variety of industries including State/Local Government, Education (K-12 and Higher Education), Public Safety (Police, Fire, EMS), Healthcare, Industrial Manufacturing, Energy/Environment, and Transport/Logistics. Our rugged tablets offer several advantages in the field, from enhanced security measures to protect information and prevent attacks to increased computing ability to handle large engineering applications. We also feature both rugged Android and Windows tablets, letting you choose the operating system that makes the most sense for your application. The following list of industries cover the specific applications of rugged devices in more detail:
Getac tablets offer several integrated features, helping them adapt to suit your needs:
Affinity offers a full range of rugged computing and mobility solutions, including rugged devices, mounting solutions, rugged accessories. We partner with some of the best brands in the industry, such as Getac, Gamber Johnson, Havis, and Printek for premium quality hardware solutions that fit the needs of your organization. Every organization has its own unique characteristics when it comes to the use and implementation of technology. Affinity&#;s team of technology consultants will work with you to determine the best solution for your organization&#;s needs.
Yes, Getac industrial tablets do run common operating systems. This benefits employees who are looking for something familiar and easy to navigate, while cutting down on training time for employers.
Getac tablets are high-performing, running either Windows OS or Android OS depending on the tablet you choose. Tablets may run differently depending on these systems, as Android is considered a mobile-first operating system while Windows can run more desktop-type applications.
Typically, Android OS is chosen for its ability to interface easily as a mobile device, creating a more streamlined experience for users.
Each line is purpose-built for different needs, ensuring you have the features you need such as long battery life, sunlight-readable displays, and durable touchscreens.
Beyond these features, there are multiple options for processors, memory, and storage with each model. These varying levels of specs ensure you have enough space to run the programs and store any necessary data while on the job, while keeping initial up-front costs as low as possible.
Yes, every model is tested for durability standards before it is released. Getac tablets are considered the name brand for rugged computing needs, providing users with everything they need in all conditions &#; with the computing power to get the job done quickly. MIL-STD 810H and IP65 certified with hot-swappable batteries ensures you are always online.
These products are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and conditions without failing to keep you connected. With adaptable integrated features, you choose what you need from your industrial tablets and get to work.
Difficult jobs come with a lot of unknown conditions, which is why each tablet is covered by a 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. This will give you peace of mind and less downtime if anything goes wrong.
Each model is designed down to the chassis to withstand the most rugged conditions, and Getac stands by their product every step of the way. This warranty covers all major system components, accidental damage, and provides repairs by expert technicians with original production parts so you are always covered.
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