Panasonic reckons its Toughbook 33 is the most durable 2-in-1 laptop ever

Panasonic has announced that its new Toughbook 33 will be available to buy in the US very soon, claiming it’s the most durable 2-in-1 going, and the first fully rugged detachable laptop to have a 3:2 aspect ratio display.

This is a 12-inch hybrid with a magnesium alloy chassis which meets both MIL-STD-810G and IP65 standards, being designed to be used in all weathers, and the most “gruelling and extreme conditions”. Even its digitiser pen is IP55 certified.

The 3:2 display makes this device easier to handle out in the field, Panasonic notes, and it has a resolution of 2,160 x 1,440. It’s a capacitive multi-touch display which can be used with gloves, and it has a whopping brightness of 1200 nits to ensure visibility outdoors even on sunny days.

Processor options include a Kaby Lake Intel Core i5-7300U vPro CPU running at 2.6GHz – or an i7-7600U – or you can go Skylake if you prefer, with a Core i5-6300U vPro running at 2.4GHz (or an i7-6600U).

That’s backed with 8GB of system RAM (optionally you can increase that to 16GB), with a 256GB SSD for storage (which again can be doubled up to 512GB).

Security chops

Connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with optional dedicated GPS, and an optional 4G LTE modem. There are two cameras on-board, with a 1080p front-facer and 8-megapixel rear camera – with the Kaby Lake CPU models, you get facial recognition via Windows Hello (and there’s also an optional fingerprint reader).

As for battery life, that’s 10 hours (according to Panasonic’s testing with MobileMark 2014), with a twin battery design allowing for hot-swap replacements – the optional ‘long life battery’ configuration gets 20 hours of juice while out and about.

Panasonic also offers a choice of two keyboards for the Toughbook 33, and a range of other accessories including vehicle docks. And you get a three-year warranty with the device.

As you might expect, this level of power, durability and flexibility doesn’t come cheap, with the notebook pitched at a starting price of $3,649 (around £2,800, AU$4,900) when it hits the shelves later this month.