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Panasonic Toughbook FZ-T1

Combining style with substance — Panasonic's 5-inch, IP68-sealed rugged Android device merges the best of handhelds and smartphones
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

On July 25, 2018, Panasonic announced the Toughbook FZ-T1, an elegant 5-inch Android-based combination of smartphone and handheld computer to further expand the company's lineup of rugged, durable devices for mobile workforces in a wide range of roles and industries, including retail and hospitality, manufacturing, transportation and logistics.

With a footprint almost exactly that of an Apple iPhone 8 Plus, Panasonic aimed for combining the best of handheld and smartphone functionality in a single device. And the company did so with a design that is noticeably thinner and lighter than earlier Panasonic handhelds (the FZ-X1 and FZ-N1), and also one that seems to take its style cues more from consumer devices than from Panasonic's traditional Toughbook look and feel.

Tech & specs

For specs, the Toughbook FZ-T1 uses the Qualcomm "Snapdragon" 1.1GHz MSM8909 processor that includes four ARM Cortex-A7 CPU cores as well as 400MHz Adreno 304 graphics. The FZ-T1 comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC mass storage plus what's in the micro SDXC card slot on the storage side (up to 64GB). The daylight-viewable 5.0-inch screen has 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, making for 294 pixels per inch and a sharp-enough screen. It's daylight-viewable (as it should be), there's 10-point capacitive multi-touch, and the display is glove- and rain-sensing. An optional passive pen is available.

For communication there's 801.11a/b/g/n and Class 1 Bluetooth v4.2. Panasonic sells the FZ-T1 in two versions, one with WiFi only and one with WWAN voice and data. The latter comes with 4G LTE, HSPA+, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, GSM and uses a single nano SIM. Since voice calls can be trying in noisy outdoor/work settings, Panasonic adds triple microphones and powerful dual front speakers that can generate up to 80 decibels in volume. There is a contactless IC card reader (NFC), supporting Type A, B and Felica. And there is dedicated GPS with 2 to 4 meter accuracy. The FZ-T1 has an 8mp camera in the back but, somewhat amazingly, none in the front.

While contemporary tablets generally have more than sufficient battery life, many consumer smartphones still don't. Panasonic wanted to make sure customers wouldn't have to worry about being stranded with a dead handheld device. The FZ-T1 battery can handle "up to 12 hours of continuous data access" and offers "warm-swapping" of batteries.

The presence of an industrial-grade scanner differentiates smartphones whose cameras can be used for an occasional read, and professional tools for extended barcode reading deployments. The FZ-T1's integrated 1D/2D barcode reader can read and decode some 40 different types of barcodes and 2D codes, there are two scanner buttons, and there is lighting and aimers to make use quick and easy. Optionally available is a Gun Grip to mount the FZ-T1 in.

Tougher than it looks

Even with a lighter and slimmer design than the existing FZ-N1, the new FZ-T1 remains much tougher than any consumer smartphone. It can survive multiple drops from up to five feet to concrete as well as a thousand tumbles from one meter. It is also totally dustproof and waterproof, including full immersion. And we're talking IP68 here, where the "8" stands for extended immersion (the specs don't say how extended). The operating temperature range is a suitably wide 14° to +122° Fahrenheit, good enough for use almost anywhere. The display seems quite shatterproof as well; Panasonic tested it by dropping a 10-ounce steel ball from almost three feet on it.

Android all the way

Since Microsoft bowed out of the handheld computer space, Panasonic (like everyone else) no longer offers both Windows Mobile and Android versions of its small platfroms. It's only Android now, and the Toughbook FZ-T1 comes with the as of this writing (July 2018) up-to-date version 8.1 "Oreo" of Android.

According to the Android Developers site, as of July 2018, Android Oreo versions 8.0 and 8.1 are used in about 12% of all Android devices. Compared to earlier versions of Android, Oreo boots quicker, allows minimizing of background overhead, adds auto-fill and smart text selection, has picture-in-picture, streamlines the user interface, and much more. Like the competition, Panasonic commits to several version updates for the FZ-T1 platform.

It's all Toughbook now

One interesting thing here is nomenclature. While Panasonic's well regarded Toughbook brand is pretty much synonymous with "rugged," all of the company's handhelds and tablets have been going under the "Toughpad" name. That's changing. From now on, all new rugged devices from Panasonic will carry the Toughbook name, and that starts with the new Toughbook T1 and Touchbook L1.

The price for the basic Wi-Fi version of the Toughbook FZ-L1 starts at US$ 1,499, the exact same as the Toughbook FZ-L1 tablet. For that, enterprise customers get a sleek and elegant modern handheld that's plenty tough enough for real work, allows easy integration into existing IT infrastructures, offers industrial-grade scanning, has guaranteed ongoing support, offers longer lifespan, and likely also an overall lower total cost of ownership. What's not to like? -- Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, July 2018

Specifications: Panasonic Toughbook FZ-T1
Added/updated Added July 2018
Type Durable Android handheld computer
Processor Quad-core Qualcomm APQ8009 MSM8909
CPU Speed 1.1GHz
Graphics Qualcomm Adreno 304, 400MHz
OS Android 8.1 "Oreo"
Standard/Max RAM 2GB RAM
Disk/drive 16GB eMMC + Micro SDXC card
Card slots 1 x Micro SDXC, 1 x Nano SIM
Display type Daylight-viewable LCD with anti-reflective treatment, glove-touch and rain-sensing
Display size/res 5.0" widescreen (16:9) 1280 x 720 pixel HD, 294ppi
Digitizer/pens Projected capacitive 10-point multi-touch, optional passive stylus
Keyboard/scale Onscreen
Housing Unknown
Operating Temp 14° to +122°F (-10° to +50°C)
Sealing IP68
Shock 5-foot drop to concrete
Humidity Unknown
Ball drop test Unknown
Tumble 500 tumbles from 1 meter
Size (WxHxD) 6.1 x 2.95 x 0.51 inches (154 x 75 x 13 mm)
Weight 8.5 oz. (240 grams)
Power Warm-swappable 3.8V, 3,200mAH 12.2 watt-hour Li-Ion ("12 hours")
Cameras Rear: 8mp with LED light
Sensors Acceleration, ambient light, proximity
Interface 1 x Micro-USB 2.0, dock, audio jack, xPak, 3 x mic, 95db speaker
Wireless Class 1 Bluetooth v4.2, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/d/h/i/r WiFi, NFC (Type A/B, Felica), 4G LTE, HSPA+, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, GSM (Data and Voice), P.180 (data only) standalone GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, 2-4 meter); optional: integrated SE4710 1D/2D barcode reader
Security FIPS 140-2 Level 1 compliant
List price Starting at US$1,499
Contact Toughbook FZ-T1 at Panasonic
Brochure Panasonic Toughbook FZ-T1 brochure (PDF)
Warranty 3-year limited warranty