RUGGED Tablets – Pro vs Entry series in comparison

With the new RUGGED Tab Pro series, we are expanding our spo-comm product portfolio with two powerful models in order to find the right solutions for as many applications as possible together with the entry tablets. But what exactly is the difference between the two series? What features do they offer? For which applications are they suitable and what do they have in common? We compare our series to help you find the right outdoor tablet for every requirement.

Areas of application for RUGGED tablets

Production & manufacturing:
Robust tablets monitor systems and control machines directly on site. We also use them ourselves for our digital production protocols.

Logistics & warehouse:
Tablets take over inventory, order picking and transport planning in cold stores, external warehouses, ...

Construction & outdoor use:
Outdoor tablets enable reliable data collection in the construction industry or in field service.

The Entry series - entry-level models for a demanding environment

Our spo-comm Entry models are compact industrial tablets with a particularly robust housing and a wide temperature range (operational from -20°C to +60°C). They are suitable for entry-level applications in industry and logistics.

The RUGGED tablets in the Entry series:

• RUGGED Tab 8A Entry - 8″ Android tablet with MediaTek Helio G99 processor, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB eMMC SSD. The fanless tablet (passive cooling) has a compact format and is designed for use in industrial and logistics environments. It offers two SIM slots and is primarily intended as an industrial tablet for robust data collection.

• RUGGED Tab 10 N5100 Entry - 10.1″ industrial tablet with Intel® Celeron® N5100 (up to 2.8 GHz), 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD. This model is fanless, IP65-certified and also operates from -20 °C to +60 °C. It is aimed at logistics, retail and outdoor applications - for example as a handheld in warehouses or installed in vehicles.

• RUGGED Tab 10 i5 Entry - 10.1″ tablet with Intel® Core™ i5-1235U CPU, 16 GB RAM and 128 GB m.2 SSD. Thanks to its powerful processor, it is suitable for computing-intensive applications. This model is also IP65-rated and designed for the extended temperature range of -20 °C to +60 °C. It offers extensive connections (USB, HDMI, LAN, SIM, SD) and optional accessory modules (2D scanner, vehicle mount). An integrated bridge battery also allows the battery to be changed during operation without interrupting operation.

Each Entry model therefore complements the product portfolio in its class: from the small, compact 8" tablet, through the solid mid-range with the N5100 Entry Tablet, to the powerful RUGGED Tablet with i5 processor. All Entry RUGGED tablets support common industry standards (IP65, MIL-STD-810G) and come with Android (8A) or Windows (10/11 IoT) as the operating system.

The Pro series - even more efficient high-end tablets

The Pro series is the latest addition to the spo-comm portfolio and is aimed at users with the highest performance requirements. The Pro models impress with modern CPUs, faster RAM and extended functions - with the same robustness.

The RUGGED tablets of the Pro series:

• RUGGED Tab 10 i5 Pro - high-end tablet with Intel® Core™ i5-1334U (or i5-1335U) processor, 16 GB DDR5 RAM and 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSD. The built-in CPU (with 2 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores) provides plenty of computing and graphics power for demanding industrial applications. The device is certified according to MIL-STD-810G and IP65 and operates in a temperature range from -10 °C to +50 °C. A WUXGA display (1920×1200) ensures high readability, and a hot-swappable battery (64 Wh) allows the battery to be changed during operation. Extensive interfaces (including USB 3.2 Gen2, Gigabit LAN, microSD, USB-C Alt Mode) and optional 4G LTE and Windows Hello camera round off the professional setup.

• RUGGED Tab 10 N100 Pro - Compact 10.1″ tablet with Intel® N100 processor (4×0.8 GHz, up to 3.4 GHz), 16 GB DDR5 RAM and 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSD. Despite the low-cost CPUs, it offers solid performance and is characterized by the same industrial features: MIL-STD-810G, IP65 and -10 °C to +50 °C operating temperature. The Intel N100 processor and the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 24EU are sufficient for many professional applications. Connectivity features include USB 3.2, USB-C, Gigabit LAN, microSD and SIM slot (for 4G). The N100 Pro also offers Windows as an OS and is ideal for mobile industrial processes, for example in maintenance or machine control.

Both Pro models feature cutting-edge hardware (DDR5 RAM, PCIe SSD), high resolution and optional extras such as an LTE module or a barcode scanner. The Pro series complements the entry-level models of our RUGGED tablets, primarily with more computing power, larger SSDs and faster data transfer. The devices also allow a flexible power supply and continuous operation thanks to USB-C and a hot-swappable battery.

The industrial tablets at a glance

Overall, the new RUGGED Tab Pro series complements the range: it offers more performance with the same robustness. Both lines are of interest to many industrial companies: Entry tablets cover basic applications at a reasonable price, while Pro tablets are designed for computing-intensive or multimedia tasks.

Depending on your requirements, you can choose between compact industrial tablets with basic features and new high-end RUGGED tablets. All models are optimized for tough use in industry, outdoor and logistics, offer excellent display readability and enable mobile working under extreme conditions.

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