The best rugged tablets are just like regular smartphones - with muscle. Built for out in the field, the robust and durable devices boast tough bodywork and sealed casings to protect against water, dust, as well as shocks, drops, falls,
1. Best overall
2. Best budget
3. Best battery life
4. Best camera sensors
5. Best for 5G
6. Best 2-in-1
7. Best for customization
8. Best for teachers
9. FAQs
10. How we test
While a rugged tablet may not match the performance of the best rugged laptops, they're often the better pick over best rugged smartphone, and just as portable. They do tend to cost a bit more than regular tablets. A fair trade for extra resilience, durability, genuine IP ratings that protect in hostile environments - and an investment over buying a new iPad every year (and hoping you don't shatter the screen within a week).
There are quite a few different brands out there right now, so our team of experts have tested out some of the best rugged tablets out there. Our team has tested a massive range of the best business tablets for the home, office, and outside. As part of our testing process, tablet speeds are performance has been benchmarked. Because top-rated rugged tablets are built stronger, we've also measured dimensions and weight to judge how portable each device really is for when you're camping, hiking, or working in the great outdoors.
Best rugged tablet of 2024 in full:
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Best rugged tablet overall
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 IP6869 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
All the Chinese rugged phone makers appear to have had the same idea at the same time. That being to take tried and tested phone 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 phone.
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 1080p 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
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
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.
But the best aspect of the Active 8 Pro is the huge 22000 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
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 1200g, 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
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
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
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.
Best rugged tablets: FAQs
What's the difference between the best rugged tablets and a regular one?
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.
How to choose the best rugged tablet for you
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.
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