Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet, hands on: Fully equipped for harsh environments Review

Dell has designed a track record as a supplier of rugged tablets, and the Latitude 7220 Rugged Severe Tablet is a robust addition to the vary. It has gone through army-quality (MIL-STD 810G and 810H) tests (like transit and working drop-exams), can work in temperatures ranging from -28°C to 62°C, and is IP65 rated for dust and water resistance — as befits a tablet that’s manufactured to endure the hardest of circumstances. 

The 11.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) touch display screen has a utmost brightness of 1000 nits, so it truly is thoroughly outside readable. It can also be utilized with gloved palms. The display screen sits in deep bezels and has a chunky, rubberised surround that’s even more bolstered at the corners by an additional layer of defense. The aforementioned drop tests features transit drops from 1.22m (4 ft) and working drops from .91m (3 ft).

You will find a caddy in the top edge for a smaller, light-weight but serviceable stylus that’s tethered nicely to the system. If you do not want the stylus and the tether, the two are effortlessly taken out.

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Dell’s 11.6-inch Latitude 7720 Rugged Severe Tablet operates on eighth-generation Intel Main (i3, i5 or i7) processors with 8GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. It really is very configurable, with numerous selections for connectivity and add-ons.


Graphic: Sandra Vogel/ZDNet

As you’d be expecting offered all the defense, the Latitude 7220 Rugged Severe Tablet is chunky for its 11.6-inch display screen measurement. It steps 312.2mm wide by 203mm deep and is 24.4mm thick (twelve.3in. x seven.99in. x .96in.). It really is hefty way too, setting up at 1.33kg (2.93lbs). None of these measurements are as applicable as they would be if you had been picking out an each day tablet or notebook — in truth, the additional measurement and fat to some extent point out the diploma of defense for the innards.

This defense extends to putting the ports and connectors driving hinged handles. These all sit on the correct edge (in landscape manner), and comprise a mini serial (RS-232) port driving its very own hinged protect, the ability connector (again driving its very own protect), and then, all driving 1 protect: USB-C with DisplayPort USB 3. 3.5mm headset jack and MicroSD card slot. 

Beneath the display screen (in landscape manner) there is certainly an array of eight buttons, 3 of which are consumer configurable. The non-configurable buttons are quantity up and down, display screen brightness up and down, and vehicle-rotate toggle. All of these buttons mild up an eerie green when 1 is pressed.

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On the again there is certainly a smartcard reader and a fingerprint scanner, additionally a detachable protect for an optional incredibly hot-swappable secondary battery (£20.15 ex. VAT). The two the key and secondary batteries are 2-cell 32Wh Li-ion models.

There is an optional ‘all or nothing’ digital camera setup that contains a 5MP digital camera and Windows Howdy IR digital camera on the front, and an 8MP digital camera at the again. The two the principal cameras have sliding privateness handles, although the IR digital camera does not. A keyboard is also optional, but I was not despatched 1 to full the exam kit.

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As befits a thoroughly rugged tablet, all ports are effectively guarded driving hinged handles.


Graphic: Sandra Vogel/ZDNet  

The style is really modular, letting for lots of configuration selections. You can leave out the cameras, for example, saving you £28.60 (ex. VAT), or specify 802.11ax wi-fi (Wi-Fi 6) alternatively of 802.11ac a shoulder strap will price tag you £15.forty six (ex. VAT), even though a comfortable take care of is just £10.02 (ex. VAT).

Taking part in all-around with other technical specs can be more high-priced. Going up from the base eighth-generation Main i3-8145U processor to the top-conclusion Main i7-8665U adds £207.35 (ex. VAT), even though storage updates from the base 128GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Course 40 SSD can mount up: a 256GB push adds just £29.25 (ex. VAT), but decide for a 1TB push and you happen to be on the lookout at £324 (ex. VAT). Meanwhile, cellular broadband (Snapdragon X20 LTE) adds £103.35 (ex. VAT) to the price tag.

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Even at the base cost, where the Main i3-8145U processor is teamed with 8GB of RAM and an 128GB SSD, the Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Severe Tablet will established you again £1,791.40 (ex. VAT £2,149.68 inc. VAT) or $1,899. Begin including in extras and the cost definitely mounts up. But that’s the way with rugged tablets, and the really configurable nature of this 1, together with its ultra-vivid display screen, stylus, programmable buttons and outstanding defense unquestionably make it healthy for purpose.

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