Panasonic Updates Award Winning Semi-Rugged TOUGHBOOK® 55 Laptop

NEWARK, N.J., Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, announced enhancements to the TOUGHBOOK® 55 laptop to provide mobile workers with added flexibility, functionality and performance in the most demanding and unpredictable environments. With an innovative modular design, the device features three expansion areas, such as user-replaceable memory, storage and keyboards. These features will allow workers across manufacturing, transportation, logistics, field services, utilities, public safety and other fields, as well as federal and other government agencies to customize the device based on their needs. Since 2019, customers have embraced the unparalleled customization of the award-winning TOUGHBOOK 55.  

The latest version of the TOUGHBOOK 55 incorporates 11^th Gen Intel^® Core^TM i5 and i7 Processor (with Intel vPro^® Technology) , doubled the standard memory from the last version while increasing speeds by 50%, in addition to offering optional Intel® Iris® Xe graphics. The upgrade also includes Thunderbolt™ 4 and an NVMe OPAL SSD to deliver powerful performance with added enterprise security and device management benefits for enterprise workers. With the ability to connect to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, the updated TOUGHBOOK 55 offers enhanced connectivity, ensuring mobile workers can access critical information in real-time. It is also one of the first rugged laptops with dual SIM, providing customers with a choice of using the physical SIM slot or eSIM. Many customers like emergency medical workers and public safety professionals operate in loud environments, so the laptop maintains its class leading 92db speakers and integrated tetra-array microphones to provide unmatched speech recognition accuracy.

"For the last 25 years we have listened to the evolving needs of our customers and have prioritized the development of solutions that deliver on the needs of mission critical mobile workers," said Magnus McDermid, Sr. Vice-President, Mobility Business Unit, Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America. "With the latest TOUGHBOOK 55, we've evolved in lockstep as our customers' needs change, providing increased modularity, reliability and flexibility to vertical workers operating in unpredictable environments."   

The TOUGHBOOK 55 offers a variety of user-removable xPAKs, such as I/O ports, optical drives, authentication readers and a new barcode reader, that is particularly beneficial for public safety officers scanning IDs. For federal and military operations sectors, users can replace functionalities and external ports on the laptop with different xPAKs, without taking the device out of service once deployed. For workers upgrading to the new TOUGHBOOK 55, the device supports backwards compatibility with the previous generation of TOUGHBOOK 54 vehicle and desktop docks.

The device's lightweight body delivers portability and reliability to workers who move from place to place, whether in the field, a vehicle or the office. With all day battery life and hot swap capability with the optional second battery, mobile workers can conduct their workday uninterrupted. These features, combined with the 14" screen give utility and manufacturing workers and supervisors the ability to leverage complex software for mapping, charting and reporting needs, in addition to other tasks that require enhanced graphical computing requirements.

Panasonic ProServices help mission critical workers optimize application testing, deployment and the management of implementing new solutions. With the TOUGHBOOK Smart Essentials services, user teams can monitor device usage, performance and features to drive operational efficiencies.

Updated TOUGHBOOK 55 mk2 Key Features and Highlights*:

• Intel® 11th Gen™ i5 and i7 processors with Intel vPro® Technology (previous model was 8^th Gen)
• IP53 and MIL-STD-810H
• Optional 1000 nit touchscreen
• Improved Intel graphics – up to 2x higher FireStrike score with Intel UHD, and up to 2.8x with optional Iris® Xe Graphics
• Modular design including user-removable memory, storage, keyboard and 3 xPAK areas
• 16-64GB memory - doubled the standard size and 50% faster
• 512-2TB NVMe SSD – doubled the maximum size, up to 4x faster, OPAL is now standard with offers free hardware encryption
• Intel Wi-Fi 6 (more than 40% faster) and Bluetooth 5.1 (2x faster)
• Optional dedicated GPS and 4G LTE multi carrier (including FirstNet Band 14 and CBRS Band 48)
• Dual SIM (physical and eSIM), which is a first for a rugged laptop
• Color-selectable backlit keyboard
• Thunderbolt™ 4 port can be used for fast 40Gbps data transfer (8x faster), connecting to monitors and peripherals, charging cell phones, and even charging the PC itself with Power Delivery (PD)
• One of the USB-A ports was doubled in speed to 10Gbps
• Backwards compatibility with the previous generation of vehicle and desktop docks
• Up to 38 hours of battery life according to MobileMark® 2014 rating, with optional second battery
• Starting at 4.6 pounds

*All metrics are compared to the 2019 TOUGHBOOK 55 mk1

The upgraded TOUGHBOOK 55 mk2 is available for purchase now. For complete product details and to learn more about the device, please visit our website.

Follow the TOUGHBOOK Brand

The Panasonic TOUGHBOOK family of laptops, 2-in-1's, tablets and handhelds can be followed on various social media channels including, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and our blog, Rugged Mobility for Business.

About Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America

Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America, a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, delivers game-changing technology solutions that deliver customized experiences to drive better outcomes—for our customers and our customers' customers. Panasonic designs and manufactures reliable, flexible and dependable products and solutions to help create, capture and deliver information of all types, especially where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of Panasonic professional solutions for government and commercial enterprises of all sizes addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, audio and visual systems (projectors, displays & digital signage) and professional video production.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America    

Newark, NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is committed to creating a better life and a better world by enabling its business-to-business customers through innovations in Sustainable Energy, Immersive Entertainment, Integrated Supply Chains and Mobility Solutions. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation. One of Interbrand's Top 100 Best Global Brands of 2020, Panasonic is a leading technology partner and integrator to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the region. Learn more about Panasonic's ideas and innovations at https://na.panasonic.com/us/  

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