FIRST DOUBLE LAUNCH IN 30 YEARS

Over the past 30 years, Toughbook has evolved from a niche PC into a product family used by emergency services, defence, industrial companies and service organisations around the world, according to the manufacturer.

Toughbook G3 and Toughbook 34 will be launched at an event in London on 22 September, with Panasonic covering Elektronikkbransjen's travel and accommodation.

The two models are based on the same technology platform, but have been developed for different user groups. Toughbook G3 has a 10.1-inch display and is aimed at users who prioritise mobility, while Toughbook 34 has a 12.4-inch display and a larger working area. Both are Copilot Plus PCs based on Intel's Core Ultra platform, with Wi-Fi 7 and support for 4G and 5G.

For Jan Kämpfer, marketing director at Panasonic Connect Europe, the dual launch is historic.

– This is Toughbook's birthday, which has served customers in the most challenging and demanding environments for three decades, and for the first time we are launching two products simultaneously, he says.

Not just a PC

Kentaro Ikeda, managing director of Panasonic Connect Europe, highlights the interaction between hardware, software and partners as the foundation of the initiative.

– They need technology that keeps them connected, supports better decisions and works wherever the job takes them. This is exactly what Toughbook is designed to do. But even the best device only creates value when it fits the customer’s operations, Ikeda says from the stage.

For Shusuke Aoki, vice-president of Panasonic Connect Corporation and head of the Toughbook business, the investment is about trust.

– When a professional takes our device into a storm or disaster area, they are not buying a PC. They entrust us with their mission, and sometimes their lives. That is why we say with complete conviction that what we deliver is not just a PC. What we deliver is trust, says Aoki.

As an example, he refers to a police car in Chesterfield County, USA, which caught fire following a high-speed chase in 2024, while the Toughbook device in the vehicle continued to operate.

– A customer told me that you never need to worry about the reliability of Toughbook in extreme conditions. Those words go straight to the heart of why we exist, says Aoki.

AI and security

He also believes that increasing geopolitical unrest makes control over technology and supply chains more important than ever.

– This is exactly what we call VUCA: volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. And here is my key message today: in a stable world, trust is a nice thing to have. In a VUCA world, trust is a decisive factor, says Shusuke Aoki.

He also announces that all tablet series will be further developed as AI PCs with the latest processor platforms.

Toughbook G3

The Toughbook G3 comes with an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor, Windows 11 Pro, up to 64 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of SSD storage with Opal encryption. The model is certified for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Device Edge, and can run AI-based workflows locally without a continuous cloud connection.

Both models are also Windows 11 Secured-core PCs and can be supplied with Toughbook Guard, a firmware-based security solution designed to verify hardware integrity from factory to customer.

Battery and cold

Battery life has been a key area of development.

– We are now talking about proper full-day working, says Jon Tucker, head of the solutions and services centre as well as the product and engineering business at Toughbook Europe.

Toughbook G3 is available with three battery options. Panasonic states battery life of up to 8.5, 17 or 24 hours, depending on the battery selected. The largest battery is 99 Wh, the largest in a Toughbook model to date. The battery technology is also said to provide 39 per cent longer battery life than the previous generation.

– Think of emergency vehicles. For 80 per cent of the day, the device is docked in the vehicle. For them, a small 35 watt-hour battery is exactly what they need, because it reduces the weight, says Dirk Weigelt, product manager and solutions lead at Panasonic Toughbook, to the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

– What have Nordic conditions meant for the development work?

– Cold has been an important focus area. At low temperatures, battery performance drops rapidly, so the aim has been to ensure the longest possible operating time even at minus 20 to minus 25 degrees. To achieve this, we have developed new battery technology while also maintaining safety around the heating and insulation solutions. The result is significantly better battery life in cold conditions than previously, says Weigelt.

Panasonic states that the Toughbook 34 has a new dual-battery system with up to 18 hours of operating time. The batteries can be replaced without switching off the device, and battery life is said to be 20 per cent longer than that of its predecessor.

Modular

According to Steven Vindevogel, head of Panasonic Mobile Solutions Business Division Europe, the anniversary is also a reminder of how long the product range has been on the market.

– It is truly remarkable in our industry to be able to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a brand that has been in the same market all this time, says Vindevogel.

He points out, among other things, that Panasonic was among the first to integrate 2G into laptops and launched a tablet around two years before the iPad came onto the market.

The new models build on this history with a modular design. Expansion modules make it possible to add, among other things, a barcode reader, smart card reader, fingerprint reader and hot-swappable SSD. Toughbook G3 and Toughbook 34 also share several key components, which is intended to simplify spare parts management and upgrades.

– At Toughbook, we believe that end users should decide for themselves which configuration they need and be able to change it themselves, says Weigelt.

Toughbook 34

Toughbook 34 also features Panasonic's AdaptiveTouch technology, which automatically detects whether the user is operating the screen with a finger, stylus or gloves, even in rain. The display has a brightness of up to 1,000 cd/m². The model is also 13 per cent lighter than its predecessor and is described by Panasonic as the lightest rugged tablet with a 12.4-inch display on the market.

– In previous generations, it may have been necessary to manually select which mode you wanted to use the product in. And that takes time. If you do a number of jobs per day, per week or per month, those efficiency savings add up quite quickly, says Weigelt.

Both models are IP66-rated, can withstand drops from 1.8 metres, have been tested to MIL-STD-810H and can be used in temperatures from minus 29 to plus 63 degrees. The Toughbook 34 is available now, while the G3 will be launched on 15 November 2026.