Many tablets you may buy today are fragile slabs of plastic and glass, prone to scratching or chipping with one wrong fall, usually with just one or two ports and no user-replaceable battery. Dell’s new tablet seems almost alien by comparison, with all the connectivity and features of a typical PC crammed into a durable drop-resistant machine, complete with a hand strap.
Dell revealed a new 10-inch Latitude 7030 Rugged Extreme Tablet today, intended as a slightly more portable version of theexisting 12-inch Latitude 7230that the company released in 2022. It’s intended for use on factory lines, machine shops, or outdoors, with IP65 water and dust resistance (a bit lower than the IP68 rating found on modern flagship smartphones) and a frame built to survive drops from up to four feet. Dell is calling it “the world’s lightest 10-inch fully rugged Windows tablet,” coming in at 2.2 pounds.
The Latitude 7030 is a full Windows PC, with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB RAM, a 2TB NVMe SSD. There are also a few physical ports that can be customized for bulk orders, including a barcode scanner, Ethernet, an audio jack, and USB Type-A. For wireless connectivity, there’s GPS, 5G, and support forprivate 5G networks— that last one is helpful for companies deploying their own local wireless network at factories and other facilities. Does your iPad Pro have a barcode scanner? No? Didn’t think so.
Dell said in its press release, “Real-time data is viewed on the 7030 Rugged Extreme’s 10.1-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) display which has a 16:10 aspect ratio that maximizes screen real estate. You won’t have to look for shade because the panel can reach 1000 nits, making it visible even in direct sunlight. Plus, those who work with harsh chemicals or dangerous equipment can stay protected thanks to the 7030’s glove-touch capability.” There’s also a removable battery, detachable RGB backlit keyboard, and rotating hand strap.
Most people would prefer a sleeker and lighter tablet, even if pricing and availability wasn’t an issue, but the Latitude 7030 is still an interesting look at what tablets can do when the priorities are different. It would be great to see more consumer-focused tablets with removable batteries and additional ports, but those features aren’t as important to regular people compared to businesses, so instead we gettablets that don’t even have headphone jacks.
The updated Latitude 7030 Rugged Extreme Tablet will be available globally “later this year,” and pricing will be revealed closer to the shipping date. It’s definitely not intended for individuals to purchase, though — the current 12-inch modelcosts $2,719direct from Dell.
