Panasonic is updating is line of rugged handheld devices with a new model that looks like a really thick (and really sturdy) smartphone. The Panasonic Toughbook FZ-N1 features a 4.7 inch 720p touchscreen display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, and a body that’s designed to withstand falls from heights of up to 7 feet.

It won’t come cheap though: the Panasonic FZ-N1 is a professional device aimed at businesses rather than end users, and it’s expected to sell for about $1,899.

The handheld has an angled barcode scanner built in, a touchscreen display that can support 10-finger multitouch input, a design that allows you to use the touchscreen in the rain, and optional support for a passive or active stylus. The screen supports up to 500 nits of brightness and has an anti-reflective treatment.

The FZ-N1 ships with Android 8.1 software and it features 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a mciroSD card reader for up to 64GB of rmovable storage.

The phone is MIL_STD-810G certified and rated IP66 and IP68 for dust and water resistance. It can be safely submerged in 5 feet of water for up to a half hour.

Other features include 5 user-definable buttons, three integrated microphones, stereo speakers, an ambient light sensor, an 8MP rear camera with an LED flash, and a 5MP front camera. The phone has a micro USB port, a 9-pin docking connector, and a headphone jack. It’s powered by a 3,200 mAh battery and supports an optional 6,4000 mAh “long life battery.”

While Panasonic calls the FZ-N1 a “handheld” rather than a phone, it supports both WiFi and cellular networks and if you insert a nano SIM card you can use it for both voice and data.

The Panasonic FZ-N1 measures 6.1″ x 2.9″ x 0.6″ (although it’s 1.2 inches thick at the barcode reader section at the top) and the handheld weighs about 0.6 pounds with a standard battery or 0.8 pounds with a long life battery.

Panasonic is also expected to launch a similar device called the FZ-T1 soon. That model is expected to sell for $1500 and up and features a 5 inch display and hot swappable batteries.

 

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6 replies on “Panasonic launches Toughbook N1 rugged handheld for $1899”

  1. Seems to be a “bit” overpriced… The BlackView BV9500 has 4GB RAM with 64GB ROM, it sports a 10,000 mAh battery, it’s more than rugged, it also has the MIL-STD-810G certification, but it’s also IP69K certified instead of only IP68 for not more than $300 with a Pro version with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM for less than $400. “Nice job”, Panasonic! (BTW, why ‘Toughbook’, not ‘Toughphone’?)

    1. List prices for products aimed at the industrial market are often more an initial bargaining position than the final price.

    2. This Panasonic device looks a lot like and seems to share many of the specs of the CAT s60…. but there’s an upgraded updated version of it in the CAT S61 which is better specced yet.

      The key difference would be lack of barcode scanner on the CAT but existence of thermal and air quality sensors.

      The older s60 is less than $500 these days and the newer s61 is some $800…

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