Emdoor was founded in 2002 as a designer and manufacturer of rugged handhelds, tablets, notebooks, PCs, and vehicle mount computers, as well as a provider of customized hardware and software solutions. Even today, Emdoor doesn't sell products under its own brand name, although that may happen at some point in the future. For now Emdoor is one of the largest and most experienced Chinese providers of rugged computing systems and serves as an ODM or OEM partner to many Tier One companies.

Emdoor Info has its headquarter and a factory in Shenzhen, and also an R&D team of over 300 people. They can produce 15,000 to 30,000 rugged devices a month, and currently have a roster of about fifty rugged mobile products. Emdoor's goal is to provide cost-efficient industrial hardware and sometimes also software solutions for use in warehouse logistics, industrial automation, health care, petroleum exploration, outdoor mapping, automotive inspection, road enforcement, education, border patrol, retail services, self-service terminals, machine vision, smart home, intelligent transportation, and the like.

Today's marketplace is a global one, and producing everything in one location is generally no longer feasible. There are, of course, exceptions, but for the most part components are procured from all kinds of places and assembled in various locations, all depending on cost, logistics and profitability. This dynamic gave rise to the formation of OEMs — Original Equipment Manufacturers — and ODMs — Original Design Manufactures. OEMs make a product per the exact design and specifications of the company that ultimately sells the product with its name on it. ODMs design and manufacture a product entirely by themselves. and then sell the product to companies who put their name and brand on it.

What roles are OEMs and ODMs playing today? Very important ones. Almost all consumer electronics products today are no longer manufactured by the companies most people think make them. Few who are not industry insiders, for example, have heard of Hon Hai Precision Industry. Better known as Foxconn, Hoi Han had 2020 revenues of US$181 billion. That's way more than the annual revenues of Microsoft, HP, IBM or Dell.

What's the impact of this on the rugged mobile computing market? At this point a large variety of rugged handhelds, tablets, laptops and panel PCs are made by OEMs and ODMs, and then sold under names familiar to end users. Relationships may be structured in many different forms. An OEM may manufacture a product line to very precise specifications for one customer only, and that customer may have an exclusive to the line. Such products are then only available from only one single company, in essence making them a "virtual manufacturer." It is, however, also common that an ODM creates a product and then sells that exact product to several customers. Those customers may then put their label on it and nothing more. Between those two extremes are many shades of gray.

Hoes does all of that apply to Emdoor Info and the EM-X33 fully rugged laptop computer? Emdoor is both an ODM and an OEM, and one that specializes in making rugged computing products. Emdoor's customers are companies that provide rugged technology to their own end user customers. The rugged computing market is, of course, way smaller than the consumer technology market, and Emdoor is much smaller than Foxconn (which gets about half of its revenue from Apple). But it's basically the same thing.

While many customers like doing business with one of the major rugged hardware and services brands, for others working with an OEM/ODM like Emdoor makes more sense for these reasons:

• As an OEM/ODM, companies like Emdoor can offer cost advantages.

• OEM/ODM designs are more easily customizable to meet the needs of different customers, including personalizing products with established labels, color schemes, and materials.

• OEM/ODMs are also more likely to offer a large variety of I/O and they may support different technologies, standards, and performance levels.

So let's look at the EM-X33 and see how the company went about becoming the OEM of a fully rugged laptop, a highly focussed niche market that's been dominated by the same few companies for several decades. OEM/reseller relationships are actually not new in this field. Twinhead, for example, was the OEM for Itronix and General Dynamics rugged laptops for many years, and there are other such relationships as well. Still, for the most part, the rugged laptop market is dominated by the likes of Getac, Panasonic, Durabook, DT Research, and ruggedized offerings by some of the major consumer and business laptop computer companies.

That said, let's take a look at Emdoor's EM-X33 rugged laptop and how it compares to the current generation of brand-name manufacturer products. Below you can see the EM-X33 from the top and all four sides.

It's a clean, attractive design that immediately communicates its ruggedness by its screw-on corner bumpers as well as its gray/black color scheme that's long been a hallmark of rugged laptops. Other telltale design elements are the integrated handle and the lockable protective port covers. However, whereas most of the brand-names emphasize ruggedness with massive bumpers and an aggressive appearance, the EM-X33 is much more subtle. And it's also smaller and lighter than any of the currently available fully rugged laptops.

The X33's footprint is 13 x 9.2 inches and it's only an inch thick. It also starts at just 4.6 pounds in a class where seven to nine pounds are common. Even the lightest of the currently available fully-rugged laptops, the Getac B360, is thicker and heavier than the X33. So by size and looks alone, Emdoor's 13.3-inch machine is reminiscent more of a robust enterprise laptop than a fully rugged.

This brings up interesting questions. Is the X33 so light and compact because it doesn't have to be larger and heavier to pass all the ruggedness requirements in this class? Will its small size and subdued visuals be viewed as pros or cons? Time and sales will tell. From a logical point of view, as long as a product meets its functional target requirements, there is no need to make it bigger and heavier than necessary.

For battery power Emdoor decided on the popular twin battery approach, which has several advantages. Two small batteries allow for a slimmer profile than one big one, allow for hot-swappable battery change, and, if weight is an issue, the system can run on just one battery.

On the flipside, two batteries mean two openings to the interior that must carefully be sealed. Putting batteries in and taking them out is a bit of a task here, and keep the compartment (and thus interior) from water getting in relies entirely on a thin cover that presses on an o-ring seal. Do make sure it sits properly and is properly locked.

As far as onboard wired connectivity goes, the EM-X33 is nicely equipped. The picture below shoes the backside with the protective covers removed for a better look at the ports. From left to right there's a DB9 RS232 serial port, then an RJ45 LAN jack, a USB 3.0 Type-A port and an HDMI port. Next to that is the fan air intake. Have no fear, though; the fan and heat exchanger sit in a separate sealed compartment; no liquid gets inside the electronics part of the laptop.

Next, below is a view of the right side of the EM-X33, again with protective ports removed for better viewing. Here we have, from left to right, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports (no reference as to what type and revision of USB!), a Thunderbolt 4 reversible USB Type-C port, a standard 3.5mm audio in/out jack, and then the power jack.

Now let's take a look at what's inside the X33. With a fully rugged laptop this compact you'd expect it to be crowded in there. There should hardly ever be a need to fully open an X33 because the two components that one might want to get to (the solid state drive and the extra half-size PCIe connector) can be reached through an access door.

Opening up the X33 is easy. First remove the four corner bumpers attached to the case with three Torx T6 screws. Then remove 15 tiny Torx T5 screws, carefully disconnect a couple of cables, and the two sides come apart. The Emdoor X33 system case is entirely made of magnesium, both sides, making it strong and solid. You'll also be surprised how roomy it is inside. The computer's 8-1/2 x 4-1/4 inch motherboard leaves plenty of free space.

How did Emdoor manage to create such a compact design that looks like it has a lot of space left over inside? For the most part by omitting a media bay and the various option and expansion areas usually found in rugged laptops. So without space taken up for options such as optical drives, an extra battery, scanner, and other additional modules, the X33 seems bare inside.

With space left over, why didn't Emdoor make the battery compartments deeper for additional battery capacity, or why they didn't add expansion for, say, additional storage or additional ports. The explanation likely is that Emdoor wanted to create an OEM product that's as simple as possible, one without the need for resellers to commit to carrying a large assortment of possible options and expansions.

The I/O is divided between edge-mounted ports (USB ports and audio) and a separate I/O daughterboard (COM, more USB, RJ45, and HDMI). The latter leaves open the possibility of different I/O daughterboards for OEM customers with different requirements. RAM isn't visible anywhere, which likely means that there is no expansion beyond the 8GB and 16GB factory choices.

For wireless LAN there is a tiny Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200D2WL M.2 1216 solder-down module that combines Wi-Fi 6, also known as 801.11ax, with Bluetooth 5.2 and LTE Coex, the latter meaning that it has an input for an LTE modem to signal that it's being used so there won't be interference between the two.

This being a high-performance Intel 11th gen PC, Emdoor chose to use a fan. Some fully rugged laptops forego the fan and use passive cooling only, but that can come at the expense of higher temperatures and lowered sustained full performance under high load. Since the X33 carries a IP65 ingress protection rating, the fan sits in its own separate compartment. It cools not by blowing cool air over components, but by using copper heat pipes to conduct heat away from the processor and other hot components and then using the fan and heat exchanger to cool those copper pipes. In addition, the X33's all-metal case helps with keeping things cool as well.

The images below were taken with our FLR ONE Pro thermal camera. They show how efficiently the EM-X33 keeps operating temperatures under control. Even while running the demanding PCMark 10 benchmark suite, the highest recorded temperature on the two images doesn't even reach 90F, several degrees lower than human body temperature.

Sealing such designs can be an issue. To that extent, Emdoor used different types of silicone glue to plug holes and secure things. The all important sealing between the two halves of the case is via a very slender tongue-and-groove design that bears close examination whenever the unit is taken apart. The protective port covers are well designed, can be replaced if they break, but are delicate to operate and very small.

Below a few details highlighting some of the design challenges designers of sealed and rugged laptops are facing:

• First, the challenge of placing speakers in a sealed unit. Emdoor used waterproof ones and placed them in the same external compartment that anchors the carry handle.

• Second, the seal between the housing halves — a good tongue-and-groove design, but we'd have liked to see a thicker and replaceable o-ring seal.

• Third, placement of the (waterproof) fan into a separate compartment; water can get into that compartment, but not actually inside the unit.

• Fourth, a good, simple concept for anchoring the carry handle (the handle, though, is too small; replace it with a larger one).

• Fifth, mass storage and optional modules are externally accessible, albeit beneath a screwed-on cover that precludes the rapid storage removal some agencies require.

Overall, the Emdoor EM-X33's design and construction impresses. We like the simple all-magnesium case that provides both strength and a clean, roomy interior that's easy to open and work on if need be. We'd increase the size of the protective bumpers and, especially, the carry handle, which could easily be done. We're a bit surprised at the lack of expansion/configuration options for which there would seem to be ample room.

The central QWERTY layout is 100%-scale, which means the distance between the center of the Q key on the left and the P key on the right is 6.75 inches. That makes it perfect for touch typists. The keys are black with white letters, numbers and symbols.

Below the keyboard is the unit's capacitive multi-touch pad. It is a properly sized (not too small, not too large) touch area that is very slightly recessed so your fingers feel the extent of the pad, and with two rectangular mouse buttons in front of it. The mouse buttons require a firm press and issue an audible mechanical click. The touch pad is very responsive and easy to use, and it can even be operated with gloves on (as long as they are not too thick).

Above the keyboard are four status indicator lights (power, battery 1, battery 2, capslock) a programmable function button, and the power/sleep button.

As of this writing (end of January 2022), of the fully rugged brand-name laptop competition, the Dell 7330, Winmate L140TG, and Durabook Z14I are built on the 11th generation of Core processors; the Getac B360 and B360 Pro, the DT Research LT330, and Panasonic Toughbook 33 at the 10th generation; and the Panasonic Toughbook 31 is still at the 7th generation.

Overall, there haven't been major changes in the last few generations of Intel's Core processors. It's complex and expensive to make transistors smaller and smaller, and Intel has spent much time fine-tuning and optimizing their chips instead in the past several years. There have been a number of milestones such as leaving Windows 7 behind with the "Kabey Lake" 7th generation, making mobile quad-core chips available in the "Coffee Lake" 8th generation, and now we're seeing another in the "Tiger Lake" 11th generation used by Emdoor in the EM-X33. We consider "TigerLake" a milestone generation because of its integrated support of Thunderbolt 4 and because of Intel giving manufacturers more leeway in optimizing the chips for their products and customers.

While brand-name manufacturers usually offer several processor options for their products, OEMs often offer just one, and Emdoor is no different. The EM-X33 comes with an Intel Core i5-1135G7, which is on the low end of the 11th gen mobile Core processors at the G7 graphics level. "Low" is relative though, as the chip is still a quad-core/octa-thread design with the same 28 watt and 12 watt TDP-Up and TDP-down settings, just at slightly lower max turbo frequency, fewer graphics execution units, and fewer included Intel technologies than the higher-end i5 and i7 chips.

To see what kind of performance the Emdoor EM-X33 can muster, we ran our standard benchmark suites, Passmark Software's PerformanceTest version 6.1 and 9.0, CrystalMark, as well as PC Mark 10, GeekBench 5 and one of the most often used 3DMark graphics benchmarks, Time Spy.

For comparison and to provide an idea where this Emdoor rugged laptop stands compared to some of the leading brand-name fully rugged laptops, we included benchmark results of a quartet of fully rugged machines from Dell, DT Research, Durabook and Getac.

The results are as follows:

Thunderbolt 4

Almost every new laptop or tablet has a USB-C port these days. Unlike the original USB Type A port where the plug would only go in one way, the smaller USB-C port works no matter which way you plug it on. Not every USB-C port, however, is the same — it depends on what version and generation of the USB standard it supports.

To make matters a bit more confusing yet, a USB-C port may also be a Thunderbolt 4 port. Thunderbolt started as a joint effort between Intel and Apple, combining the PCI Express and DisplayPort signals. The latest version, Thunderbolt 4, uses the USB-C connector, supports charging upstream and downstream, USB 4 with very fast data transfer (up to 40 Gbit/s), as well as dual 4K displays. And the Emdoor EM-X33 has one of those Thunderbolt 4 ports with a USB-C connector.

We gave its USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port a workout and here's what we could do:

• Drive a 2nd screen via USB-C to DisplayPort cable
• Drive a 2nd screen via USB-C to HDMI cable
• Do very fast file transfers (we used the Anker cable as well as an Accell USB4 40Gbps cable)
• Drive and power an external DVD reader
• Use a USB key or card reader via USB-A to USB-C adapter
• Drive a mice and/or keyboard
• Charge a phone or tablet

Intel emphasizes that Thunderbolt 4 offers tablet and laptop users a true "one wire" solution. Here's the way that's envisioned: bring your tablet to the office and plug it into an external Thunderbolt 4 dock. That dock will then charge the tablet or laptop upstream and your phone(s) downstream, and also support a mouse, keyboard, USB keys, DVD drives, one or two external screens and whatever else you'd like to plug in. Just one cable needed, that between the tablet and the Thunderbolt 4 dock. No need to even use the tablet's power brick.

We put that to the test by connecting the Emdoor EM-X33 to an Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock, a handy 5 x 3 x 0.75 inch box with three powered USB Type-C downstream ports, a 10Gbit/s USB Type-A port, and an upstream port to connect to the computer that delivers 40 gbit/s data transfer, dual display support, and upstream charging.

We tried the Anker dock with the Emdoor laptop and here's what we could do:

• Drive TWO extra screens via USB Type-C or HDMI cables
• Plug in USB docks
• Plug in USB keys
• Power and use an external DVD reader
• Connect mice and keyboards either through dock Type-A or Type-C ports
• Charges phones and tablets
• Upstream-charge the laptop (so no need to use its own power brick)

As far as upstream charging goes, the Emdoor EM-X33 had no problem recognizing our Anker 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 dock, which can provide up to 85 watts of charging power, as a power supply, charging at a steady 20+ watts.

We then connected the EM-X33 to our larger Anker Thunderbolt 4 12-in-1 dock that can supply 90 watts of upstream charging power. As expected, the Emdoor EM-X33 recognized it as a power source as well.

We also tried Thunderbolt upstream charging with a 30 watt Apple MacBook Air USB-C power supply. Amazingly, the X33 recognized that one as a charging source as well, albeit with a limited (and varying) maximum charge rather of 12 watts. Apparently it IS possible to use a large variety of USB Type-C power supplies to charge Intel 11th generation-based systems, even if a laptop's native power brick provides much higher wattage.

Display

Tough and durable

Emdoor also provides product certification services both for governmental as well as for private technical commissions and software/standards licensing.

Summary: Emdoor EM-X33