On June 30, 2016, Panasonic introduced an upgrade to its Toughbook 54, a semi-rugged notebook that emphasizes light weight and a slim profile while providing good performance with a 6th generation Intel Core i5 processors as well as very good battery life (up to 18 hours with two batteries). The upgraded Toughbook 54 is designed to a highly portable tool for mobile professionals who need durability beyond what a standard consumer laptop can offer.
The Toughbook 54 is the successor to a whole series of prior semi-rugged Toughbooks — starting with the venerable Toughbook 51, then the 52 and 53 — all meant to provide lighter and more affordable alternatives to Panasonic's big and heavy fully rugged models while still offering robust construction and durability. Over the years, the Toughbook 5x Series has gone this way and that, responding to consumer demand for ultra-high resolution and other display options, early conversion to wide-format displays, focus on high performance, etc.
With the Toughbook 54, Panasonic resolutely placed the emphasis on paring down excess weight and giving its semi-rugged a sleek and slender profile. That's because it may be okay for rugged industrial gear to be on the bulky side, but smartphone and tablet toting mobile professionals want it thin and light these days. So the basic 14-inch Toughbook 54 weighs just 4.2 pounds, down 25% compared to the starting weight of the older Toughbook 53. And yet, it remains a Toughbook through and through, magnesium alloy construction with integrated carry handle and all.
How did Panasonic pull this weight loss regimen off? A look into the engine department provides a clue. Essentially by switching from standard voltage 35 watt TDP chips in the older Toughbook 53 to ultra-low voltage 15 watt Thermal Design Power processors. That meant a much lower power draw and therefore considerably less heat. Which means the Toughbook 54 can do with less cooling and a smaller battery battery. And that makes for less weight and a slimmer profile. There.
Did the switch from standard to ultra-low voltage CPUs affect performance? Probably a little (Panasonic never submitted a Toughbook 54 for testing). The initial Toughbook 54 came with an Intel Core i5-5300U chip running at 2.3GHz and maxing out at 2.9GHz. Despite the smaller available batteries (34.8 and 46.6 watt-hours vs 48.6 and 72.9 watt-hours in the older Toughbook 53), Panasonic claimed better battery life for the 54 than for the 53. The June 2016 upgrade switched to a 6th generation Core processor with a base clock speed of 2.4GHz and turbo frequencies up to 3.0GHz. The 6th gen Skylake microarchitecture uses a new design compared to the 5th gen Broadwell, and also new integrated graphics, but remains at the same 14nm process technology.
In order to meet the wide variety of customer requirements, Panasonic offers the new Toughbook 54 in four different models — Lite, Prime, Gloved Multi Touch, and Performance. Here are the primary differences between the four models:
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Toughbook 54 Model
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Lite
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Prime
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Gloved
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Performance
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Std/Max RAM
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4-16GB
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4-16GB
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4-16GB
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8-16GB
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|
Display resolution
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1366 x 768
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1366 x 768
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1920 x 1080
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1920 x 1080
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Direct bonded IPS
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No
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No
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Yes
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Yes
|
|
Discrete Graphics
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No
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No
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No
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Yes
|
|
Touch
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No
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No
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Yes
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No
|
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1,000 nit luminance
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No
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No
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Yes
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No
|
|
Weight
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4.2 lbs.
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4.4 lbs.
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4.6 lbs.
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4.6 lbs.
|
|
Std. HD speed
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5400rpm
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7200rpm
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7200rpm
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7200rpm
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|
Opt. 2nd drive
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
|
|
Battery
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34.8 whr
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46.6 whr
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46.6 whr
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46.6 whr
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|
Battery life
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9 hrs.
|
11 hrs.
|
11 hrs.
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11 hrs.
|
|
Optional Core i7
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no
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yes
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yes
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yes
|
|
True RS232 port
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
|
|
Dual fan
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No
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No
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No
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Yes
|
|
Opt. web camera
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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|
Height
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1.2"
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1.2"
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1.2"
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1.4"
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In addition to the four different models, customers may also specify 256, 512, or 1024GB solid state disks, or a 1TB hard drive. The unit's media bay can accommodate a DVD Super Multi Drive, a second battery, or a PC Card slot. And customers may opt for either dedicated u-blox GPS or a 4th USB port or a rugged Fischer USB connector ora 2nd RJ45 LAN port. Performance model customers may opt for AMD Firepro M5100 discrete graphics (which we wish would have been upgraded, too).
Standard I/O remains generous, consisting of three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, RJ45 LAN, docking, audio in/out, a true RS232 serial DB9 connector (except on the Lite version), and a SDXC Card slot of the UHS-II variety, meaning it has an Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus with a theoretical data transfer rate up to 156 MB/s.
Below you can see what the backside and the right of the laptop look like, with protective doors open:
On the wireless front, there is 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi (now of the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 variety), Bluetooth 4.1 and Intel Wireless Display capability. Optional gear includes integrated 4G LTE multi carrier mobile broadband with satellite GPS, dedicated u-blox GPS, contactless SmartCard/NFC reader, and a high-gain antenna pass-through.
As a semi-rugged machine, the Panasonic 54 has a spill and dust-resistant case, keyboard, touchpad and screen. Panasonic claims the machine passes nine MIL-STD-810G tests (drop, shock, vibration, dust, altitude, high/low temperature, thermal shock, and humidity). Initial data sheets don't go into ruggedness specifics other than stating the machine can survive 
3 foot drops. That is very respectable for such a light machine, and significantly better than your garden-variety consumer laptop.
As for pricing, a base Toughbook 54 starts at US$1,499, with higher-end and specially equipped models going for considerably more. That is reasonable, albeit US$150 more than the starting price of the Toughbook's primary competition, the recently introduced and more modern Getac S410. As is, the Toughbook 54 remains a competent and remarkably light semi-rugged notebook. -- Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, June 2016
