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Is today's phone too small to perform the work? Does your field team need Android but your budget won't allow for the few purpose-built Android tablets? Then you need to read this article. Because the ever-innovative folks at MobileDemand have a 10-inch Android tablet from the biggest PC company in the world WITH a terrific custom-designed rugged case for you for under $400. Yes, that bundle from one of the most experienced rugged tablet specialists in the industry costs less than the cheapest iPhone.
If that definitely sounds too good to be true, it isn't. It's real. MobileDemand knows that sometimes you need ruggedness in the field without a big budget or without wanting to commit to costly rugged hardware. So then why not just get a cheap "burner" tablet from a white box vendor or from Amazon? Because those things are pretty much the opposite of rugged. And losing data in the field comes at a high cost no matter how cheap a tablet is.
So MobileDemand took another approach: Let's make available brand name tablets in rugged cases. And, in fact, MobileDemand has been offering rugged cases for iPads for several years, including iPad/case bundles. The problem there is that iPads aren't inexpensive anymore. Apple now charges a cool $2,400 for a maxed-out iPad Pro 12.9. Ouch.
Below is what MobileDemand's Rugged xCase for the Lenovo Tab K10 looks like. You can see right away that this goes way beyond your average protective tablet sleeve or case. Finally you can take an affordable brand name Android tablet out into the field and on tough jobs. With this case, created by the rugged tablet specialists at MobileDemand, the Lenovo Tab K10 table won't get damaged or break.
By now MobileDemand has 19 years of experience in making those nearly bullet-proof cases for slender tablets. It started several years ago with cases they created for their inexpensive xTablet FLEX models. Those were, and still are, Windows tablets embedded in cleverly designed protective cases, making for very affordable rugged tablet solutions for all sorts of applications. MobileDemand then used the concept and the experience they had gathered to create those rugged cases for Apple iPads and Microsoft's Surface tablets, and now that very inexpensive enterprise-ready and very customizable Lenovo Tab K10 tablet.
The big rubber bumpers of this case show right away that MobileDemand designed it for heavy duty real-life work.
As a result, this xCase for the Lenovo Tab K10 is a far more integrated protective solution than your average case. It is a tight-fitting and highly configurable and heavily padded exoskeleton rather than a generic sleeve or shell that you stick the tablet into. Note that the xCase isn't made for casually putting it on and taking it off. It can be removed, of course, but it wasn't designed for frequent removal as that's not what most mobile professionals need or expect.
So what does the Tab 10 case consist of and how do you use it? In essence, there are two parts to the case. One is a custom-designed silicone rubber boot that's about 2mm thick, similar to a heavy-duty inner tube of a motorcycle tire. The sheet is textured and molded to exactly fit the tablet (this is not an approximate one-size-fits-all design). How does the boot become a three-dimensional enclosure? Via the four thick corner bumpers that are integral to the boot. The tablet can easily be inserted into the protective boot which, MobileDemand says, carries a "Shore A 60 durometer" rating. That means it's almost as tough as automotive tire tread.
The second part of the xCase is a tough polycarbonate plastic (PC/ABS) backplate that's also designed and precision molded to tightly fit the tablet in its rubber boot. The shell is designed so that the tablet in its boot snaps very firmly into place. The shell not only serves as a tough protective exo-skeleton for the Lenovo tablet, but it also provides all sorts of extra functionality.
What kind of functionality are we talking about?
- There are four anchors for a padded elastic handstrap.
- There are integrated loops on all four sides for the briefcase handle.
- There are cutouts for the Lenovo tablet's speakers, buttons, and the USB Type-C port.
- There's a screwed-on "Snap-Mount" plate for use with MobileDemand's slim and durable Snap Mount system that also connects to the popular RAM Mounts mounting hardware.
- There are screw holes for an optional fully adjustable easel.
Overall, there are about 30 screw inserts to accommodate various add-ons. Potential examples are point-of-sale payment systems, mobile card readers from MagTek, Ingenico and Verifone, RFID readers, or specialty cameras (3D, thermal imaging). For other xTablet cases, MobileDemand offered brackets compatible with the major payment module systems and that may be the case with this one as well.
The xCase certainly looks tough but what about its actual ruggedness in the field? The Lenovo tablet by itself is consumer-grade, which means it's well made but definitely not rugged. While customers love their electronics lithe, high-tech elegant and slender these days, almost everyone puts their precious phone in a case to keep the backside from getting scratched or dented, and often that works quite well. The xCase for this Lenovo tablet adds a substantially higher degree of extra ruggedness and protection, but there are some limitations. 
While many premier smartphones are waterproof these days, most tablets aren't. The Lenovo Tab K10, for example, has no ingress protection rating and the company makes no claims for it to be waterproof. The xCase doesn't change that. The tight fit of the xCase and its (fairly loose-fitting) plugs for the audio jack and USB port may add a little protection against liquids, but we're still not talking anywhere close to waterproof.
Drop resistance, on the other hand, is a very different story. As is, if an unprotected enterprise tablet like this Lenovo falls, chances are that it will get damaged or break. Tablet screens crack and shatter easily. If an unprotected tablet is dropped outdoors, scratching and denting is virtually inevitable.
The xCase for this tablet increases its drop resistance very substantially. It not only passes the stringent MIL-STD 810H Method 516.8 Procedure IV military test, it far surpasses its base requirements.
As is, the Tab K10 passes the military STD-810H drop test (we assume Mobile Demand refers to the "logistic transit drop", one of three drop test scenarios in the STD-810H) which consists of 26 drops to all surfaces, edges and corners at the manufacturer's specified height. The DOD itself mandates 48-inch drops, but manufacturers often go for just 36 inches.
MobileDemand, however, chose 26 drops from TEN feet just to leave no doubt about the xCase's rugged capabilities. And another thing: the DOD allows these 26 drops to be spread among five test units. If one survives, it's a pass. That really makes very little sense. In the past MobileDemand used just ONE unit for ALL the drops, and we assume it's no different for the Tab 10K. Drops are with power off, but after each drop power must be turned on to see if the device still works.
How can that be? Drops from TEN feet? Don't smartphone and tablet screens routinely shatter when they slip out of one's hand? They do, and the difference between that and surviving ten feet drops is an expertly designed case. And those not terribly elegant rubber bumpers make a HUGE difference in keeping the display protected. MobileDemand's special screen protector also helps. This is not just the usual sheet of plastic but scratch-proof glass with a special oleophobic (fingerprint-resistant) coating. It uses an adhesive to keep it in place.
Our test unit came with it, so we don't know how easy/difficult it is to put it on. It definitely cuts down on fingerprints and smudging, touch and feel is the same as the Lenovo tablet's standard screen surface, optical properties are unaffected, and there is zero degradation in responsiveness. That screen protector is included in the price of the Lenovo Tab K10 Bundle. If you just buy the case, the screen protector costs another 23 bucks on top of the $79.95 for the case, but we'd highly recommend it.
The image below shows an xCase with the popular RAM Mount rubber ball system (our review unit didn't come with a RAM Mount setup, so the picture shows an xCase with an iPad that we tested earlier).
What's included in the Lenovo Tab K10 tablet/xCase package is the rugged case with the bumpers, port covers and all the screw inserts.
On the xCase side, standard optional accessories are a briefcase handle, the back handstrap, type cover loops, and a Snap Plate that is compatible with MobileDemand's patented snap mount system. This system interfaces with RAM Mount mounting solutions. MobileDemand also offers what they call Premium Accessories, including a stylus holder, a stylus tether, and an adjustable easel.
For the Lenovo tablet itself, MobileDemand offers 3GB or 4GB RAM, 32GB or 64GB storage, Wi-Fi, LTE, and battery or battery-less options for stationary and always-on displays. The latter deserves some extra explanation.
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Performance
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MobileDemand
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Model (version tested)
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Lenovo Tab K10 xCase Bundle
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Year tested
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2022
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Processor
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MediaTek
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Processor Model
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MT6762
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CPU Speed
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2.00/1.50 GHz
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Cores
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Octa-core
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AnTuTu
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101,620
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PC Mark Work 3
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5,528
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- PC Mark Browsing
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5,098
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- PC Mark Video Editing
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5,055
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- PC Mark Writing
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5,439
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- PC Mark Photo Editing
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9,702
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- PC Mark Data Manipulation
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3,935
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- PC Mark Battery Life
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12:02 hrs
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Geekbench 5 Single Core
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167
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Geekbench 5 Multi Core
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950
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Geekbench 5 Vulkan
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89
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Lenovo designed the Tab K10 as an enterprise tablet for corporate digital transformation, whatever that may mean and include. As such, there are is not only a Lenovo Commercial Software Development Kit, but also Commercial Customization System (CCS) software that allows control and updates devices remotely. And there's ioXt certification that meets international standardized security for IoT (Internet of Things) products.
This review and report is really about the impressive case that MobileDemand's ruggedness specialists designed for this tablet. But since they sell the case also as a bundle with the Lenovo tablet, we ran our standard Android benchmarks on the Tab K10, and the results are shown on the left.
The Tab K10's MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 uses eight Cortex A53 cores, four running at up to 2.0GHz and the other four at up to 1.5GHz. It is not the latest and greatest, and you wouldn't expect that in such a modestly priced tablet.
The idea here is decent speed when needed, and economic operation when that matters. The SoC includes a 600MHz PowerVR GE8320 and also controls other important system functions. It is a popular chip used in many devices by most leading smartphone makers, providing a good balance between cost and performance.
Battery life is impressive. The Tab K10 tablet clocked in at a full 12 hours in PC Mark's very demanding Work 3 battery test where the screen is on all the entire time and the tablet performing a variety of typical tasks continuously.
For specs, the bare Lenovo Tab K10 tablet itself weighs a pound and measures 9.6 x 6.0 x 0.32 inches. Inside the case the combo, including the bumpers, measures 10.4 x 6.75 x 1.0 inches and weighs 1.85 pounds with the carry handle and handstrap. The Tab K10 has a very pleasant 10.3-inch 1920 x 1200 pixel capacitive multitouch screen. It's listed as providing 330 nits of luminance, but clocked in at over 360 nits in our testing. The tablet has dual speakers with Dolby audio and nice volume.
We should also mention that the Tab K10 is upgradeable to Android 12, adding to its appeal as a good enterprise solution. IT departments definitely like this capability to make the hardware more of a longer-term investment.
The Tab K10 has both front (5mp) and rear (8mp with flash) cameras that are both remarkably good and absolutely capable of snapping documentation pics on the job. Below is a sample of pictures taken with the tablet (click on it for a full-size version).
After all is said and done, we're very impressed with this bundle. It extends the concept and execution of MobileDemand's rugged xCase beyond the popular but rather costly iPads and Microsoft Surface tablets, and to a much more affordable 10-inch Android 11 tablet made by Lenovo, the world's largest PC company.
The situation is a little different in that, unlike iPads and Surface tablets, Lenovo specifically created the Tab K10 as a customizable enterprise tablet. As such you won't find it at every department store. It's only from select Lenovo partners of which MobileDemand, of course. is the preferred provider of industrial grade rugged cases. -- Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, April 2022
