Review: Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1

Unveiled at CES 2014, the Panasonic ToughPad FZ-M1 is a rugged Windows 8.1 tablet that arrives in the mould of the company's 10.1-inch FZ-G1, only in a more portable 7-inch package.

Like the much larger ToughPad 4K that sits above it in the ever-expanding ToughPad range, the FM-Z1 has been engineered for durability. Aimed at enterprises and those who need a robust tablet capable of taking a few knocks and scrapes, its chunky demeanor and higher price tag places it in an altogether different category to lifestyle devices such as the iPad Mini 2 with Retina and Nexus 7 (2014).

It's expensive with a starting price of GBP £1,183 or USD $2,099 (around AUD $2,358). But, if you need both mobility and toughened design in a small-screen tablet, in addition to the abilty to run both legacy desktop programs and Windows 8.1 apps, it's the one to beat.

Design and display

The FZ-M1 isn't the most glamorous tablet in the world, but for a corporate one it's not hideous either. It measures 18mm thick - around the same as laptops a little too chunky to be classed as Ultrabooks - and possesses a solid, muscular feel in the hand. At 540g, it's lighter than you might expect considering the level of ruggedisation on offer.

The display is surrounded by two bezels - a grey magnesium alloy chassis on the inside that houses the Panasonic logo, Windows logo (Start button), a 720p rear-facing webcam (there's also a 2MP front-facing camera) and LED indicators - and a matte black outer bezel that forms part of the protective outer casing.

The display sports a pixel-resolution of 1280 x 800, which has proved a common choice on many 8-inch Windows tablets released in the past year. With a pixel-per-inch (PPI) ratio of 216, text is sharp and clearly legible, even if it's nowhere near the super crisp legibility of Apple's iPad Mini with Retina (326 PPI). Readability is helped by the display's high brightness levels of 500 cd/2, which is bright enough to make it suitable for outdoor reading.

The display features 10-point multi-touch which provides another way of interacting with Windows 8.1 apps. The screen is a little too small to prod at desktop elements comfortably, and if that's something you'll be doing often, you'll want to opt for the optional Touch Screen Pen that comes attached on a removable Tether cord and provides pinpoint accuracy.

Specs and performance

Our model came with Windows 8.1 Pro (64-bit) installed, which is available alongside a Windows 7 downgrade option.

Internally, the FZ-M1 is powered by a dual-core Intel Core-i5-4320Y vPro processor clocked at 1.6GHz that's backed up by 4GB of RAM (upgradable to 8GB, which our test model housed). The device is also available in another version featuring a Celeron low power CPU that runs standard Windows 8.1.

The CPU is a low power variant of the latest generation (Haswell) Core i5 processor, which posseses a power consumption of just 4.5 watts, removing the need to reduce heat. Panasonic used passive cooling techniques to ensure a fanless design, as the inclusion of a fan would have led to a hole in the device, making it impossible to waterproof. This made the tablet incredibly quiet as a result.

The FZ-M1's 128GB SSD leaves 82.3GB available after a fresh install, leaving you a fair amount of room to install apps and programs - though you might want to consider looking toward the cloud if you're planning to squeeze multimedia content on there too.

Something that might be a concern when it comes to productivity is the device's average battery life. Our PCMark 8 battery life test eked just short of six hours out of the device before it gave up the ghost, meaning youl'l want to carry around a spare to achieve all-day usage.

Connectivity and durability

The FZ-M1 offers a healthy amount of connectivity options - including 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, one USB 3.0 port, a micro SDXC card slot, docking connector and optional 4G LTE. It's also available with optional dedicated GPS, Ethernet, serial port and NFC.

The Micro SD and micro SIM slots are hidden behind a protective door in the battery compartment, and a connector for a vehicle dock can be found along the bottom edge.

The FZ-M1 is MIL-STD-810G certified, meaning it can withstand drops of up to five feet and is protected against shock, vibration, altitude humidity and extreme temperatures, according to Panasonic. It's also the first tablet of its type to sport a fanless design, allowing it to meet IP65 standards for rain and dust.

You'll notice just how solid the tablet is the first time you hold it. There isn't a hint of flex anywhere to be found - it is similar to holding a brick with a 7-inch display.

However, while it's certainly durable, simply being carried around in a bag for a couple of weeks accumulated a few minor, albeit permanent dents in the screen that were made permanent. It goes to show that while the device is unlikely to actually break unless you really punish it, the display isn't guaranteed to remain free from cosmetic damage.

Verdict

The Panasonic Toughbook FZ-M1 shines where it counts, with a durable build, a bright and vibrant display, toting a high level of readability and solid performance. You could say that those plus points are to be expected considering the considerable outlay, but it certainly lives up to its name and even manages to not look hideous in the process. This is a superbly excecuted business tablet that will find its way into many challenging corporate environments.

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