Panasonic to update 20-inch Toughpad 4K Windows 8.1 tablet with lower $2,999 price tag

Panasonic plans to launch a new version of its standard 20-inch Toughpad 4K tablet, running on Windows 8.1 sometime in July. It will contain some hardware improvements and a price tag of "just" $2,999, which is half the cost of the current $5,999 version.

The tablet will still have the same impressive 3840x2560 LCD display in a 15:10 aspect ratio, but it will also add an HDMI 2.0 input port for the first time, allowing users to hook it up to a wider range of devices and peripherals for use in jobs like video production and more. It will also have a fifth generation Intel Core i5 vPro processor inside; the previous version had the older fourth generation chip.

Panasonic says:

"Running Windows and built on the Intel vPro platform, the Toughpad 4K offers unique hardware and OS-based enhanced security features, remote manageability and capabilities designed to increase end user productivity and data protection. With a magnesium alloy frame enclosed in a reinforced glass fiber case, the lightweight, business-rugged tablet is built to handle a 30-inch drop to its back while operating, and 12-inch drops to 26 angles when nonoperational."

Panasonic will also sell an optional desktop cradle for the new Toughpad 4K tablet, which offers some more ports along with a stand that lets the tablet be used as a desktop PC.

Source: Panasonic

John Callaham