The CF-33 TOUGHBOOK is the big brother to the FZ-G2 rugged tablet. It was the first 12” rugged tablet in the industry. Like the FZ-G2 it also has a detachable keyboard that can be used to flip between tablet and clamshell laptop mode. The CF-33 is more popularly used with the keyboard and often in a dock. The 12” profile is a bit bulky for easy tablet use. When Panasonic designed the CF-33 they made it a 3:2 aspect ratio which is very different than the more traditional 16:9 that most tablets and laptops used. Panasonic felt the law enforcement industry was most likely to use the CF-33 and as a result of their research found that most software titles used in that industry from a patrol car favored the 3:2 resolution. One of the most impressive parts of the CF-33 was the attention to detail for the speakers. The speakers are 91db which is critical for use inside a vehicle. A vehicle running with the windows closed products around 70-80 db of sound. Because of how sound is logarithmic every 10 db the volume essentially doubles to a CF-33 TOUGHBOOK rugged tablet is roughly twice as loud as the running vehicle. Previously it may have been hard to hear the CF-33 make some kind of noise when the vehicle was running. At the time of this blog the most current version of the CF-33 was the MK4.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Keyboard
The CF-33 keyboard is great! It allows the tablet to be used like a laptop, keeps the screen secured in a specific viewing angle, has extra I/O (USB, LAN, Serial, etc.), and of course the massively helpful handle!
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Certifications
The CF-33 meets MIL-STD-810H standards with a 4 foot drop rating. It also meets MIL-STD-461F, IP65, and has an optional ANSI C1D2 US intrinsically safe rating.
Read More About IP Ratings On Our Dedicated Blog
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Processor Speed
This CF-33 Rugged Tablet uses a 13th gen i5 or i7 processor. This is more than capable of handling the majority of use cases the CF-33 would be applied towards.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Storage & Memory
The CF-33 comes with a default of 16GB and can be purchased with 32GB instead. The RAM cannot be upgraded so make sure you get the amount you need. 32GB will help to future proof it a bit. The hard drive that is included as a standard is 512GB with options for 1TB or even 2TB. This can be upgraded later but is never convenient to do.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Display
This rugged tablet has a 12” 3:2 display with a 2160x1440 resolution. This allows a ton of information to be displayed on the screen. It can be adjusted for 2-1,200 nits of brightness for great outdoor usage.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Speakers
It’s worth mentioning again the CF-33 has industry leading volume in the speakers. Great for use cases and environments where high noise levels are common or frequent. At 91db it can keep volume over most commonly encountered man made objects.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK I/O
The CF-33 comes with a 2mp webcam which is infrared and Windows Hello supported. It has an 8MP rear camera. It comes with an IP55 rated stylus, USB-C thunderbolt 4x1, USB-A 5Gbps x1, an optional secondary USB-A .5 Gbps, 4K HDMI port, 1Gbps LAN ethernet, optional RS-232 DB9 serial (True), optional MicroSDXC card reader, it includes as a standard the 3.5mm audio in / out and SIM if cellularly enabled.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Wireless Connectivity
The CF-33 comes with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. It can be purchased with 4G LTE, 4G, and dedicated GPS. The range of connectivity options allows the Toughbook 33 to be adaptable to a host of user requirements and environments.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Dual Pass
If the CF-33 has the dedicated GPS, 4G LTE, and / or 5G cellular it will also have dual pass. This allows the tablet to be installed into a vehicle dock where an external antenna can be installed giving superior signal strength.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Batteries
The CF-33 has a dual battery system which is nice if one wants to pop out a battery with a fresh one while keeping the tablet powered. There is an option to get a CF-33 with extended life but it requires a different case so it should really be purchased up front like that. The extended life also adds a bit of a hump on the back of the tablet like a backpack. The standard batteries are not very impressive, the life of the tablet will only last maybe 4 hours max before it needs to be plugged back in.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Optional upgrades
The CF-33 can have a 1D/2D barcode, insertable smart card, contactless smart card, or fingerprint reader. These are mutually exclusive options so you’d have to pick the one you want and they cannot be modified later.
CF-33 TOUGHBOOK Notable Accessories
The CF-33 has a wide range of accessories. Batteries, external chargers, AC standard wall power plugs, DC vehicle plugs, keyboards, antennas (to be used with a vehicle dock), desktop / vehicle docks, soft carry handles, and rotating hand straps.
