With its new Enduro line of devices, Acer is looking to compete with the likes of Dell and Panasonic in a different category: rugged laptops and tablets.
Two Enduro laptops and three Enduro tablets are planned, with Acer targeting first responders, as well as field and manufacturing workers who need reliable tech in hostile conditions, so expect US Military Standard (MIL) and Ingress Protection (IP) ratings for each device.
Starting with the laptops, Acer is introducing the Enduro N3 and Enduro N7. The 14-inch N3 is the more portable of the two, and has been specifically designed to be resistant to water and achieves MIL-STD 810G and IP53 certification. Inside you'll find 10th-generation Core i3, i5, and i7 processor options, up to 16GB of RAM (user upgradeable to 32GB), Intel UHD Graphics or GeForce MX230, and a selection of SSD and hard drive storage options. Battery life is rated as up to 15 hours and the 1080p display is protected by reinforced corners and Gorilla Glass.
The 14-inch N7 is even more durable, having been designed to withstand drops on to hard floors while also being dust and water resistant. It achieves MIL-810G and IP65-certification, but is more limited in terms of performance when compared to the N3. Inside you'll find an 8th-generation Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, Intel UHD 620 Graphics, and a 128GB SATA SSD. Battery life is rated at up to 10.5 hours. Acer included hardware-level Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, which checks for intrusions during startup, and the laptop also uses a fingerprint sensor for added security.
Both laptops run Windows 10 Pro, with Home being an option on the N3. Software protection/management is offered through Acer's Enduro Management Suite (AEMS), which is, "a system designed to streamline the management of large quantities of devices, helping to keep existing devices more secure and speed up the process of rolling new ones out." It includes programmable physical keys, remote I/O control, device monitoring, and remote deployment.
Two rugged tablets are planned: the Enduro T5 and Enduro T1, but there are two versions of the T1 expected. The 10-inch T5 is a Windows 10 tablet with 10-hour battery life and swappable battery pack. It's powered by a 7th-generation Core m3 processor, 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, Intel Graphics 615, and a 128GB SSD. It's MIL-STD 810G and IP65 certified, and Acer is going to offer a range of accessories including a docking station, hand grips, shoulder straps, and car chargers/holders.
The T1 will be available either as a 10.1-inch Windows 10 tablet, or an 8-inch Android 9.0 tablet. The Windows version runs on a quad-core Celeron N3450 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, Intel Graphics 500, and a 64GB eMMC drive. Battery life is rated at 10 hours. The Android version runs on a MediaTek MT8385 quad-core ARM processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and a 64GB eMMC drive. Battery life is rated at 9 hours. Both tablets achieved MIL-STD 810G and IP54 certification.
"With an increasingly modern workforce, more and more mobile devices are being deployed in the field where they are subject to harsher handling," says Andrew Chuang, General Manager of Rugged Computing at Acer. "Enduro, our new line of rugged notebooks and tablets, was created to provide our customers with the durability and performance that gets the job done."
For now, Acer has only confirmed that the Enduro N3 laptop will launch in North America in August and prices start at $899. We await confirmation on pricing and availability of the other Enduro devices.
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