The Semi-Rugged Panasonic Toughbook FZ-55
Panasonic’s newest semi-rugged laptop, the Panasonic Toughbook FZ-55, was released in September 2019. This laptop was designed to fill the void left by the discontinuation of the Toughbook CF-54.
This laptop was the first to feature Panasonic’s new xPAK expansion slot system. The FZ-55, FZ-40 and FZ-G2 are the only rugged computers with these new slots.
FZ-55 Toughbooks: Design and Durability
One of the more significant design improvements for Panasonic’s latest line of semi-rugged computers was the implementation of user upgrades. They wanted to make adding Toughbook upgrades a simple process for anyone. That’s where the xPAK slots come into play. Here’s the whole list of xPAK upgrades with different options for each slot:
Panasonic Toughbook FZ-55 xPAKs
Rear Expansion Area xPAK's (Screws)
- VGA + Serial (True) + USB-A
- VGA + Serial (True) + LAN
- VGA + Serial (True) + Rugged Fischer USB
- LAN + Fischer USB x2
- Display Port + USB A + Serial
Front Expansion Area (Quick-Release)
- Fingerprint (MSFT SC-PC)
- Fingerprint (Active Dir)
- Contactless Smart Card
- Insertable Smart Card
- 2nd Battery
Universal Expansion Area xPAK's (Quick-Release)
- DVD Drive
- Blu-ray Drive
- Insertable Smart Card
- Secondary Solid State Drive
- GPU
Toughbook 55 Military Grade Durability
The Panasonic Toughbook FZ-55 is MIL-STD-810H certified. These Toughbooks have passed rigorous testing. Trust us when we say we’ve tested it, too. They resist up to 3-foot drops, bench handling, vibration, dust, extreme temperatures, and other harsh conditions.
They may not be as dust—and water-resistant as the FZ-40, but for a semi-rugged laptop, they boast a respectable IP53 Ingress Protection rating.
This semi-rugged laptop features an 82-key spill-resistant, backlit keyboard. It features keyboard icons for Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and keyboard backlight. The four adjustable light levels allow you to select the color of the RGB backlight and change its brightness.
Panasonic took a couple of steps in focusing on protecting this Toughbook’s screen. They raised the bezel around the LCD for better screen impact protection.
Then, they included a screen protector to protect the screen from scratches. Similar to one that you would put on your phone, but more durable.
The touch model of the semi-rugged FZ-55 includes a stylus pen, a stylus holder, and a tether. The touchscreen also has four different touch modes: glove, touch, pen, and pen/touch.
Panasonic Toughbook FZ-55 Extreme Performance Options
The latest semi-rugged laptop from Panasonic is available with one of two processor options. The processor in the FZ-55 Toughbooks can be an Intel Core i5 or an Intel Core i7; there are no Intel i3 model FZ-55s. This semi-rugged laptop comes with DDR4 RAM to go with these processor options. It comes standard with 16GB of RAM but can be upgraded to 64GB at most.
Thanks to the secondary hard drive slot in the Toughbook 55, you can set up dual solid-state drives. A 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB NVMe SSD can be installed in either the primary or secondary SSD slot.
The second hard drive can be installed in one of the xPAK slots. The SSD features a quick-release functionality and a heater for operating in low-temperature environments.
Panasonic Toughbook FZ-55: The Ideal Semi-Rugged Option
Overall, the Refurbished Panasonic Toughbook FZ-55 is an excellent option for anyone who does not need a fully rugged laptop but still wants a more durable laptop. This laptop will be the perfect workhorse, equipped with a powerful processor, ample RAM, and more than enough storage.
At Bob Johnson, we employ rigorous refurbishment processes. If you need assistance, you can use our Selection Assistance Form or call our office at 302-659-2727. Please note that we are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.