For a lot of our customers, a Rugged device isn’t a convenience; it’s a lifeline. I spend a lot of time with customers who work far from a traditional office. They’re in manufacturing plants, on utility poles and responding to emergencies. Their feedback is direct and consistent. They need devices that are as resilient and adaptable as they are, and can withstand extreme environments. When you’re restoring power or managing a critical factory process, failure is not an option.
This is the core principle behind our new Dell Pro Rugged 10 and 12 tablets. It’s about delivering a device that doesn’t quit and can handle the physical demands of the job.
Engineered for extreme environments
We started with durability as our non-negotiable when designing the Dell Pro Rugged 10 and 12 tablets. When a device fails in the field due to harsh conditions, the consequences are immediate. Work stops, schedules slip, and, in some cases, safety risks increase.
I’ve heard stories from teams who accidentally dropped tablets from service trucks or had them drenched in a sudden downpour. Our job is to make sure that those events are minor inconveniences, not catastrophic failures.
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- With an IP-66 rating, these tablets block dust ingress and can withstand powerful water jets.
- They can endure drops from four feet, so an accidental fall from a worker’s hands or a vehicle mount doesn’t end the day.
- Built to operate in extreme temperatures from 145 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, teams can work in desert construction sites to frigid northern climates.
Performance where it counts: In the field
A rugged tablet must do more than survive the elements—it needs to deliver consistent, reliable performance in real-world workflows. Today’s field and floor work is data-intensive and requires power.
Our tablets include Intel® Core™ Ultra processors—not just for raw speed, but for on-device AI. Teams can accelerate analysis and enable predictive maintenance workflows locally on the PC, without relying on a cloud connection. This is crucial for the field: faster, localized decision-making with less dependence on unreliable networks.
Another persistent theme is battery life. Crews work full shifts — sometimes 8, 10 or 12 hours — without an outlet in sight. That’s why we engineered dual hot-swappable batteries. You can insert a fresh battery mid-shift without interrupting your workflow.
“In agriculture, efficiency and reliability are everything,” said Craig Ganssle, founder and CEO, Farmwave Inc., an agriculture technology company focused on increasing farm yield and revenues for farmers. “The Dell Pro Rugged 10 and 12 tablets have transformed how our customers operate in the field. Farmers can remain connected to critical data even in harsh or unpredictable conditions. With on-device AI, they can run analytics locally, delivering insights that drive production. With this technology, we’re helping move farming forward, directly from the field.”
Where mobility meets reliability
Mobility and reliability remain at the core of our Rugged products. We’ve seen field technicians switching between vehicles, job sites, office trailers and outdoor work zones — the new Dell Pro Rugged design keeps up. At just 2.29 pounds for the 10-inch and 2.89 pounds for the 12-inch, these are the lightest fully-rugged Windows tablets in their classes.¹
It’s a subtle but important trade-off: ruggedness balanced with carry-everywhere portability.
While out in the field, critical infrastructure workers can’t afford to lose signal. Expanded features on our tablets offer reliable connectivity.
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- They include Wi-Fi 7, 5G, discrete GPS, Bluetooth and options for legacy ports. Field teams want the fullest range of connection possibilities, and they don’t want compromises.
- Screens are sunlight-readable, glove-friendly and operate reliably in rain or snow. Wet environments are routine for so many front-line jobs.
Whether you’re pulling up geographic information system (GIS) maps or signing off on a work order, the experience must be seamless.
With advanced capabilities like TPM 2.0, smartcard readers and biometric login, our new tablets are the world’s most secure rugged PCs.² We know that protecting previous investment matters — so the Pro Rugged tablets retain compatibility with legacy mounts, docks and major accessories.
Bringing it all together
The Dell Pro Rugged 10 and 12 tablets represent what happens when product strategy aligns fully with field realities. Every detail in these tablets — resilience, performance, connectivity and mobility, tracks back to the stubborn realities of the job site. They also reflect the practical feedback that comes from listening to people who do this work every day.
1[1] Based on internal analysis, September 2025 (10-inch). This claim applies exclusively to 12″ fully-rugged tablets equipped with Copilot+ capabilities. Based on internal analysis conducted in September 2025 using publicly available information (12-inch).
[2] Based on Dell internal analysis, September 2025. Applicable to Rugged Windows PCs on Intel processors. Not all features available with all PCs. Additional purchase required for some features.
