IT Block gets its hand on Panasonic's brand new Toughbook SV8, a 12-inch screen business notebook with rugged features.
The first thing we noticed about this laptop, it is not the most photogenic product out there. It looks incredible in real life, though, the contours, shape and proportions are fantastic. The matt silver finish does not feel cheap; it feels robust and well-made. Best of all, it is light. According to many top ten lightest lists for 2020, the lightest laptop is the LG Gram with a weight of 0.95 kilograms. The Panasonic Toughbook SV8 is 0.91 kilogram. Of course, ASUS has the lightest laptop on the planet, which is only 0.1 pounds lighter than the Toughbook SV8.
Who is the Toughbook SV8 made for?
Panasonic is aiming their Toughbook SV8 towards PMETs or Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians. We feel this laptop is the perfect laptop for a travelling professional. While it is not fully-rugged, it can withstand a fall from 76cm. But beware, unlike other Toughbooks, the SV8 is not water nor dust resistant. So please keep your beverage well clear as you should with all laptops.
Still, many underestimate such rugged features. Business travel can quickly go awry with an accidental drop of the laptop, to have something made durable seems a significant investment.
One thing which is unique or odd about this laptop is the touchpad, which is usually rectangle-shaped. The outer grey area of the circle touchpad is mostly non-functional, only the two buttons at the bottom operate as the left click and right click mouse function. The surface area of the circular touchpad will take some getting used to because of its size. But the circle shape bears with it a unique feature, it allows you to scroll up and down your screen by sliding your finger around the edge of the circle. The chrome circle acts as a guide for your finger, preventing it from slipping out of the ring. We have to say, compared to using coordinating two fingers on a regular rectangular touchpad to scroll up and down, the circular motion seems much easier to use and works every single time. You do have the option to use both your fingers to scroll the screen, but it does not seem to work very well, and we would not recommend doing it on this laptop.
What are the ports and rugged features on the Panasonic Toughbook SV8?
We won't name names, but some laptops out there don't seem to have enough ports. Yes, they look sleek, but in the real world, we need ports. Which is one thing we love about the Toughbook SV8, it does not shy away. Here is the list of ports available:
Three USB 3.0 ports
One USB 3.1 (Thunderbolt) port
One HDMI port
One RJ45 LAN port
One VGA port
One headset combo jack (audio jack)
SD Memory card slot
That may not seem like an enormous amount of ports, but it is not too little either.
Rugged features of the Panasonic Toughbook SV8 include:
76cm free-fall test on the bottom-side on plywood. Would be better if the surface was concrete.
Up to 30cm free-fall tested on twenty-six sides, also on plywood. For offices and building made from plywood.
Storage temperature up to sixty degrees celsius
Operating temperature up to thirty-five degrees Celsius
We do not know how Panasonic does their free-fall test on plywood. Is a plywood surface placed on top of the plywood and objects dropped on to it? From what we read, we assume they drop the laptop itself on plywood, but we could be wrong. However, even a 30 cm free fall is at least 25 cm more than any other laptop in the market.
IT Block's summary of the Panasonic Toughbook SV-8
You can be the CEO of a company or a Technical Sales personnel, as long as you have to move around for work, this might be the best Windows laptop in the market for you. It saves you the fear of a worst-case scenario; an accidental kick to your laptop bag on the floor is more than enough to smash the screen and damage your storage drive. If you consider yourself clumsy, the Panasonic Toughbook SV8 is made for you. Even it's ten-hour long battery life guarantees your ability to get some last-minute work done on a long-haul flight.
IT Block rating: 9.5 out of 10
Thank you for reading 'Panasonic Toughbook SV8 review' by IT Block. IT Block is an IT support services provider based in Singapore and a registered Google News source. #panasonic #toughbook #sv8 #review #IT #support #singapore #services
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