ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Getac F110 Gen 7 is available starting at $2,579 (the final price depends on your specific configuration and purchase contract).
• The Windows tablet is built for the field, thanks to a bright display, quick launch buttons, and stylus for pen input. It also has large capacity hot-swappable batteries so you don’t have to stop working.
• The speaker is not very good, and the cameras are best left for capturing documents or observations in the field.

As a professional engineer who has provided construction management services for a number of projects for more than two decades, I recall the days of folding and unfolding paper blueprints to mark up observations and changes in the field. Thankfully, technology today allows me to load up a digital version of drawings on a tablet and head to the field with all the data right at the tips of my fingers.

Also: The best rugged tablets you can buy: Expert tested

I never considered an iPad for field work due to the fragile nature of its construction, even with a big bulky rugged case, but I have used Samsung Galaxy Tab Active devices for previous projects. Over the past few weeks, however, I have been using the updated 2024 model Getac F110 rugged tablet. This is clearly the type of device I should have always been using.

View at Getac

The Getac F110 7th generation has a 13th Gen Intel Core processor, ample RAM (32GB on my review unit), ample SSD capacity (1TB on my review unit), and the latest wireless connectivity, including Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, and 4G/5G cellular options.

The 11.6-inch LumiBond touchscreen display is responsive and can shine brightly up to 1,200 nits, so it is easily visible in all lighting conditions. You can adjust the display brightness for various conditions, although you should be mindful of the battery life.

You can also quickly switch between finger mode, glove mode, and stylus mode. We have had a fairly wet end of the summer here in Washington — I was using finger mode and the display rejected raindrops as inputs, so I can confidently say this tablet can handle rain.

Getac included a stylus with the review unit, so I enabled stylus mode and pulled the stylus out of the back compartment. The stylus let me quickly navigate around the tablet and enter text.

Above and below the stylus compartment are two openings for hot-swappable batteries, where two 2,680 mAh batteries are secured with locks. Getac also offers 4,200 mAh batteries for the F110 to extend its battery life.

The Getac F110 weighs 3.29 pounds, but that also varies with the type of modules you have connected to the tablet. You can attach an RFID reader, smart card reader, fingerprint reader, bar code scanner, and a host of other ports and accessories to the tablet.

This rugged tablet is MIL-STD-810H and 461G certified, and promises IP66 dust and water resistance. You can also have it certified for salt fog when you purchase the tablet, which would be perfect for my shipyard and shipboard work places. The tablet is rated to operate in temperatures ranging from -20 degrees F to 145 degrees F, but I only had the chance to use it in mild conditions.

Also: The best rugged phones you can buy: Expert tested for extreme conditions

I found the tablet’s green power button on the right bezel and four programmable buttons located beneath on the right side convenient to use. While the bottom two buttons have a plus and minus on them and are set to volume controls by default, you can customize them in the included G-Manager app.

The P2 button is set by default to the OSDC (on screen display control) panel, and I used that regularly to switch modes and control the device to perform best in whatever environment I was using the Windows tablet.

The tablet is very responsive and flew through everything I threw at it. The single speaker in the lower left corner is not very good, with limited volume and output that isn’t crystal clear. This tablet is built for work, and I imagine there are not many requests for stereo speakers for field work.

It was nice to take the Getac F110 in my backpack on a bike and work outside without worrying about the tablet failing. I did not throw or drop the tablet, but I also didn’t feel I had to worry about setting it down lightly or taking special care when handling it.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Using portable computers in the field has revolutionized our ability to get work done in environments outside the office. With a rugged tablet like the Getac F110, you don’t have to worry about the hardware and can focus on the mission at hand. Getac’s outstanding warranty and repair services also mean that you can rest assured the company will help you in the event of a hardware failure or accident.