Panasonic Toughbook CF-54

Adonis-like build quality ; Improved trackpad ; Bright display ; Plenty of ports

Only 4GB of RAM in base model ; Indicators could be more clearly labelled

Thinner and lighter than previous models, the CF-54 brings an improved trackpad to the rugged laptop party.

red keyboard backlight is easy on the eyes ; accessible SODIMM and wireless modules ; full performance when on battery power ; standard three-year limited warranty ; thin and light for its rugged category ; quick-release 2.5-inch SATA III bay ; silent...

sharp jump in fan noise during high processing loads ; very dim display on base configuration ; small trackpad; soft mouse buttons ; port positioning could be better ; no Kaby Lake-R CPU options ; speakers could be louder

Panasonic offers its Toughbook CF-54 in a very wide range of SKUs to better cater to specific use cases. While we can't cover each and every one, we can definitely recommend which ones to avoid and which ones to consider. More specifically, users...

Rugged alloy screen lid ; Solid, retractable metal handle ; Outstanding array of ports as well as a port replicator dock ; Most ports are protected by weather-sealed port covers

Excessively long initial startup ; No protective cover for power jack or optical drive ; Bottom chassis doesn't feel as rugged as some competitors ; SSD should be standard

At the end of the day the Panasonic Toughbook 54 is an impressive rugged notebook that will survive far more than most business-class notebooks. Unfortunately, the Toughbook 54 isn’t completely flawless … nor is it completely suited to every environment.