Zebra L10 Review

Zebra L10 series is not your usual tablet. It’s a rugged device that can be used in different types of rough conditions. Not only does it look tough, it can actually tolerate various extreme conditions. There are 3 models in this series; XSLATE L10 which has a traditional tablet outlook but reinforced, XPAD L10 that comes integrated with a handle for easy mobility, and XBOOK L10 that is equipped with a fully-functional foldable keyboard.

A few weeks back, I received two L10 tablet variants - XBOOK L10 and XPAD L10. Both are ruggedized tablets but have their own respective form factors to cater for usage in different scenarios.

The Rugged Design

While it doesn’t come with a fancy design, the tablet’s outer shell is built to handle rough environments. It comes in a magnesium frame that is enclosed with a non-removeable rugged casing, making it suitable for use regardless if you work at a construction site, warehouse, or any other venues with extreme working conditions. The tablet is even capable of handling extreme conditions like – heat, cold, drops, liquid spills, etc.

The tablet has multiple connectivity options that include LAN port, audio jack, two full-size USB ports, a reversible USB-C port and a micro-SDXC card slot. All the ports can be secured behind the locks with a slide of a button. So, if you were to ever spill water or coffee onto it, rest assured that it will likely escape unscathed. The L10 series of devices are rated IP65 even when the ports are opened, thereby accentuating its durability and toughness. For the XBOOK, even its backlit keyboard is rated IP65.

Working under extremely hot or cold conditions with the tablets can now be worry-free. These devices are built to last and have been tested through multiple drops and tumbles. In fact, if it ever slips out of your grip accidentally, it’s likely to survive the drop because it has been tested and proven to have survived drops to concrete (up to a height of four feet / 1.2 metres)!

Both L10 models come with a stylus that clips into the tablet’s body with the added protection of a lanyard, ensuring it won’t be misplaced. For the XBOOK, it can be used together with the lock-in optional companion keyboard, which works as an additional protector to the screen when closed. The foldable keyboard is compact yet fully functional. But admittedly, it may be more suitable for mobile usage, rather than for long hours of typing in the office.

There are numerous accessory options available for the L10 series of tablets including a whole range of cradles and shockproof vehicle docks, extended battery packs, a serial port (a lot of industrial equipment still uses the RS232 standard), RFID readers, carrying cases, and the like.

Compared to other 10-inch tablets, it is slightly heavier and has a weight that ranges from 1.2 kg to 2.0 kg (depending on the selected variant). Most of the weight comes from its reinforced casing which makes the tablet ruggedized.

Display

The 10.1-inch wide-format IPS screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, with perfect horizontal and vertical viewing angles. The screen offers 2K resolution WUXGA 1920 x 1200 and has an aspect ratio of 16:10.

The 10.1-inch screen has a brightness level of 500 nits. As it is designed for outdoor usage, you can easily work on the device in direct sunlight. If needed, Zebra even offers an optional ultra-bright 1,000 nit View Anywhere display for added brightness.

The multitouch screen offers 10-point touch and comes with auto-sensing standard, glove and wet touch.

Camera

The L10 tablet has a 13MP rear autofocus camera with flash and a 5MP front camera. Using the rear camera, you can capture decent quality documentation and other images. The rear camera is packed with a powerful LED flash, enabling you to capture shots even in the dark. Meanwhile, the front camera is good for video calls, etc. Located beside the front camera are dual microphones to optimize sound detection and ambient light sensor to detect the surrounding light and appropriately adjust the device’s screen to match it.

Both front and rear cameras are decent enough for what we can expect from such rugged devices. The Android tablets also come with a basic camera app, which could have been customised for better quality images and other features. However, you can always check for third party camera apps to fulfil your camera desires.

Battery

This tablet comes with a removable battery that can last for up to 9.8 hours. If needed, you can choose the extended battery option, which delivers up to 26 hours of usage. Zebra L10 supports Hot Swap mode, which enables the user to replace the battery without powering off the device. In this mode, the display turns off and enters a low power state. This feature is especially useful for users who are out in the field as they no longer have to struggle to find a power socket to charge their devices when their devices are running out of power. Instead, they can simply swap the battery out and continue to focus on their jobs, thereby saving time and enhancing productivity.

Performance

Technology has evolved and it is evident in a device like the Zebra L10. We have seen lots of rugged tablets over the years, but not quite like this one. The Zebra L10 offers all integrated variants with a whole lot of accessories and a wide range of performance scaling.

The L10 Android table is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 660 octa-core 2.2 GHz processor, combined with options to choose from: 4GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB eMMC another variant 8GB RAM and 128GB eMMC. Zebra has configurations suited for everyone. The tablet runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Zebra’s Restricted Mode for control over GMS and other services, while the graphics is powered by Qualcomm Adreno 512 GPU.

After using the tablet for more than a month, we didn’t experience any performance lag at all, in spite of testing it with varying apps including MS office suite. In terms of multitasking, we were able to switch between productivity apps like MS Word, Chrome, Outlook, Trello, etc. without any delay. To test it further, we activated Google Chrome that ran with up to four tabs, the Microsoft Word app, Excel App, the camera function, Pixlr image editor, and some other day-to-day usage apps concurrently. Noticeably, the tablet showed no signs of lagging and continued to operate perfectly.

The tablet is equipped with the Adreno GPU, which means it can also handle high-graphics intensive apps. So, we added the AutoCAD mobile app and some other design apps on the tablet, and it operated smoothly. That said, we did experience a slight, negligible delay while multitasking between four high-graphics intensive appsc at the same time.

The tablet is well equipped with connectivity options including Wi-Fi, 4G, Bluetooth, etc. thereby enabling the user to roam freely regardless if you are using it outdoors or indoors.

In terms of its battery life, the tablet is supposed to offer up to 9.8 hours of battery backup. So, we put it to the test by running a looping video on the XSLATE L10 while blasting it on with full volume, tuning the screen to maximum brightness, and connecting to the internet concurrently. Under such extreme conditions, it’s amazing that the battery was still able to continuously run for a total of 4 hours 16 min. The battery backup for this rugged tablet is truly impressive. And I’m convinced that the tablet with be able to comfortably last more than 8 hours under normal circumstances.

For more information, please visit zebra.com. If you are interested in the product, do contact Zebra Technologies India.