Frequently Asked Questions

There are 14 interchangeable screws (a mix of silver and black) that can be used to lock down the various expansion areas as well as replacements for the screws from the keyboard, memory, and xPAK’s.

Yes, it is end-user removable and has a quick-release lever for easy detaching. If an IT department wants to, they can purchase an optional locking screw that will secure the SSD and help prevent it from coming loose by accident. A set of 14 screws are included in SKU # FZ-VSW401U.

Yes, they are end-user removable and have a quick-release lever for easy detaching.

The TOUGHBOOK 40 has up to 18 hours of battery life, or up to 36 with the optional second battery. The battery results are based on the industry standard battery test called MobileMark 2014 using their Office Productivity scenario (which models productivity usage, including word processing, spreadsheet data manipulation, email creation/management, and web browsing connected to Wi-Fi). The screen brightness is tested at 150 nits with Wi-Fi but not cellular.

A hot-swappable battery lets users swap one of the two batteries (2nd battery is optional) in the unit without needing to shut down or suspend the laptop first. Both batteries are identical and can go in either the left or right battery slot.

Physically, the TOUGHBOOK 40 is 1.2 pounds lighter and almost an inch thinner than the TOUGHBOOK 31 despite having a larger display (14” vs. 13”), being much more powerful, improved thermals, rugged (IP66), modular (8 areas), and secure (Secure Wipe, Secured-Core PC, Intel® Hardware Shield), delivering the perfect blend of rugged strength and extreme performance. To name a few of the performance differences: the CPU is 36% faster, SSD is NVMe which is up to 4x faster and 4x the max capacity, RAM is 1.5x faster and doubled the max capacity, Intel Iris Xe Graphics are 3x better, and there is an AMD dedicated graphic option for those who need even more, microphones are 2x, speakers are 2x louder, cellular supports 5G mmWave and up to 60x faster, Wi-Fi almost 3x faster, Bluetooth 2x faster, USB up to 80x faster, and the features all-new advanced docking. The advanced docking includes USB-C ports, more USB ports & video out than the TOUGHBOOK 31, 20x faster USB, 10x faster Ethernet, SMA connectors, quad pass-through, software selectable pass-through, the ability to pass through cellular+GPS+Wi-Fi, 4x4 MIMO, or 5G Sub6. In addition, the TOUGHBOOK 40 features several innovations including an industry-leading 5MP webcam, an easier-to-install SIM that doesn’t require a screwdriver, four programmable buttons & keys, color-selectable backlit keyboard, backlit power button, Gen2 resistive touchpad that is easier to move, 60% larger, and even the buttons have been reengineered to be more responsive with improved tactile feel.

In addition to some of the items listed above, the main difference is that the TOUGHBOOK 40 is fully rugged while the TOUGHBOOK 55 is semi-rugged. The TOUGHBOOK 55 has a smaller footprint and is lighter, while the TOUGHBOOK 40 is more rugged, more powerful, more secure (optional FIPS 140-2 encrypted drives, optional rubber keyboard), more modular (8 vs. 7 modular areas), more innovative, and has more advanced docking.

There is a barcode trigger button located on the xPAK. In addition, you can assign one of the P1-P4 buttons (or the A1-A4 keys) to be a barcode trigger. The default setting for the trigger button is that the laser stays on for 8 seconds or until a barcode is scanned. This allows a user to hold a driver’s license and be able to press the trigger button using the same hand for easy one-handed operation.

Essential for businesses and agencies, it allows remote management for IT departments and adds security, including Intel® Hardware Shield.

The TOUGHBOOK 40 has powerful 95db speakers, so users can hear the TOUGHBOOK 40 even in loud environments. This is critical given that rugged users need to work on their laptops in all types of situations. For instance, the level of noise on a busy highway can be around 85db. And inside a police vehicle with the sirens on can range from 85db to the lower 90s depending on speed and if the windows are down or up.

The TOUGHBOOK 40 and 55 are the only rugged laptops with four microphones – all of which help to improve the accuracy of the speech recognition, so it can offer class-leading accuracy whether in a quiet room or noisy environment. In the latter case, having multiple mics and noise cancellation is critical to filter out background noise.

The combination of an infrared (IR) webcam on the TOUGHBOOK 40 and Windows Hello allows customers to use 3D facial recognition or fingerprint scanning (on units equipped with a fingerprint reader) for user authentication.