Xplore releases Xslate R12 rugged tablet with PCIe SSD integration; Refreshed mobile PC now more powerful than ever

Xplore Xslate R12 — With the Xslate R12, Xplore Technologies becomes the first rugged tablet maker to integrate Intel PCIe SSDs into its roster. Xplore Technologies

Xplore Technologies announced on Wednesday that its powerful Xslate R12 rugged tablet PC now incorporates Intel PCIe solid state drives. The Windows-powered machine boasts of more-than-potent specs and features, and is built to withstand the most demanding working conditions.

Xplore is a distinguished name in the rugged computing industry. The Texas-based company has made a living churning out award-winning reinforced business solutions over the years. Now it sets yet another milestone as it becomes the first rugged tablet maker to integrate Intel PCIe SSDs into its roster.

The R12, which was first launched in October of last year, now comes with PCIe SSDs as a standard feature on its Intel Core series i7 variants, with a new 1 TB configuration option to boot. The tablet now enjoys a significant boost in disk performance thanks to the drives, and even boasts of a 48 percent improvement in overall system performance when they’re put together with the i7 vPro processor.

Xplore Xslate R12 with Secure Mobile Dock and stand — The Xplore Xslate R12 on its Secure Mobile Dock with stand. Xplore Technologies

RuggedPCReview.com says that the Xslate R12 with an Intel Core i7-7600U chip and an Intel 600p series PCIe-based SSD is the fastest rugged tablet PC it has ever tested. The detachable device can handle resource-heavy and graphics-intensive applications in the most challenging work environment. It equips pen and touch capabilities, and comes it with standard hot-swappable battery that last more than nine hours for on-the-go reliability.

The 12.5-inch rugged tablet furnishes a damage-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass display with a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution and an anti-smudge and anti-reflective View Anywhere technology. Security features include an integrated fingerprint reader, TPM 2.0 chip and an optional integrated Kensington Lock Slot. And like all Xplore products, the R12 is MIL-STD-810G classified, which means it can withstand lots of four-foot drops. It’s also water, dust and splash resistant thanks to its IP54 rating.

Xplore Xslate R12 with keyboard — The Xplore Xslate R12 incorporates a number of customer requested features, including a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard that magnetically stows on the back of the tablet even when docked. Xplore Technologies

“The Xslate R12 incorporates a number of customer requested features, such as antenna pass-through capabilities, an RJ-45 + Serial Port dongle and a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard that magnetically stows on the back of the tablet even when docked,” according to Xplore. “These and other features allow the Xslate R12 to provide transformational 2-in-1 flexibility along with the connectivity and ergonomics needed for any worker transitioning between field, vehicle and office locations.”

The Xplore Xslate R12 starts at US$2,649 (AU$3,359). The rugged tablet comes with the company’s three-year Standard warranty, although additional coverage options are also available.

Xplore Xslate R12 rugged tablet specs and features

Processor/cache: Intel Core i7-7600U vPro (2.8 GHz with turbo frequency to 3.9 GHz, 4 MB Smart Cache, 2 cores, 4 threads) | Intel Core i7-7500U (2.7 GHz with turbo frequency to 3.5 GHz, 4 MB Smart Cache, 2 cores, 4 threads) | Intel Core i5-6200U (2.3 GHz with turbo frequency to 2.8 GHz, 3 MB Smart Cache, 2 cores, 4 threads) | Intel Celeron 3865U (1.8 GHz, 2 MB Smart Cache, 2 cores, 2 threads)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (available thru Windows 10 downgrade on i5-6200U only) | Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (available thru Windows 10 downgrade on i5-6200U only)
System storage: 64 GB SSD (M.2 SATA only, available with 3865U processor configuration) | 128 GB SSD (M.2 SATA or PCIe) | 256 GB SSD (M.2 SATA or PCIe) | 512 GB SSD (M.2 SATA or PCIe) | 1 TB SSD (M.2 PCIe only, available with 7500U & 7600U processor configurations)
System memory: 4 GB 2,133 MHz DDR4 SDRAM memory (Celeron 3865U only) | 8 GB 2,133 MHz DDR4 SDRAM memory
Display: 12.5-inch wide viewing angle screen | Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080) | 800 nit display brightness | Anti-smudge + Anti-reflective View Anywhere | Capacitive 10-point touch | Wacom digital pen input | Intel Display Power Saving Technology (DPST) | Ambient light sensor | Damage resistance with Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620 for i7-7500U, i7-7600U | Intel HD Graphics 610 for Celeron 3865U | Intel HD Graphics 520 for i5-6200U
3D APIs supported: DirectX 12 | OpenGL 4.4
I/O ports: Docking connector | USB 3.0 port | 3 mm audio I/O jack | HDMI port | Micro-SD card slot | Micro-SIM card slot (3FF) | Optional RS232 True Serial port via dongle | Optional RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port via dongle
Embedded I/O: 8.0 MP camera (rear-facing) | 2.0 MP camera (front-facing) | Rear camera LED Flash | Optional 1D/2D barcode reader via SlateMate | Optional 13.56 MHz HF RFID with read/write capability via SlateMate | 9 axis MEMS sensor (accelerometer, eCompass, gyroscope)
Audio: RealTek noise cancellation | Multi-directional array microphone (2 front-facing array mics and 1 rear facing mic) | 2 integrated speakers
Security: Integrated fingerprint reader | Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 | Optional integrated CAC / smart card reader | Optional integrated Kensington Lock Slot | Optional Absolute Data & Device Security (DDS)
Software: xCapture Pro by Xplore camera app | RFID sample reader via SlateMate | Barcode reader via SlateMate | Xplore Dashboard (Windows 7) | Know Your Tablet (Windows 10, 8.1, 7) | Pen and touch enabled BIOS setup | Xplore Tablet Center (Windows 10, 8.1)
Battery: Battery life over 9 hours | Hot swappable lithium ion standard battery with 45 whr capacity | Optional xDefend battery warranty program | Approximately 2.5 hours charging time
Power supply: 19 V input voltage with AC adapter | 5.5 mm x 1.7 mm barrel jack
Dimensions: 12.93” x 8.17” x 0.75” (328.5 mm x 207.5 mm x 19 mm)
Weight: 2.9 lbs (1.34 kg)
Standards: ACPI 5.0 compliant | UEFI BIOS | Certified for Microsoft Windows 10 Client family version 1607, x64
Rugged features: MIL-STD-810G tested (multiple 4-foot drops) | Class 1 Division 2 for hazardous locations | IP54 (water, dust and splash resistant) | Magnesium-alloy internal frame | Rubberised enclosure | -10 degrees C to 55 degrees C (14 degrees F to 131 degrees F) operating temperature | -30 degrees C to 70 degrees C (-22 degrees F to 158 degrees F) storage temperature
Integrated communications: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 Wi-Fi | Bluetooth 4.20
Optional internal wireless (1 expansion slot): Sierra Wireless EM7455 (NA and EU) 4G LTE with GNSS (GPS + GLONASS) | Sierra Wireless EM7430 (APAC) 4G LTE with GNSS (GPS + GLONASS) | Navisys Technology (u-blox) GPS with SBAS (WAAS, EGNOS and MSAS)
Warranty: Three-year Standard coverage