Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 review

We often talk about build quality when it comes to laptops, but Panasonic’s Toughbooks are a breed apart. Put simply, the semi-ruggedised CF-53 is the laptop equivalent of an army all-terrain vehicle: a 54mm magnesium-thickened chassis weighing 2.6kg; rubber seals over all interfaces; and a hard disk mounted in shock-absorbing polymers. You can drop it from up to 76cm and splash water over the keyboard, safe in the knowledge the Toughbook won’t even blink.

Using it feels like puzzling over a retro toy, with one flap on the right edge hiding a USB 2 and USB 3 port, and another masking ExpressCard/54, PC Card and SD slots, and a switch for the dual-band 802.11agn Wi-Fi. A third slides down to provide access to the removable battery – which we’ll come to later – while the rear has doors hiding two more USB 2 ports, Ethernet, HDMI and D-SUB outputs, and even a serial port.

A DVD drive sits on the left edge, with a 320GB hard disk in an easily removable SATA caddy; there’s even a heated alternative available for use in extreme environments.

Then there’s the retractable carrying handle on the front edge, which minimises the impact of the weight, and the connector on the base that accepts Panasonic’s port replicator. Whether it’s back at a desk or being slung around with its integrated carry handle, the CF-53 is ready for anything.

The 14in 1,366 x 768 display is matte and more than a bit grainy compared to the pin-sharp glossy screens we’re used to, but the screen is perfectly usable – we measured its brightness at 276cd/m2 – and it has a protective layer over it. If a traditional display just doesn’t cut it, Panasonic also sells the CF-53 with a touchscreen.

The keyboard has a classic feel, with deep key travel and none of today’s Scrabble-tile gaps to collect dust and dirt. The touchpad is decent, although the buttons feel squishy and hinge awkwardly on the edge as you press them.

The CF-53 has the power to match its cyborg looks too. A 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M and 4GB of DDR3 RAM led to a benchmark score of 0.67, which is enough for most applications. Panasonic has sensibly stuck with integrated graphics, so despite that speed the CF-53 lasted a monstrous 10hrs 46mins in our light-use battery test.

That’s not all: if the standard 73Wh “road warrior” battery isn’t enough, Panasonic offers a high-capacity 92Wh option, which should boost that time to at least 13 hours. Buy both and you’re looking at close to 24 hours.

Other options include a webcam, a 3G modem and both a fingerprint and smart card reader, all of which could quickly push the price much higher than its current £1,421 inc VAT. However, as a laptop for specialist roles, the Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 truly shines, and there’s no doubting its vast potential. For those wanting more than the average laptop can offer, it’s not just tough, it’s a rock-solid investment.

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