Samsung Galaxy Tab Active2 Tablet Designed to Survive Rough Handling

The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active2 tablet is for companies with employees that work outdoors, on construction sites or in environments where a standard tablet might not survive for very long. Introduced on March 20, it runs Android and comes with a rugged design that can withstand bumps, drops and water exposure. It’s also a well-equipped slate, with plenty of processing power to handle most business or industrial applications. Best of all, the Galaxy Tab Active2 is cheap enough that even companies with limited budgets can afford it. This slide show will highlight the Galaxy Tab Active2’s features that make it a reliable choice for mobile workforces that need tough tablets.

Samsung designed the Galaxy Tab Active2 to be able to take a beating. After passing 21 tests, the tablet achieved a MIL-STD 810G certification—which certifies a device can survive “drops, shocks and vibrations, extreme temperatures, and humidity,” according to Samsung. The Active2 also was given an IP68 rating for being water- and dust-resistant. In 5-foot-deep water, the Galaxy Tab Active2 can survive for a half hour without suffering damage to its internal components.

The tablet’s 8-inch display is somewhat smaller than those of higher-end tablets, but the screen does boast 1,280-by-800-pixel resolution and fully supports multitouch input. Plus, it’s been enhanced with stronger sensitivity that allows even users wearing gloves to tap around the display. A Wet Touch mode enables users to use the touchscreen when it’s raining.

While the Galaxy Tab Active2 doesn’t boast a significant amount of power, it should be powerful enough for most use cases. The device runs on Samsung’s own 1.6GHz octa-core processor—a chip that not only can run apps available in Google Play, but also sophisticated programs that companies build themselves. A variety of tracking components, including a gyroscope and accelerometer, work alongside the processor to deliver augmented reality features.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Active2 comes with 3GB of memory, more than enough for most higher-end applications that companies might want to build for the device. However, the tablet ships with a rather anemic 16GB of onboard storage. A microSD port allows for storage to be expanded by up to 256GB.

The Galaxy Tab Active2 runs on a 4,450mAh battery. Better yet, the large battery pack is removable, so users can swap them out for new batteries when it’s time for a recharge. Each Tab Active2 battery pack offers up to 11 hours of battery life during continuous internet use, according to Samsung.

On the software side, Samsung decided to bundle Android 7.1 Nougat, not Android Oreo, in its Galaxy Tab Active2. That means companies can’t take advantage of some of the security enhancements Google built into Oreo.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Active2 comes with a variety of security features, including a fingerprint sensor on the front that can be used to lock the device and safeguard data. A facial-recognition feature is also available to lock the tablet and keep intruders out of sensitive data. Plus, Samsung Knox comes built-in with the Galaxy Tab Active2 and the IT side can easily deploy policies and manage the devices with Knox Configure.

Samsung has bundled its S Pen stylus with Galaxy Tab Active2 for such activities as signing contracts, annotations, sketching ideas and more. According to Samsung, the stylus is water-resistant and is safely tucked away at the top of the rugged case.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Active2 is available to those who want to connect via WiFi or LTE. On the WiFi side, users can connect to a variety of networks, including 802.11n and 802.11ac. For LTE users, Samsung is selling the Galaxy Tab Active2 unlocked, so it can be put on the network of the company’s choosing.

Samsung is selling two Galaxy Tab Active2 models: a WiFi-only option and one that can connect to networks over LTE networks. The WiFi-only option will cost $420, and the LTE version will be $520. Both versions are available now in the U.S.