Fossibot DT2 rugged tablet review

Fossibot DT2: 30-second review

The Fossibot DT2 is designed for professionals who need a rugged tablet capable of surviving harsh environments. Aimed at users who require a device for fieldwork or adventure, the DT2's reinforced frame and textured, rubberised design contribute to its durability. Its IP68 and IP69K ratings and MIL-STD-810H certification reinforce its resistance to water, dust, and shock.

Like all the best rugged tablets we've tested, here the tablet's large 10.4-inch 2K IPS display is bright and readable even in direct sunlight, making it suitable for outdoor use. At the heart of the tablet is a Helio G99 octa-core processor, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, which is more than enough for the DT2 to handle basic office tasks and multimedia playback and streaming, though it struggles with more demanding applications.

Ensuring smooth running, the DT2 uses Android 13, which offers the usual user-friendly interface. Thankfully, Fossibot has opted for minimal pre-installed apps. Battery life is a standout feature, lasting up to 75 days on standby and over 24 hours of continuous video playback. Connectivity options include cellular support, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth, ensuring decent performance in a variety of settings, signal permitting, of course.

While the built-in speakers and camera are well spec'd they're, they’re not top-tier, so image quality and sound should be considered good enough for general use, such as video conferencing, watching back video, and taking site images. Overall, the Fossibot DT2 is a reliable choice for those needing a durable tablet for fieldwork and industrial applications.

Fossibot DT2: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? £269 / $369
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it Amazon or the Fossibot website

The Fossibot DT2 is competitively priced at £269 / $369 and offers excellent value for its robust features. It is available through various online retailers and the official Fossibot website. Considering its durability, battery life, and functionality, it stands out as an affordable option for field professionals.

• Value: 4 / 5

Fossibot DT2: Specifications

Fossibot DT2: Design

• Outdoor styling 
• Large Touch Screen
• Can withstand being dropped

The Fossibot DT2 features a rugged design that prioritises durability. Its reinforced frame and textured, rubberised casing reflect its robust nature and help to ensure that it is resistant to accidental drops, water, and dust. The DT2, while relatively compact, is surprisingly heavy, once again reflecting its solid build. Even when looking at the 10.4-inch display, you'll see that it is surrounded by reinforced corners, further helping to ensure that it is drop-proof. While the tablet has been designed for professionals, Fossibot has tried to lift the design with a choice of bright blue or yellow design accents, which help to slightly break it away from its otherwise purely functional design. Backing up the rugged go-anywhere styling come the certifications for toughness, highlighting that it doesn't just look the part. It has the certificates to prove it is.

Obviously, with a tablet, the screen is the focus, and here, the DT2's screen specifications highlight its focus for outdoor use with the bright 500cd/m² max brightness 10.4-inch screen offering a 2K IPS FHD+ resolution. The screen-to-body ratio is 94%, so while there is all that reinforcement around the edge, it doesn't dominate the device like some other tough tablets. When it comes to the screen's responsiveness, the In-Cell Touch technology does a great job of being responsive to normal use and having a little more resilience in wetter conditions. However, like another touch screen, it won't work when very wet or submerged in water.

In use, the screen is bright and easy to see in all but the very brightest lighting conditions. Whether that is indoors or out, and while the screen surface is gloss, the surface controls reflections well, generally offering excellent visibility. A nice touch that works in combination with the Android operating system is the auto-brightness feature, which adjusts the screen brightness according to the environment. Still, manual adjustments can also be made if needed. 

Inside, the brightness of the screen is ideal for all situations, with plenty of adjustment options. Outdoors, the 500cd/m² peak brightness provides a decent view of the screen, although in very bright conditions, a little shading might be needed. The colour accuracy and viewing angles are OK for various activities such as watching videos, reading, and light gaming. However, suppose you're a photographer or videographer and want to check your images or footage. In that case, it's worth knowing that the colour profiles of this machine are better suited for general use. 

• Design: 4 / 5

Fossibot DT2: Features

The Fossibot DT2 is designed with durability as its top priority. Its reinforced frame and textured, rubberised casing ensure that it should survive most drops, water, and dust, making it an ideal choice for professionals working in challenging environments or those seeking a bit of adventure but still wanting to take some tech. The DT2 is relatively compact but heavy, at 253.4 x 163.25 20.5mm and weighing in at 1065g. This means that it will slip into a backpack neatly without adding too much bulk, but you will feel the weight.

The aesthetics of the tablet are decidedly outdoor themed, and along with the texturised surface to aid purchase and camping light on the back, you have a choice of a bright blue or yellow design accent, which helps to add a touch of style to its functional design, also helpful if you have several devices for different work teams. Finishing the physical features, that tablet has been awarded IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810H certifications, proving that the DT2 is built to withstand the toughest conditions.

The 10.4-inch display dominates the front of the tablet, as you would expect, and offers a 1200x2000 (2K IPS FHD+) resolution with a 3:5 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 225 PPI. The brightness ranges from 400cd/m² (MIN) to 500cd/m² (Peak), with a typical brightness of 440cd/m², ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight.

At the heart of the tablet is a Helio G99 processor and 12GB of RAM, which deliver decent performance for basic office tasks and multimedia. The hardware specs are tuned to balance performance and battery life, making it suitable for viewing and storing media files and working on office documents of various types. However, while it can be used for playing some games, this is far from its primary purpose. 

The onboard storage is relatively decent, considering the device's intended audience: 256 GB, which is expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card if more space is needed for media and documents.

One of the features that really stands out for anyone looking for a tablet with longevity between charges is the 22000mAh battery. This battery can last up to 75 days on standby and over 24 hours of continuous video playback. What's more, the 66W fast charge feature, which Fossibot highlights at a 15-minute charge, will enable you to boost the capacity to watch a 120-minute film.

The tablet runs on Android 13 OS, and thankfully, Fossibot has opted to keep the pre-installed apps light. This gives you the flexibility to install the apps you need and avoid bloating the system.

Connectivity options are all solid, with support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and cell networks. When it comes to physical connections, the tablet includes two ports: a USB-C port for connecting external accessories and additional storage and a microSD/TF/SIM slot. This port features a dual carrier for a microSD/TF and a SIM, so you can both expand the internal storage and connect to a network. 

The audio and camera capabilities are decent enough, with the speakers advertised as Quad Box Speakers for Acoustic Feast. The camera also looks impressive, with a 64MP rear camera and 32MP front camera. It should be ideal for site visits and capturing snapshots. The front-facing camera is suitable for video conferencing, and the specifications of this camera highlight that its performance should be good even in dim lighting conditions. 

The tablet also supports facial recognition and fingerprint sensors for enhanced security.

Alongside the main hardware features, DT2 ships with a built-in software toolbox that includes useful utilities like a compass, gradienter, and sound meter. The tablet also supports facial recognition and fingerprint sensors for enhanced security.

• Features: 4 / 5

Fossibot DT2: Performance

When it comes to performance, the Fossibot DT2 is better than many of its tough rivals. It has a little more processing clout and definitely feels more secure and likely to withstand the elements. When it came to basic computing tasks such as running the Google suite of office apps, the tablet performed well. The touch screen was nice and responsive, and the screens offered plenty of brightness adjustment in a variety of locations.

The hardware specs, while far from high-end, put in an impressive all-around performance. Along with the Google Applications, playing back video, viewing images, streaming web content, and video conferencing all worked well with smooth footage and clear visuals.

Although the hardware is tuned for battery life, the performance is still impressive. Most tasks demanded of the machine work well, even some gaming, although you can very much tell that this isn't the main focus or strength of the device. 

Likewise, the rear camera with the 64MP sensor is surprisingly good, with excellent clarity, tone and detail. The tablet utilises an Android basic camera app, which offers plenty of flexibility, and for most users, the clarity and quality of the images will be more than sufficient. If you're using the tablet to capture site photos, then the quality is more than high enough; likewise, if this is the only camera you have on your adventures, then again, the quality is still good enough for general shots. Still, it won't give you the options or tone and details of some of the latest smartphones, but compared with most other tablets, these images are on par. The front-facing camera is a lower resolution and designed primarily for video conferencing, although Fossibot has highlighted it for Selfies. However, for video conferencing, the camera works well and adapts well to lower light conditions. Considering the overall price of the tablet, the camera performs far better than expected. 

In general, the tablet performs well. Everyday use with apps, video, taking photos, and browsing the internet all provide that the DT2 is a decent all-rounder, although as you push it with multiple browser windows open or larger documents, you can see it start to struggle. Looking at the Benchmark tests further highlights this balanced performance, with a Geekbench 5 Multi-Core Score of 1872, a Single-Core Score of 655, and a GPU score of 1298. 

In 3D Mark, it scored 1208 in Wildlife and 3464 in Slingshot. These results indicate that the DT2 handles everyday tasks well, as we found in our real-world tests. In terms of multitasking, the DT2 handles the Google Docs suite well, with applications loading quickly and enabling smooth switching between them. However, when you push the system with gaming or more power-intensive apps, you will notice a drop in frame rates and processing speed. The system can slow down slightly when running multiple apps simultaneously, but it performs well considering its price point.

The 256GB of internal storage is enough for most uses. The microSD card expansion up to 2TB enables you to increase the space if needed for additional media and documents. 

Overall, the Fossibot DT2 offers decent performance for its intended audience, which is people working in the field who may be subjected to harsher environments such as wind, rain, and dust. However, it will not satisfy users requiring higher processing power for intensive tasks. The other feature in the DT2 favour is the battery life, with only limited charging required through the three-week test period. This will again appeal to those working in the field or anyone who needs a connected device but knows that they will be off the grid for an extended period.

• Performance: 3 / 5

Fossibot DT2: Final verdict

The Fossibot DT2 is a rugged tablet that has been designed for professionals needing a durable device for fieldwork or adventurous types needing a computing device that will work off the beaten track. The DT2's robust build that features a reinforced frame and textured, rubberised casing all proved through the test to protect it from drops, water, and dust and proved that it will survive more than most other tablets and is an ideal choice for harsh environments. If you need a tablet that will be used away from the office, then this tough build will ensure that it works in almost any environment. 

The other choice feature is the bright 10.4-inch 2K IPS display, which, through the test, proved to offer excellent visibility in bright sunlight, although in the brightest situations, a little screen shielding is needed. Again, if you're working outdoors, then a screen with this level of brightness is an essential feature.

One of the things that impressed me was the battery life. The 22000mAh battery only required a couple of full charges through the test period despite hours of use and prolonged testing. If you know that you're going to be away from mains power for prolonged periods or only have access to solar power, then this again will be a great solution. 

The tablet performed well for Google Docs, browsing, and video playback, making it an ideal solution for use in the field. When you load in a SIM or connect to Bluetooth through a tethered connection, the speed of the connection is decent enough to further supporting it's use as a tablet to be used in the field rather than in the office, 

However, the DT2's heavyweight may appeal only to some users, and its Helio G99 processor and 12GB of RAM, while adequate for basic tasks, struggle with demanding applications and high-end gaming. Despite these drawbacks, the DT2 offers excellent value for its intended use, providing durability, a bright display, and exceptional battery life, making it a strong choice for professionals in need of a reliable fieldwork tablet.

Should you buy a Fossibot DT2?

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