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The Toughbook CF-53 was Panasonic’s original flagship semi-rugged computer option. Panasonic designed it to be lighter than the CF-31, making it better for anyone who works on the go. The CF-54 was intended to replace the CF-53. Panasonic made the CF-54 lighter, slimmer, and sleeker-looking than the CF-53.
What is a Semi-Rugged Laptop?
Unlike their magnesium alloy fully rugged siblings, a semi-rugged laptop is made of thick plastic. However, even though the chassis is constructed mainly of plastic, they have more metal on the infrastructure to help support that plastic. This also means that the CF-53 or CF-54 can not be dropped from 6 feet like the CF-31, but rather a 3-foot drop. Dropping from any higher, the two semi-rugged units would likely result in damage to more than the exterior casing.
Also, semi-rugged laptops are less sturdy than their fully rugged counterparts. They work better for anyone needing a durable computer to complete their tasks.
Similarities: Toughbook CF-54 vs. Toughbook CF-53
Since Panasonic built the CF-54 to replace the CF-53, they share many things in common. They both have strong retractable carry handles, perfect for carrying them around when you need to go portable. They both have an option to come installed with a touchscreen. Make sure, if you are shopping for one, it is one with a touchscreen. These models even have a better screen resolution than the non-touch variants.
These rugged laptops have Intel Core i5s embedded in their motherboards, but the CF-54 has a newer generation processor than the CF-53. Due to the CF-54 being newer, the Toughbook has a slightly newer generation processor than the CF-53, making it faster than its predecessor.
They both can come with backlit chiclet keyboards, but on the CF-53, it is an upgrade option. From the factory, the original keyboard is just a standard chiclet keyboard. To get the backlight, you would have had the upgrade.
The CF-53 and CF-54 have an optional upgradeable keyboard; they can come with either a standard keyboard without a backlight or a backlit chiclet keyboard. Neither keyboard is fully waterproof, but they do their best to keep water out of the Toughbook.
While neither laptop is waterproof, they both should be able to handle up to some degree of water being dropped or sprayed on it. Though the CF-54 has never been tested officially by Panasonic to determine its water resistance, it still may be able to stave off some degree of water damage.
Advantages of the Panasonic Toughbook CF-53
While the CF-53 and CF-54 are MIL-STD-810G, the CF-53 has a thicker chassis than the CF-54. The CF-54 being thinner and lighter ultimately makes the CF-53 feel more rugged than its newer counterpart. Though this isn’t necessarily the case, it is easy to come to this conclusion when comparing the two laptops.
One of Bob’s favorite features on the CF-53 laptop are their thick, water-resistant port covers that snap closed by interlocking with the computer’s chassis.
Benefits of the Panasonic Toughbook CF-54
On the other hand, the CF-54 is lightweight and easy to move around with. The CF-54 processes information faster with its newer Intel processor and M.2 SSD. Not only that, but it, like most semi-rugged units, comes with a convenient carrying handle for transportation.
In comparison to the CF-53, the CF-54 has a larger and easier-to-use mousepad. This allows for quicker and more precise navigation around your operating system. In place of the DVD/CD RW drive or a dummy placeholder, the CF-54 has an optional secondary battery installed in the media expansion bay. The CF-54 even comes with an LED to display the status of the second battery, too!
Ports Comparison
The available ports on the Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 include a PCMCIA Type II slot, ExpressCard slot, SD Card slot, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, SIM card drawer, 9-pin serial, gigabit ethernet, docking connector, headphone jack, and microphone jack.
Even though the build of the CF-54 is considerably slimmer, it still comes with many of the ports needed for everyday use. While the CF-54 has overall less ports in total, many of the ports are updated versions from the CF-53. These ports include a high-capacity SDXC slot, SIM card slot, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, docking connector, ports for audio in and out, and a gigabit ethernet port, as well as an internal secondary M.2 SSD.
Hard Drives and Caddies
The Panasonic CF-53’s hard drive is on the bottom of the laptop, and you must press a switch to take it out. The hard drive caddy comes with minimal padding on both models, unlike a fully rugged unit, which usually has great shock and vibration protection built into its caddies.
On the CF-54, the hard drive comes out of the side of the laptop. Panasonic designed this hard drive caddy to be slimmer than the 53’s and has even less padding. An SSD would be the optimal solution to solve any worries of shock or vibration in either of these two units.