Review: Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet

Text and photos by Emily Chung

The Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet is “built for the toughest jobs”, Dell boasts. While I don’t have an extremely harsh working environment, I own an auto repair shop and you can imagine the amount of dust, oil, grease, hazards, etc that we have onsite. I was curious to use the rugged tablet at work, and find out how it would perform for us. Hit jump for our hands on review of this rugged ultraportable.

We used the Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet for diagnostic information lookup, shop management software, and vehicle inspection reports. Overall, the tablet performed as hoped, reliably accessing and displaying information when we needed it. We had multiple windows and applications open, and there was no difference in the performance of the laptop.

I was happy that the touchscreen display worked even with my work gloves on, though I did need to press harder and it lagged slightly when compared to my use without wearing gloves. The rugged tablet was well protected with built-in covers for the cameras. While we didn’t drop the tablet, I’m pretty confident that if we did it would have survived!

I could list the technical environmental testing details that the Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet passed, though for me it’s about practical application. For example, Dell has put this tablet through “explosive atmosphere” testing (where the “unit must be operating and perform various functions in an explosive environment without igniting the atmosphere”). I’m sure my technicians (heck, even my kids) would have loved the opportunity to test this out, but at the end of the day I’m interested in how the device managed against blowing dust, sand, and vibration – common elements at our repair shop.

After a week with the device and testing it in our daily shop routines, the tablet stayed relatively clean. It was easy to wipe down and maintain. I liked that the device was portable so that we could just grab it and use it between bays as well as inside the vehicle during diagnostics.  

The Rugged Extreme Tablet’s battery charge lasted over a couple of days without plugging in at our shop. It has two 34WHr batteries that you can swap out easily if you have extra ones charged up and ready to go. When you’re working in extreme conditions, the last thing you’ll want to be looking for is an outlet to plug into.

The Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet has its own tethered passive stylus, though we received (and preferred) an additional active stylus that was more comfortable (PN720R).

I also put aside my personal Dell XPS13 and used the rugged tablet for the review week. In addition to operating the repair shop, I also teach at a college, do speaking engagements, write, and more. It’s obvious that the rugged tablet is heavier than my XPS13 but I quite liked that I didn’t have to think much about tossing it onto my passenger seat as I drove between meetings. The backlit rugged keyboard serves as a cover and is magnetically held in the closed position. Using the keyboard cover meant that the rugged tablet was twice as thick. Having said that, the keyboard worked well so that I could write and prepare lectures, giving the tablet more versatility.

I used the rugged tablet for video calls and the 5MP high definition webcam captured me realistically on the video calls (thank goodness). The microphone picked up my voice well enough as I sat in my office even when the shop’s impact guns and compressors were going off in the service bays.

There are many ports available on the Rugged Extreme Tablet, and I appreciate that each one had its own cover. These include a mini RS-232 port, USB 3.0 Type-C port with DisplayPort functionality, USB 3.1 Type-A with power delivery, a micro SD-card slot, and a combination microphone/headphone jack. On the opposite side there is also a Kensington lock slot so you can keep the rugged tablet safe and secure.

The Dell Latitude 7220 Rugged Extreme Tablet is exactly that – built rugged to handle some of the most extreme workplaces. In recognition of those who work in these conditions, Dell has put together its Top 20 Most Rugged Jobs list. As a licensed automotive service technician, I’m happy to see many skilled trades represented in the list! Kudos to those who pursue these careers, and thank you for literally building and supporting our communities!

Rating: 4 out of 5