The MobileDemand Flex 10B is essentially a Windows tablet that comes in a prebuilt protective case. And it comes with an included keyboard too that has a snap mount on it to attach to the tablet. It probably is the best rugged laptop and the best laptop that is both cheap and ultra lightweight.
Why We Like It – MobileDemand Flex 10B
The MobileDemand Flex 10B Ultra Lightweight Windows Tablet, as the name suggests, is an entry level lightweight, rugged tablet that comes at a very enticing price of just $665. And at 2.07 lbs, it really is as light as MobileDemand claims it to be.
- Excellent keyboard and trackpad
- Modular design
- Extremely lightweight
- A bit top heavy, gets knocked over easily even with the keyboard installed
Related: For those who like older models from Microsoft, check the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review
Power & Performance
The performance of the MobileDemand Flex 10B is not that bad considering the price. The Intel Celeron N4100 quad core processor should be able to handle most low stress workloads perfectly fine. And while the 4 gigs of memory is pretty low, you don’t really need anything substantially higher unless you’re into opening way too many tabs at the same time. If you need a better performing rugged laptop, get the Lenovo ThinkPad P52 instead.
Battery
On average, you can expect about 6 hours of battery life from this tablet, which is actually better than we expected. It sports a 3000mAh battery. We would have gladly traded the lightweight aspect of this laptop for a bigger battery (because there’s more than enough space for one), but at this price 6 hours is nothing to scoff at. If you’re not satisfied, you need to rather grab the battery life champ LG Gram 17 ultrabook.
Ports & Expandability
For a tablet of this nature, it actually comes with a lot of different ports. You do get both USB Type A (USB 3.0) and USB Type C. And you also get a mini HDMI port for display output. And as always, there’s also a 3.5mm standard headphone jack. The only other rugged laptop that can probably beat it in terms of available ports is the Panasonic ToughBook.
Build Quality
The build quality overall is excellent. The tablet truly is built like a tank overall. The protective case like design on the edges prevents the glass display from shattering due to the impact of a drop. And the whole modular design also is a big plus point in our book.
Related: If you want a cheap laptop for your kid, you may check the MSI GF63 Thin 9RCX 818 15 6 review
Value
The fact that this tablet can be bought at under $700 is pretty impressive, to say the least. So the value proposition of it already is very good, especially for field workers. And while things like the proprietary charger, low-res display do dent the value aspect of the Flex 10B a bit, overall, it’s an excellent value for money buy.
MobileDemand Flex 10B Wrap Up
Well, looking at everything above, we can conclude that the MobileDemand Flex 10B is a pretty great budget rugged tablet/laptop. If you are not going to perform any demanding work, you can go for it with your eyes closed.
