IT Pro is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Motion Computing J3500 review

The Motion Computing J3500 claims to be rugged, but is it up to the job? We review it to find out.

The Core i7-640UM's biggest selling point, though, is that it couples this fine performance with Turbo Boost to give the cores a temporary boost to 2.266GHz, Hyper-Threading to bump up the number of cores from a physical two to a logical four, and an extremely low power draw. This processor's TDP is an incredibly frugal-looking 18W.

This leads us, however, to the J3500's major weaknesses battery life. Despite boasting twin packs, the batteries that slot into the bays at the rear of the device are low on capacity (2,000mAh each), and it shows when you come to use them away from the mains. In idle with the screen on half-brightness, they lasted just four hours 39mins before both ran completely dry. That's disappointing, as each mobile worker will need at least one spare battery pack to get a full day's use and, therefore, the desktop battery charger accessory too.

The price softens the blow. In its most basic configuration the J3500 starts at 1,620 exc VAT, going up as you add to the specification until you reach our review model at 2,253, but even at that price it's good vale for a mobile computer this rugged. Dell's XT2 tablet, for comparison, although a little more water resistant, starts at a base price of 2,534.

But still, we find it rather difficult to wholeheartedly recommend the J3500. It's supposed to be a no-fuss, field computer, and it certainly has the feature set to go the distance, but its small batteries and inevitably limited battery life damage the convenience and manageability from both an end user and IT manager's perspective, and just hold it back from achieving greatness.

Verdict

A versatile and reasonably priced rugged tablet PC, but the battery life is a little disappointing.

Processor: Intel Core-i7 640UM, 1.2GHz

?Memory: 4GB 800MHz DDR3 RAM?

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics

?Hard disk: 128GB SSD

?Display: 12.1in 1366 x 766, LED-backlit, sunlight readable, Wacom dual multitouch and digitiser screen?Features: Three megapixel camera with light, fingerprint reader with TPM 1.2, microphone, stereo speakers

?Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR?Ports: 2 x USB, D-SUB output, SmartCard slot, ExpressCard/34, 3.5mm headphone and microphone audio sockets ?

Dimensions: 323 x 231 x 23mm (WxDxH)?Weight: 1.9kg?

Warranty: 1yr C&R warranty?

OS: Windows 7 Professional 32-bit

Featured Resources

IT best practices for accelerating the journey to carbon neutrality

Considerations and pragmatic solutions for IT executives driving sustainable IT

Free Download

The Total Economic Impact™ of IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Cost savings and business benefits enabled by storage built with IBMSpectrum Virtualize

Free download

Using application migration and modernisation to supercharge business agility and resiliency

Modernisation can propel your digital transformation to the next generation

Free Download

The strategic CFO

Why finance transformation propels business value

Free Download

Recommended

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022) GU603Z review: Huge processing power you can carry with you
Laptops

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022) GU603Z review: Huge processing power you can carry with you

6 Jul 2022
Alienware x17 R2 review: A frighteningly fast content creation monster
Laptops

Alienware x17 R2 review: A frighteningly fast content creation monster

29 Jun 2022
Best business laptops 2023
Laptops

Best business laptops 2023

13 Jun 2022

Most Popular

The big PSTN switch off: What’s happening between now and 2025?
Sponsored

The big PSTN switch off: What’s happening between now and 2025?

13 Mar 2023
Why – and how – IP can be the hero in your digital transformation success story
Sponsored

Why – and how – IP can be the hero in your digital transformation success story

6 Mar 2023
What is GPT-4?
artificial intelligence (AI)

What is GPT-4?

15 Mar 2023