Rugged

If you thought that last year's Apple Watch Ultra was a pretty impressive adventure wearable, there was clearly room for improvement as the second generation launches – with a much brighter display, double-tap control and on-watch Siri.

By their very nature, rugged tablets are deigned to withstand all kinds of punishment at construction sites, on military missions or wilderness adventures. Utah's Juniper Systems claims that the Mesa Pro is the first IP68 model with active cooling.

Rugged device maker Oukitel has followed last month's launch of a smartphone featuring a built-in camp light with an ultra-tough 5G tablet called the RT7 Titan that sports a huge 32,000-mAh battery and is said to be the world's first 5G rugged tablet.

When heading into the wilds for a camping trip, space in a backpack is at a premium. Oukitel has lightened the load by incorporating a powerful camp light into its latest rugged smartphone, allowing outdoors enthusiasts to leave the lantern at home.

Garmin has announced a solar version of the Instinct 2 rugged smartwatch launched back in early 2022, which promises "infinite battery life" and comes with a built-in flashlight. The Instinct 2X Solar is also joined by a stealthy Tactical Edition.

Ordinarily, we think of hand-pulled cargo carts as being one thing, and bicycle trailers as being another. The Mule wagon combines both in one off-road-capable device, which can also be mounted on a car or truck's trailer hitch.

Garmin has launched a new Instinct adventure watch called the Crossover that takes a hybrid approach by combining GPS smartwatch functionality with classic analog timekeeping courtesy of luminescent hour markers and watch hands.

Doogee smartphones can generally be counted on for ruggedness, generous batteries and affordability. The company's S89 Pro is no exception, rocking military-grade protection, an enormous battery and a wallet-friendly ticket price.

Samsung has pulled back the curtain on a new rugged phone. The Galaxy XCover6 Pro is designed for reliability and flexibility in the field, coming with a user replaceable battery, the ability to act as a mini PC and 4K video recording capabilities.

Getac has added two new additions to its family of rugged mobile workstations, both built to survive extreme operational conditions faced by defense personnel, in transport and logistics operations and field work in the energy industries.

Panasonic has supported the mobile workforce for a good many years with its line of Toughbook business laptops. Now the company has announced its most rugged laptop yet, the modular 14-inch Toughbook 40.

Though many smartphones today can survive a dunk in the drink, taking photos or videos while submerged can be a challenge. A dedicated case might help, but you may still struggle to match the rugged capabilities of the Ricoh's new WG-80 compact.