Dorland, a ruggedized device specialist from China, has launched the Intrinsically Safe Tablet PC Ex Screen K10. The new tablet is claimed to be “explosion proof,” and capable of withstanding “extreme temperatures and pressure.” Another interesting feature of this tablet is that Dorland has decided to adopt the Kirin StarKylin Operating System 1.0 (StarKylin OS 1.0).
How rugged is it?
We would hate to be skeptical about Dorland’s ruggedness claims. However, according to the press release and promotional material, this device has obtained certification to ISEO ATEX Ex ib IIC T4 Gb and ATEX Ex ib IIIC T130°C Db. This reference PDF will help you decode these certifications, but the T130°C mentioned refers to the maximum temperature the exposed surfaces of the device will be able to endure. In this case, that temperature is 130 degrees Celsius (266 degrees Fahrenheit).
The ruggedness and durability claims don’t stop there. Dorland also claims that the Ex Screen K10 satisfies MIL-STD-810H certification requirements. These US military test standards assess a product's resistance to ingress, extremes of temperature, shocks, vibration, and many more. Dorland has specifically highlighted two rugged aspects of its Ex Screen K10, though. It claims the tablet is impact resistant and can withstand drops from 1.22m (4ft), as well as saying it is crushproof, and can withstand being run over by a 1.5-ton vehicle.
As far as ruggedness goes, the Ex Screen K10 also sports a familiar IP rating. It is IP65, meaning it is thoroughly dust-tight (6), but it shouldn’t be subjected to direct liquid jets or be submerged at all (5).
Normal tablet tech specs
While the durability of the Dorland Intrinsically Safe Tablet PC Ex Screen K10 is admittedly impressive, we have seen much better key component choices delivered by well-known brands. Starting from the outside, the Ex Screen K10 uses a 10.1-inch IPS screen with 1280 x 800 pixels, but no screen brightness or color specs are shared.
Under the hood, there is a pretty old Rockchip RK3568 SoC with a quad-core Cortex-A55-based CPU and Mali G52 2EE graphics. Dorland seems pretty proud that this is a “domestic” processor though. The 4GB of RAM seems rather stingy in 2024. Built-in storage is either 64 or 128GB, depending on how much you want to pay, but the device is compatible with the best microSD cards, up to 512GB.
Other features include a 5MP front camera, an 8MP rear camera, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, GPS, Glonass & Baidu support, USB 3.0 Type-C with HDMI, and a 10,000mAh battery. As a bonus, the battery is also claimed to be “explosion proof.”
We don’t know much about the OS. Some say that the StarKylin OS 1.0 is a smart device-friendly version of Kylin yet it is still based on Linux. Meanwhile, Dorland described the OS on this tablet as an alternative to “Android 12.”
Customers are expected to be mainly from power, petroleum, chemical, and other heavy industries, as well as companies who have operations in places classified as Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.
We don’t have product pricing or availability information. Dorland hasn’t uploaded an official product page at the time of writing.
