When it comes to working on the go, android tablets have since stolen the show from laptop PCs and notebooks, and have become the device of choice for many. Apart from serving as invaluable tools for communication and entertainment, the have proven useful for professionals to handle virtually any kind of task.
In the construction industry, Android tablets can be of immense benefit for storing blueprints as well providing access to relevant design apps. Unfortunately, professionals in fields such as architecture and engineering sometimes have to work under rough conditions that everyday tablets may not be able to withstand.
Added to this, is the fact that tablets are, for the most part, not designed to withstand rough handling, exposure to extreme weather conditions, or sudden shocks. Since construction workers work mostly outdoors, in dusty and accident-prone job sites, it would, therefore, seem that they may be unable to fully enjoy the immense benefits that cheap tablets offer.
Thankfully some manufacturers recognizing these limitations and have risen to the occasion by releasing rugged and durable android tablets.  What’s more? The best android tablets don’t have to cost you a fortune!
Best cheap tablets for construction workers
There are many cheap android tablets out there and this can make it a bit difficult to choose which one’s right for you.  Here are three of the best cheap tablets and why they are worth your consideration.
Fujitsu Stylistic M532
- Photo: Via
Running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and powered by a quad-core processor, this tablet’s 560 grams weight and is 8.6 mm thickness, makes it fairly light and thin to carry around. It features a 1 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage and is military standard (MIL-STD-810G) certified to withstand high humidity, high altitudes, shocks, vibrations and low or high temperatures.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Active SM-T360N
- Photo: Via
This 8-inch tablet is an attractive but rugged device that is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 processor and Adreno 305 graphics processing unit.  The IP67 certification of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active means that it is dust and immersion in water up to 1 meter and 30 minutes and can survive drops of up to 1.2 meters. There’s a small stylus that you can use to get around the OS, input text or draw diagrams when wearing protective gloves.
Although the 1280×800 pixels resolution of its TFT display isn’t as high as that of contemporary tablets, it’s still good enough for everyday use, even under direct sunlight. The lower-resolution screen and excellent software optimization of this tablet lets the 4450mAh built-in battery, give you good mileage through an entire day of moderate to heavy use. The screen can also be viewed from different angles, making it easy for others to view diagrams or charts, without necessarily facing the screen directly. For occasional picture taking, you have a 2 MP front-facing self-portrait, and a 3.15 MP back camera.
Check out also: Rugged devices for construction
MobileDemand xTablet Flex 10
- Photo: Via
The MobileDemand xTablet Flex 10 is a rugged tablet that, despite the fact it is designed to be used in tough working environments, has all the same features that a regular consumer tablet has. Thanks to this, you’ll also be able to use it at home or on vacation to play games, watch movies, or simply browse the web.
This cheap tablet PC comes with a protective case that has been crafted out of tough polycarbonate plastic – giving it a solid feel. The case itself features a sealed docking connector and silicone tabs that guarantee no dirt or water is able to enter the ports on your tablet. Additionally, it comes with soft bumpers at the edges, taking away your fears of breaking your tablet PC by dropping it. Weighing merely 900 grams, this tablet PC certainly is one of the lighter rugged tables available.
On its 10.1 Inch FHD display, this tablet PC portraits all your work in high detail and vivid color. The screen has furthermore been chemically hardened and has an oil-resistant coating thanks to which it won’t show any fingerprints. Additionally, the tablet computer features a Quad-Core CPU that is capable of reaching speeds up to 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, and 64GB of storage. With all this hardware at hand, you can be assured the tablet is able to handle whatever program you wish to run at it. Thanks to its 7400mAh battery, you can use the tablet throughout a full working day without needing to worry about running out of juice.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking for a basic and cheap Android tablet or a highly advanced rugged device – the three tablet PCs introduced above offer something for any type of outdoor tablet user. The one thing these tablet computers do have in common is that all of them have been designed to operate in tough environments – making them perfect to be used in the construction industry.
About the Author: Jeffrey Ulrich is CEO of .