Tuga A6 vs Tuga A8
Buy the Tuga A6 at £299 for photos, job sheets and sign-off from a pocket; pay £80 more for the Tuga A8 at £379 if you fill in forms, read drawings or want a van mount. Both are rugged Android devices for sole traders and small firms.
The short answer
The A6 costs £299 and the A8 £379, a gap of £80, and what that £80 buys is size. Both run Android 14, both are sealed to IP68 and drop tested to MIL-STD-810H, both have glove mode, NFC and GPS, and both are rated to work from -20°C to 60°C. The decision comes down to two things: how much screen your work needs, and whether you want to carry a tablet at all.
Pay the £80 for the screen. The A8 is 8 inches against 6.78, which helps with test schedules, long checklists and PDF drawings without pinching and zooming. It is 800 nits against 560, and the A8 is the one listed as sunlight readable for a bright roof. It also has USB-A, a hand strap in the box and the £109 Vehicle Mounting Dock, which is listed for the A8 and not the A6. The cost is weight: at 680g against 441g, it suits a bag or a van door pocket better than a trouser pocket.
Keep the £80 if a phone-sized screen will do. The A6 has 5G, IP69K, a larger battery with 33W fast charging, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and a 64MP night vision camera for lofts, voids and under floors. A fingerprint sensor and face unlock are listed for the A6, not listed for the A8. Both include 12 months, and both can take the paid 3-Year Warranty at £65. See the electricians page and the field service page, or tell us what you fill in on site and we will say which we would buy.
Choose the Tuga A6 if
- You want one device that goes in a pocket or a Belt Holster (£22) rather than a tablet in a bag: 441g against 680g.
- Your day is photos, job sheets, proof of delivery and sign-off, and a 6.78 inch screen at 2460 x 1080 is enough for that.
- The device gets jet washed along with your kit: IP68 plus IP69K against IP68 alone on the A8.
- You photograph lofts, voids and under floors, where the 64MP night vision camera is meant to earn its keep.
- You upload from site and want 5G rather than 4G LTE, with 33W fast charging to top up between jobs.
Choose the Tuga A8 if
- You fill in forms, test schedules or long checklists on site and want 8 inches of screen rather than pinching and zooming on 6.78.
- You read drawings, PDFs or route maps on the device, where screen area matters more than pixel count.
- You want it on the dashboard: the A8 is vehicle mountable and the Vehicle Mounting Dock (£109) is listed for it, the A6 is not.
- You work on bright roofs and open sites and want the 800 nit screen against 560 nits.
- You plug in USB-A peripherals without an adapter: the A8 has USB-C and USB-A ports, the A6 has USB-C OTG.
What is different
Every line comes from the two specification sheets, the same figures as the product pages. Rows where the A6 and A8 differ are tinted.
- The A8 costs £80 more: £379 against £299 for the A6.
- The A6 is lighter by 239g: 441g against 680g for the A8.
- The A8 has the bigger screen: 8 inch against 6.8 inch on the A6.
- The A6 has the higher resolution: 2460 x 1080 against 1280 x 800 on the A8.
- The A8 is brighter: 800 nits against 560 nits on the A6.
- The A6 has the bigger battery: 10600mAh against 10000mAh on the A8.
- The A6 is sealed to IP68 + IP69K and the A8 to IP68.
- Both are drop tested to MIL-STD-810H.
- Both run Android 14.
- Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC on the A6 vs 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC on the A8.
Identical on both: drop standard (MIL-STD-810H), operating system (Android 14), operating temperature (-20°C to 60°C).
| Specification | Tuga A6 | Tuga A8 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6.78" FHD+ 120Hz | 8" sunlight readable |
| Resolution | 2460 x 1080 | 1280 x 800 |
| Brightness | 560 nits | 800 nits |
| Memory | 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB | 128GB |
| Expandable storage | microSD up to 2TB | microSD up to 512GB |
| IP rating | IP68 + IP69K | IP68 |
| Drop standard | MIL-STD-810H | MIL-STD-810H |
| Battery | 10600mAh | 10000mAh |
| Charging | 33W fast charge | 18W fast charge |
| Operating system | Android 14 | Android 14 |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5G | Octa-core 2.0GHz |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC | 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC |
| Camera | 64MP night vision + 50MP main | 13MP rear + 5MP front |
| Weight | 441g | 680g |
| Operating temperature | -20°C to 60°C | -20°C to 60°C |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column →
What fits which
Every accessory is matched to specific models. These are the ones that fit each of the two.
Fits both
Fits only the A6
Questions about the A6 and A8
Mostly for the screen. If you fill in forms, test schedules or checklists on site, or read drawings and PDFs, the 8 inch screen is worth £80 on its own, and the vehicle mount option and 800 nit brightness come with it. If your work is photos, short job sheets, proof of delivery and messaging, the A6 at £299 is the better buy, and it fits in a pocket. The A8 is the bigger device, and for forms and drawings bigger is what you are paying for.
Short ones should be fine, but check your own app first. The A6 screen is 6.78 inches at 2460 x 1080, a phone-sized screen suited to short job sheets and signatures. Long forms and drawings mean a lot of scrolling, pinching and zooming, which is where the A8 starts to pay for itself. Check your own app on the device rather than assuming: open the longest form you fill in on a typical day and see whether you can work through it one-handed. The Capacitive Stylus (£14.99) is listed for the A8 but not for the A6, which matters if you want a stylus for customer signatures.
They are close, and the A6 edges it on sealing. Both are IP68, both are drop tested to MIL-STD-810H and both are rated to work from -20°C to 60°C. The A6 adds IP69K, listed as surviving jet washing, not just rain, and lists Gorilla Glass 5, which is not listed for the A8. Neither lists a drop height. If the device will be jet washed, the A6 is the one rated for it. Our IP rating guide and MIL-STD-810H guide explain what each rating does and does not test.
Not with the same dock. The A8 is vehicle mountable and the Vehicle Mounting Dock (£109), a locking VESA mount with DC power input, is listed for the A8, A10, W8 and W10. It is not listed for the A6. What fits the A6 is the Car Phone Mount (£17), a heavy duty suction cup mount for rugged handhelds, and the 12V DC Car Charger (£26) fits both. So the A6 can sit in a suction cup mount and charge from the 12V socket, but if you want a locked-in dashboard unit that comes out as the site tablet, that is the A8. Everything is on the accessories page.
Read next
18 March 2026
Best Tablets for Field Engineers and Service Technicians
The best tablets for field engineers and service technicians in the UK. 4G, GPS, camera, battery life and glove friendly screens that work on the job.
Read
7 March 2026
Best Budget Rugged Tablets Under £400 in 2026
The best rugged tablets under £400 in 2026. Genuine IP68 protection, MIL-STD drop testing, and all day battery without the enterprise price tag.
Read
25 March 2026
IP68 vs IP67: What Waterproof Rating Do You Actually Need?
IP68 vs IP67 explained simply. What each waterproof rating means for UK tradespeople, real world scenarios, and which Tuga tablets have which rating.
Read