Tuga A8 vs Tuga WH6

Two questions settle this: where the device lives, and what it has to run. The Tuga A8 costs £379 and the Tuga WH6 costs £699, a gap of £320, and they are different shapes of device. The A8 is an 8 inch Android tablet with a 1280 x 800 screen at 1000 nits, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage with a microSD slot, IP67 sealing, a removable 8000mAh battery, dual SIM 4G, NFC, and VESA mount points and pogo pin contacts for a vehicle dock. The WH6 is a 6.5 inch Windows 11 IoT handheld on an Intel Celeron N5100 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, a 720 x 1600 screen at 400 nits, IP65, MIL-STD-810H, a 1.5 metre drop rating, a removable 4000mAh battery, USB-A and USB-C ports and a weight of 470g. If the device is going to sit in a van dock and come out for forms, photos and maps, and everything you use has an Android app or runs in a browser, the A8 does the job for £320 less.

On what is listed for toughness, the two go different ways. The A8 is sealed to IP67, which covers immersion, against IP65 on the WH6, which covers water jets. The WH6 lists more beyond sealing: MIL-STD-810H, a 1.5 metre drop rating, an operating range of -20°C to 60°C and a weight of 470g, where the A8 lists no weight, no drop figure, no MIL-STD rating and no operating temperature, so there is nothing to compare on those lines. On the screen, the A8 is ahead by some distance: 1000 nits against 400, and 8 inches against 6.5, so it is the one to read outdoors and the one for a form or a drawing. Its rear camera is 13MP with autofocus and flash against 8MP autofocus on the WH6. One caution: the A8 runs Android 12, an older version than the A6 and A10, so check the minimum version each of your apps asks for.

Pay the £320 when the device has to fit a pocket or holster, or when one program you rely on only installs on a Windows PC: a manufacturer's diagnostic tool, an older stock or job system, or anything that needs a network drive in the field. The WH6 runs it where the A8 cannot, and the USB-A port connects an instrument or a USB stick without an adapter. The WH6 with Barcode Scanner at £779, £80 over the standard WH6, adds a 2D scan engine; the A8 has no scanner version. Check the specific program runs on the WH6 and is usable on a 6.5 inch screen before you order. Both include the 12 month warranty, the paid 3-Year Warranty is £65 on the A8 and £89 on the WH6, delivery is free to UK addresses in 7 to 10 working days with no VAT to add, and either can come back within 30 days. Our Android or Windows guide has a five minute test for the software question, and the field service page shows where each device fits that work.

Tuga WH6 with Barcode Scanner, £779: £80 more than the standard Tuga WH6 at £699. The Tuga WH6 with an integrated 2D barcode scanner. Full Windows 11 in a rugged handheld with professional scanning for warehouse, logistics and inventory work.

There is no scanner version of the Tuga A8.