Crosscall Core-T4 review
We are used to tablets born to keep us company at home, in the office or among school desks but in reality there is another category of devices, those rugged. These are products designed to withstand the most hostile environments, whether they are construction sites, factories and outdoor places where the risk of falls, accidental immersions and dust infiltration is quite high. Crosscall Core-T4 belongs to this type of device and is the first tablet made by the French company. But how does it fare? We talk about it in this review.
Not for all
Core-T4's vocation is immediately evident: generous shapes, heavy weight (610 grams), reinforcements on each side and hermetic closures for the two inputs present, the upper one dedicated to the 3,5 mm jack and the lower one designed for the USB-C charging cable. So forget the elegant and thin tablets recently released: the Crosscall one is definitely different but in return it guarantees you resistance to falls 1,5 m, total impermeability to dust and liquids for dives of up to 2 meters for 30 minutes. We then have the MIL STD 810G military certification. But what does this mean? In addition to what has already been indicated, Core-T4 withstands ice, humidity, shocks, vibrations, temperatures from -20 ° to 55 ° C, low pressure, thermal shock, rust, mold and brackish environments. All elements that make it suitable for different types of users but we will talk about this later.
On the front we have a 8 inch display which, however, did not totally convince us. We explain why. The screen is an IPS with a resolution of 1280 × 800 and basically behaves quite well: it is bright, the color rendering is satisfactory and the Ambient Display is present.
The frames that surround it, however, are really very large. Of course, it is probably all designed to ensure the maximum possible resistance but, on the other hand, we are in our hands a very abundant device even though it does not have an equally large display.
Another aspect to consider is the resolution. Let me be clear: you can see well but we would have preferred at least a FullHD considering the important cost, ie 529,90 euro.
The speaker, which it offers, completes the front endowment a decidedly high volume considering the very small size, and the 5 megapixel front camera.
On the sides instead we find on the left the volume rocker, the on and off button and an additional button that you can customize by choosing 4 possible functions: camera, X-Safe (to launch an emergency call), Flashlight or opening any installed app. You can also decide whether to opt for the long press or 3 short presses.
Finally, on the left we have the slot for the Nano SIM and a second additional button, always customizable.
Finally, on the back we find the 13 megapixel rear camera with LED Flash and the X-Link connector, a proprietary magnetic fixing that allows you to easily attach any accessories, which can be purchased separately.
Crosscall Core-T4 review: appearance deceives
Under the body we have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor, 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory, expandable via microSD up to 512 GB. The hardware is therefore mid-range, again in contrast to the price of the tablet. Not bad though: in the end you will have no problem carrying out all kinds of activities, whether it is a few hours with video games, normal internet browsing or viewing multimedia content.
On the connectivity front we have two SIMs, dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC and GPS. In short, there is really everything you may need. The photographic behavior is much less satisfactory. The 5 megapixel front sensor is really disappointing, while the rear camera only manages to cope fairly well in good light conditions. As happens on most tablets, you have to consider the photographic behavior as a sort of feature to be used in an emergency, when you do not have a smartphone at hand or when you are surprised by some video call while you are in the field.
To feed it instead we find a 7000 mAh battery which guarantees dozens of hours of use. With average use in fact it will last 3/4 days without difficulty, while you go down to about a day if you decide to intensively use its GPS for navigation, on the street or on foot for outdoor activities.
What is a bit disappointing is the software. In fact, Crosscall has decided to opt for Android 9 with security patches currently updated in February 2020. We would have expected Android 10 or perhaps a little more timeliness in the release of the security updates. As for the interface, on the other hand, it is practically stock, except for the menu dedicated to additional buttons and for the Gloves mode, which increases the touch sensitivity of the screen to allow you to use it without removing your gloves.
CROSSCALL Core-T4 Tablet / Smartphone Unlocked, Wifi / 4G + ...
- Waterproof and resistant, Zero Touch and AER
- Great autonomy - Battery 7000 mAh / in conversation: 50h42 / in standby (4G): 756h / in GPS: 18h24
- Front camera: 5MP / Sensor: 13MP
Crosscall Core-T4 sensors
The applications pre-installed on Core-T4 are very few. Among these we have X4 Sensors, that is the application that allows you to directly access sensors and information that we do not normally use or display.
Which? Let's proceed in order.
First of all we have the compass, which uses the 3D magnetometer to indicate the angle of the phone relative to the magnetic pole, e the accelerometer, which shows precisely the acceleration of the device on the 3 axes. The GPS instead your latitude, longitude and altitude, while the light sensor detects the ambient brightness. There are also data relating to Bluetooth connectivity, the WiFi signal and the data network; finally there is the Battery tab which shows the discharge current, that is the energy supplied by the battery at that specific moment.
It is evident that all this information is not particularly useful for home use but that is not why Crosscall Core-T4 was born. Hikers, pilots or skilled workers from a range of different sectors could benefit from this data.
Which brings us to the final question: Who is this tablet meant for?
Crosscall Core-T4 review: who is it for?
Crosscall's first tablet is a niche product, born for those who work in the world of logistics, construction, aeronautics or in any other environment that requires resistance, impermeability and the ability to withstand very low or very high temperatures. Basically it is suitable for all kinds of activities but it is clear that there is still room for improvement, especially considering the challenging price: for 529,90 euros we would have expected something more in terms of hardware and software.
Crosscall Core-T4
Pro 
- Resistant to everything
- Good display
- Excellent autonomy
- Sensors of all kinds
- Gloves Mode
Cons 
- Abundant size
- Mid-range hardware
- Little updated software
