Fujitsu STYLISTIC M532 Pro Reviews

The Fujitsu Stylistic M532 is a very solid business tablet option, despite being an imperfect device. There are a few flaws that counter some of its greatest strengths, including the way the powerful and otherwise efficient processor randomly gets gummed up every now and then, and how the MIL-STD toughness may protect it from the elements, but not so much from physical trauma. But beyond that, the M532 is well-equipped to serve enterprise audiences, with great security features, a sleek, easy to carry form factor, capable hardware, and virtually no preloaded bloatware to clutter up the machine. It may be a little on the expensive side, what with a starting price of $549.00, but on the other hand, that's no worse than the new iPad; all models except the 16 GB Wi-Fi model ($499) are more expensive than the M532 and it's found plenty of success in the enterprise market. So if you're finding that your current Android business tablet is becoming a little outdated and you're looking for a refresh -- or even if you're looking to invest in one for the first time -- the Stylistic M532 is one of your best bets.

A decent, well-specified tablet, but the Stylistic M532 struggles to stand out from the crowd

The Fujitsu Stylistic M532 is a high-end Android tablet that does a lot of things right, but its high price tag and specialized features make it an enterprise-only product.

The Fujitsu Stylistic M532 MSRP is about $550, which is roughly the initial going rate for a 10” tablet with 32GB of internal memory and SIM card slot for data. It, however, adds a military standard toughness to the mix, so you can be comfortable with more abuse and neglect than your average Android slate. The Asus Transformer Pad TF300 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1), offer similar specs in this price range, but are not as rugged, and Fujitsu’s design is on top of that thinner, lighter and more appealing than both. The Asus slate allows you to hook up USB peripherals to the tablet, though, whereas the microUSB port with the Stylistic is only for data transfer. However, there is a big elephant in the room, called the new iPad, which comes more expensive with the cellular connectivity, but will offer that “Resolutionary” display no other tablet is even close to matching, plus a cool aluminum chassis. If you are fine with standard display resolution, you can get the 32GB iPad 2 in 3G flavor for about the same money as the Fujitsu Stylistic M532, and have an abundance of slicker tablet-tailored apps at your disposal. The things that make the Fujitsu Android tablet stand out are its comparative ruggedness in a slim, light and comfortable to hold red-accent design, plus the useful set of licensed enterprise-friendly apps. The market will decide whether these are enough to battle the rest of the Android crowd in this day and age of $200 7-inchers, and $350 10” tablets.

"Just another tablet?" was our first question after looking at the Fujitsu's Stylistic M532's spec sheet. And it has a reduced performance. We admit we should be unprejudiced as test editors. But how was that with the first stone…? In any case, the 10.1 inch tablet convinced us in almost every respect and taught us a lesson. The tablet made a positive impression in almost every test category. But first things first. The workmanship is virtually flawless, but cannot quite keep up with devices featuring an aluminum case. In return, the rubberized back is very pleasant to hold and Fujitsu's Stylistic will not simply slip off the table either. But it could be a bit more rigid. The connectivity is next to complete. Fast wifi via dual-antennas, HSPA+ capable 3G module and expandable memory fit well to the claim of a tablet for private and corporate users. That is particularly true for the extensive, well-considered app bundle. However, it would not have been necessary to make the HDMI port available only via the dock connector. An adapter or the cradle cost extra in any case.

A great Android offering from Fujitsu, the Stylistic M532 dutifully ticks each box on our what-we-want-from-a-tablet list. There's slick performance from the Tegra 3 processor and Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The tough build quality and slim design are certainly standout highlights. It's true that it faces tough competition from other Android heavyweights such as the Acer Iconia Tab A510, Asus Transformer Prime and the Toshiba AT300, but the Fujitsu is more than capable of giving these tablets a run for their money. Fujitsu might take some heat by opting for a proprietary connection on the bottom of the tablet, but if it follows up with some killer accessories, then we can see the appeal of the Fujitsu Stylistic M532 growing even more. It's unlikely that the business angle will draw iPad customers away from their devices and yes, there are a few issues we've outlined above – even battery life could be slightly better – but these are tiny blemishes on what is a very good piece of tech. In short, whether or not you plan to use this for business, it's still among the top Android tablets out there, and well worth considering.