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Unitech PA730
Rugged Android-based handheld computer with integrated industrial-grade scanning gets tech update
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)
Unitech announced the PA730 in December 2017 as a "reinvention of the enterprise mobile computer" — an intuitive handheld computing device with cutting-edge scanning capabilities that fits into your back pocket. Primary application is that of a data collection tool for areas such as warehousing, field service and retail.
Competent technology
On the hardware side, the PA730 offers covers all the bases. There's an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 ARM A53 processing unit running at up to 1.5GHz, a chip also found in a variety of HTC, Huawei, Motorola and VAIO products. There's 2GB of RAM and 16GB of Flash storage that can be augmented by up to 128GB via a microSD Card slot. The standard battery provides 11 watt-hours, and the product brochure also lists an optional 22 watt-hour extended battery. Default battery life is listed as over ten hours. The battery is hot-swappable, a big plus out there in the field.
Just like consumer smartphones that have moved to larger screens, the Unitech PA730 comes with a suitably sized 5.0-inch LCD display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. That's 441 pixels per inch and makes for an extremely sharp picture, sharper than most premium consumer phones.The PA730 also has a 5-megapixel front camera for conferencing, and a rear 16-megapixel autofocus camera with flash for documentation.
The PA730 uses 5-point capacitive multi-touch that's also works with gloves, when it's wet, and with a stylus. Below the display are the standard three Android buttons: Back, Home, and Tasks. There are scan buttons on each side of the device, a volume rocker on the left, and also a function key and a dedicated camera key.
The PA700 is based on Android 6.0 "Marshmallow." As of late May 2018, according to Android Developers this version of Android is used on about a quarter of all Android devices.
Powerful data collection capabilities
Like most of Unitech's handhelds, the PA730 is designed to meet the needs of a large variety of data collection tasks. With its integrated 1D/2D Zebra SE4750 barcode scanner, the PA730 can handle all major 1D codes as well as PDF417, MicroPDF417, Composite, RSS, TLC-39, Datamatrix, QR Code, Micro QR Code,
Aztec, and MaxiCode, as well as most major postal codes (US PostNet, US Planet, UK Postal, Australian Postal, Japan Postal, Dutch Postal). In addition, the PA730 comes with NFC (ISO14443-4 Type A and B, ISO15693 Mifare, and FeliCa (ISO/IEC18092) for mobile payment transactions, access control applications and similar.
On the wireless communication side, there's dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, as well 2G/3G/4G LTE TDD/FDD WWAN for wide area cellular voice and data connections.
While many enterprise handhelds with integrated industrial-grade scanning are on the big and bulky side, the PA726 is quite compact with a 3.1 x 6.2 inch foot print (about like an iPhone 8 Plus), a very manageable thickness of 0.7 inches and weighing 11.4 ounces with the standard battery. The design follows contemporary enterprise handheld standards with flush frontal glass, and a rectangular shape with rounded corners. Protective rubber boots on top and bottom instantly identify the PA730 as a device that can take a beating.
And as far as ruggedness goes, the Unitech PA730 does deliver with an impressive six foot drop spec and IP67 sealing where the "6" means the device is fully dustproof, and the "7" that it can handle even full immersion. There's also a wide -4 to 122 degree Fahrenheit operating temperature range, and presumably a slew of other tests and certifications. Oh, and the display is protected by Gorilla Glass.
Bottomline
The Unitech PA730 is an excellent solution for applications where consumer smartphones in a case just won't do. Sporting a super-sharp and very bright 5-inch screen with capacitive multi-touch, high resolution cameras, and excellent connectivity, the (Verizon-certified) Unitech PA730 also comes with battery hot-swapping, industrial-grade scanning, and ruggedness far beyond anything a consumer device can offer.
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 Specifications Unitech PA730
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Added/changed
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Added 05/2018
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Form-factor
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Rugged handheld Android computer
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CPU/Speed
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Octa-core Qualcomm APQ8052 64-bit ARM A53 CPU/1.5 GHz
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Graphics
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Adreno 405
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OS
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Android "Marshmallow" 6.0
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RAM/ROM
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2GB LPDDR3/16GB eMMC Flash
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Card slots
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1 x MicroSD Card Slot (up to 128GB), 1 x Micro SIM
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Storage
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16GB eMMC Flash
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Display type
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TFT with Gorilla Glass 3, 500 nits
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Display size/res
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5.0-inch/1920 x 1080 pixel LCD (441 ppi)
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Digitizer/pens
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5-point capacitive multi-touch (wet, glove, stylus, finger)
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Keyboard/keys
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2 scan keys, volume keys, power, camera key, function key
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Navigation
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Touch
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Housing
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Impact-resistant plastic
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Operating Temp
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-4° to 122°F (-20° to 50°C)
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Sealing
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IP67
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Drop
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6-foot drop
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Vibration
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MIL-STD-810G, 514.4 Process II
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Tumbles
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5 ft (0.5m) tumbles for 300 cycles and 600 drops
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Regulatory
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CE, FCC, CEC, DOE, RoHS compliance
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Size (WxHxD)
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3.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches (79 x 157 x 18 mm)
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Weight
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11.4 oz. (323 grams) with standard battery
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Power
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Standard 3.7V 2,960mAH 11.0 watt-hour Li-Ion
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Sensors
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G-sensor, proximity, light, digital compass, gyroscope
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Camera
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Front: 5mp; rear: 16mp CMOS camera with autofocus, LED flashlight
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Interface
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1 x Mini USB 2.0 OTG, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, optional 1D CCD bar code scanner or 2D imager, optional 13.56MHz RFID reader/writer
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Wireless
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802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/d/h/i/r, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, NFC, WWAN 4G LTE Verizon Certified (voice &data), FDD LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20; TDD LTE: bands 38, 40, 41, WCDMA bands 1, 5, 8; GSM: 900/1800MHz; FDD LTE bands 4, 13
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List price
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Inquire
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Brochure
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PA730 brochure (PDF)
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Web page
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PA730 web page
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Unitech PA730
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