MANUFACTURER: Honeywell
MODEL: Dolphin CT40
OPERATING SYSTEM: Starts from Android 7.1 (upgradeable to R)
The Honeywell Dolphin CT40 was released in 2018 and was designed specifically for retail and logistics companies. Built on Honeywell’s Mobility Edge platform, the CT40 is an Android-based handheld mobile computer that has won two awards for product design: iF Design Award in the product design discipline and a Red Dot Award in Industrial Equipment, Machinery, and Automation category.
Since BlueFletch is continuously evaluating and recommending hardware for our clients, we decided to conduct an in-depth device review of Honeywell’s CT40 touch computer.
How easy is it to manage?
The device comes pre-installed with Android Pie in the Google Mobile Services (GMS) variant, so you can take advantage of the Android Enterprise API’s and all the additional features Google has built into the operating system.
For extended management support, Honeywell’s OEMconfig can be found on the Google Play Store to allow for customizations and extensions to your EMM such as Workspace ONE, SOTI MobiControl, or the BlueFletch Playbook. Honeywell provides access to proprietary settings for the hardware and their custom Android OS. With OEMconfig, EMMs. now have immediate access to proprietary settings as Honeywell makes them available. The setting features are added to EMM consoles with no effort on the part of the EMM. This includes Honeywell’s unique settings for camera, USB port, Wi-Fi, display, provisioning, and more.
How easy is it to secure?
Building on Android’s top-level security, Honeywell guarantees their hardware to support five generations of Android plus security updates for up to two years past the last Google patch through Honeywell Sentinel™.
For hardware security, it’s important to note that the device does not have a standard USB-C port for data transfer. Instead, the CT40 has a proprietary port. While this is less convenient when developing on the platform, the tradeoff here is that this adds an extra layer of physical security for the device when deployed at remote sites.
How easy is it to stage?
Honeywell provides a free desktop Windows application to assist with staging their handheld computers prior to deployments. Enterprise Provisioner includes options to customize:
- Device settings
- OS updates
- Installing files (APK, licenses, etc.)
- Run an app
- File operations on the device
- Create file/directory
- Rename file/directory
- Delete file/directory
- Delete directory content
- Wait for network, reboot, intent
- Reboot the device
- Delay provisioning for X number of milliseconds
Once settings have been changed and provisioning tasks have been defined, you can generate 2D barcodes that a device scans to be provisioned. The app has a built-in HTTP server for transferring files to devices. The app also supports remote file servers such as Staging Hub.
Developer Support & API Availability
Overall, the Dolphin CT40 is a very easy device to work with. The tools and support surrounding the device are mature, although there are still some kinks and room for improvement in regards to the documentation.
Also, it’s important to note that the device does not have a standard USB-C port, which is helpful for developers when debugging applications. Instead, the CT40 has a proprietary port. The tradeoff here is that this adds an extra layer of physical security for the device.
Scanning Performance
We are impressed with the scanning ability of the CT40. When testing in our lab, we found that it can comfortably scan a 1×1 inch QR code from 20-inches away.
Honeywell is said to be releasing an updated spec later this year, the CT40p, which will include an even longer range scanner.
Battery Life
Honeywell claims the battery life of the CT40 can last up to 12 hours with a single charge. The smart battery can report on its health via Operational Intelligence platform and can be swapped out without ending a session or turning off the device.
Cellular Performance
The Dolphin CT40 has very fast Wi-Fi performance. It’s also equipped with a 4G LTE antenna, which gives drivers and other associates on-the-go quick access to business-critical information, even when they’re not connected to WiFi.
Look & Feel
Overall, the CT40 has a really nice look and feel. The rugged, sleek device is ergonomic, lightweight, and has a large 5-inch screen with great button feedback. As mentioned, it’s a recipient of two noteworthy awards in 2019: iF Design Award in the product design discipline and a Red Dot Award in Industrial Equipment, Machinery, and Automation category.
The one thing we wish the device had is a front-facing camera, so that it could utilize the BlueFletch Enterprise Launcher’s Visual Authentication feature to re-authenticate users when logging into a device.
Accessory Ecosystem
As far as accessories, the cradle for the CT40 has an extra bay for charging a second battery, in addition to a USB port. Honeywell also has other cradles that include ethernet ports and can hold up to 4 devices in total.
Other noteworthy accessories for the CT40 include a rubber boot you can put on the device to increase the drop spec rating, as well as a trigger for easier scanning.
BlueFletch Enterprise Mobility Suite Score
The BlueFletch team installed the CT40 with our Enterprise Mobility Suite software to see how the device performs, supports, and scales in the enterprise.
We gave the Honeywell Dolphin CT40 an “EMS Support Score” of 4.6/5 based on the following categories: technology, performance, development, supportability, and look & feel.
Here at BlueFletch, we understand how critical it is for software and hardware to work in tandem.
We want to ensure the software we build can function properly on the Android device it’s deployed to.
Although BlueFletch doesn’t sell hardware, we continuously evaluate devices so that we can make the best recommendation for our customers.
We’ll be posting new device reviews every month. Let us know if you have any suggestions or if there’s a device you’d like us to review!
