The Cat S60 has a strengthened die cast frame and uses a built-in thermal camera from FLIR, a world leader in the use of thermal imaging technology.
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But, in the image of its famed rugged equipment, the brand’s newest smartphone is built to withstand a beating – and it has thermal imaging sensors built into it. Cat also claims that the S60 will have the first waterproof rating in the industry certifying the phone to last at depths up to 5 meters for up to an hour.
But once you flip it over, you notice that the S60 has two camera lenses instead of one.
While the thermal camera is clearly the biggest selling point of the Cat S60, the phone has some other strong features, flawless for tradesmen, builders, and the like. Created to exceed the military’s 810G drop test specifications, the smartphone utilizes Gorilla Glass 4 and can be dropped safely at a height of over five-and-a-half feet.
The thermal imaging cam provides temperature contrast visualizations, using the phone’s screen, and can be useful in numerous scenarios, like detecting heat loss around windows and doors, spotting moisture and missing insulation, identifying over-heating electrical appliances and circuitry, or and seeing in complete darkness.
Inside, the Cat S60 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage, so there’s lots of space for images. “The Cat S60 represents a milestone for smartphones”. Its GPS system can work with the Russian Glonass and Chinese Beidou satellite networks, too. Further specs include a 13-megapixel rear underwater camera with dual flash, a 5-megapixel front-facing snapper, and a 3800 mAh battery. The thermal camera can be extensively used in rescue missions and the overall ruggedness of the phone is also expected to find appeal with a certain niche of buyers. The thermal camera it features is made by the U.S. firm FLIR. So while the CAT S60 might not be as pretty as an iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6 Edge, it just might be the most envious tool you’ll find on a construction site-next to those towering wrecking balls.
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The Cat S60 will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress this weekend, and you can get your hands on it later this year for €649 – about £500.
