Review of the rugged Caterpillar Cat S60 smartphone: a real rogue made of carbon and metal, with a Flir thermal imager

A smartphone is not for everyone

Caterpillar is actually a construction equipment company. However, its products also include smartphones. They are aimed at a specific target audience: the CAT series mobile phones are not only extremely robust and durable, but also equipped with a number of specific functions, such as a thermal imager.

CAT S61 is a consistent development of the line of industrial mobile phones. From the first glance at the device, it becomes clear that this is not a smartphone that is familiar to many. CAT S61 is a decent “brick”, even compared to “tourist” models.

The smartphone's buttons are easy to feel, so operating it even with gloves won't be a problem - at least until you need the touch display. However, for such situations there is a programmable shortcut key: with a short press of the button you can, for example, accept a phone call, and with a long press you can open the calendar or launch the camera.

Mobile phone for construction workers: CAT S61 is approximately 14mm thick. Photo: CHIP

Caterpillar Cat S60

The device works with Nano-SIM cards from all GSM operators.

The CAT S60 smartphone is equipped with a FLIR thermal imager, which allows you to detect heat leaks in rooms and overheated areas of electrical wiring, measure the temperature of various objects, and even see in the dark and smoke. Range up to 30 m. Glass - Gorilla Glass 4 1 mm thick. CAT S60 has a maximum waterproof rating of IP68! The device is based on the Snapdragon 617 platform with an eight-core processor running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The screen has a diagonal of 4.7 inches and is characterized by a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Maximum brightness is 540 nits. You can operate the touch screen even with wet hands and gloves.

Thermal imaging isn't the only feature of the Cat S60. Another advantage of this device is its protected design. Featuring a tempered die-cast metal frame and 1mm thick Gorilla Glass 4 (typically

The device works with Nano-SIM cards from all GSM operators.

The CAT S60 smartphone is equipped with a FLIR thermal imager, which allows you to detect heat leaks in rooms and overheated areas of electrical wiring, measure the temperature of various objects, and even see in the dark and smoke. Range up to

The device works with Nano-SIM cards from all GSM operators.

The CAT S60 smartphone is equipped with a FLIR thermal imager, which allows you to detect heat leaks in rooms and overheated areas of electrical wiring, measure the temperature of various objects, and even see in the dark and smoke. Range up to 30 m. Glass - Gorilla Glass 4 1 mm thick. CAT S60 has a maximum waterproof rating of IP68! The device is based on the Snapdragon 617 platform with an eight-core processor running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The screen has a diagonal of 4.7 inches and is characterized by a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Maximum brightness is 540 nits. You can operate the touch screen even with wet hands and gloves.

Thermal imaging isn't the only feature of the Cat S60. Another advantage of this device is its protected design. Thanks to a tempered die-cast metal frame and 1mm thick Gorilla Glass 4 protection (regular models use 0.4mm thick glass), the smartphone can withstand drops from a height of up to 1.8 m. In addition, it is a device with the highest degree of water resistance - it can withstand immersion for up to depth up to 5 m (subject to the use of plugs for the 3.5 mm jack and microphone input; otherwise, immersion to a depth of more than 2 m is not recommended). The target audience of the device is engineers, builders and representatives of other professions of a similar profile.

Army standard

The smartphone has an aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 and a rubberized back cover. According to the manufacturer, it is not only protected from water and dust in accordance with the requirements of the IP68 standard, but is also able to withstand extreme temperatures, shocks and other loads required by the US military standard MIL-STD-810G.

Of course, we cannot thoroughly check whether the manufacturer’s instructions comply with all these standards. But during testing, the Cat S61 survived being submerged in water and falling from a height of 1.5 meters without any damage. Only a few small dents indicate the delicate contact of the case with tiles and concrete.

The buttons on the smartphone can be easily felt. Photo: CHIP

Caterpillar and FLIR presented the world's first smartphone with a thermal imager

The Mobile World Congress exhibition opens in Barcelona on February 22, but most of the new mobile technology products for 2020 are known long before the presentation.
Cat S60 has become the new flagship of Caterpillar's rugged smartphones. Heavy-duty Cat smartphones are known to many industrialists, builders and the military. Familiar to representatives of extreme professions and lovers of active recreation. The new smartphone has two unique features: a Flir infrared camera and a waterproof case, the protection class of which allows immersion in water to a depth of 5 meters for an hour.

Such a device was to be expected; FLIR has been producing miniature thermal imaging matrices, the size of a ten-kopeck coin, for several years now. The first “swallows” were thermal imagers, which are attached to the smartphone in the form of an additional device - FLIR One.

The first generation of the gadget was made in the form of a special case that can be used with only one model of smartphone (iPhone 5), which seriously narrowed the circle of potential buyers of the device. The second generation, which entered the market in 2015, is already more universal and connects to any smartphone based on iOS and Android. And now a combined apparatus for industrial and special purposes is presented.

In essence, the Cat S60 simply comes with an independent thermal imaging camera housed within the phone body. It uses the same sensor and performs the same functions: it takes an instantaneous thermographic image, measures surface temperature and can record both single frames and thermal video. Resolution is limited to VGA (640 by 480) pixels. The screen is compatible with gloves.

Work seven days a week

The extreme security of the device, however, can sometimes be annoying. For example, if you want to charge your smartphone via the USB Type-C port, you will find that it, like the audio jack, is covered with a thick plastic cap. However, unlike most other smartphones on the market, the Cat S61 does not require the daily ritual of connecting to a power outlet.

The 4500 mAh battery lasted more than 17 hours during our test - this is the best result in our rating at the time of preparation of the review. In practice, this means that in real operating conditions, depending on the intensity of the load, the device should work without recharging for three to five days. After this, complete restoration of the battery's energy reserves will take 208 minutes.

The orange shortcut button can be freely reprogrammed. Photo: CHIP

Equipment and performance

The incredible endurance of the smartphone is due not only to the huge size of the battery, but also in part to its rather undemanding equipment. Inside, the CAT S61 is powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 630 processor, and the 5.2-inch display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD) and is suitable for use in bright sunlight. The built-in memory is 64 GB, but it can be expanded using MicroSD cards. Well, 4 GB of RAM is quite enough.

In general, the characteristics of the device are not amazing, but to one degree or another they can be called average in the good sense of the word. At the same time, one cannot fail to note the specific functions that make the CAT S61 one of the most unique devices on the market.

The FullHD display is bright and can be used under the sun. Photo: CHIP

Swiss knife in a smartphone case

The CAT S61 has a built-in thermal imager that displays a temperature range from -20 to +400 degrees Celsius. The thermal imaging camera, located behind the bulge of the body with the inscription CAT, works with minimal delay: only when moving quickly does noticeable jerking sometimes occur. Temperature measurements are very accurate. It should be noted that the thermal imager puts a lot of stress on the battery, and the CAT S61 becomes noticeably warm.

The camera also allows you to record video and slow motion. You can change the color scheme, view, and share tips and tricks. This feature doesn't work directly from the camera app, but it does at least have direct links to relevant sites.

Looks can be deceiving: this is not a dual camera. A thermal imager is installed under the top lens. Photo: CHIP

MWC 2020: CAT S60 is the world's first smartphone with a thermal imager

The Caterpillar name is associated more with heavy equipment than with smartphones, but in fact, they are also produced under this brand. So the CAT S60 model was brought to the MWC 2020 exhibition in Barcelona, ​​which is protected from falls from a height of up to 1.8 meters and can be immersed in water to a depth of five meters for up to one hour. To switch the device to “deep-sea” mode, use mechanical switches on the front panel: when they are set to the lower position (5M), the smartphone’s speaker and microphone are blocked, which prevents liquid from penetrating through these elements.

But the main highlight of the CAT S60 lies not in its outstanding diving abilities, but in the built-in infrared thermal imaging camera FLIR One from FLIR Systems. Its true resolution is small - only 80 × 60 pixels, but thanks to a clever image processing system it was possible to bring it to a more acceptable value of 640 × 480 pixels by means of a kind of “overlay” on the same picture, but taken by a second module - a regular 13-megapixel camera with dual LED flash.

By clicking on a specific area of ​​the image, the user receives information about the temperature of the selected object, and, according to representatives of FLIR Systems, the error is only 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows the CAT S60 to be used even for professional purposes - for example, to determine the level and sources of leaks heat in the rooms.

Of course, Caterpillar itself did not develop the S60 - the device was created by engineers from the Bullitt Group, which has a license to manufacture smartphones under the CAT brand. The S60 will go on sale in June of this year at a price of $600.

However, in terms of other characteristics, it cannot be called particularly outstanding: it is built on the eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 SoC with Adreno 403 graphics and is equipped with 3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Its flash memory capacity is 32 GB, but if this is not enough, you can use the microSD slot. The display, protected by Gorilla Glass 4, has a diagonal of 4.7 inches, a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels and a brightness of 540 nits, and the power source for the S60 is a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3800 mAh. They didn’t forget about the front camera - it’s 5 megapixel. The wired interface of the smartphone is made in the form of a standard micro-USB port, and wireless communications are provided by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4G LTE modules.

Laser rangefinder and gas analyzer

The device's equipment list also includes a laser rangefinder and an air pollution analyzer. The laser measuring device works very accurately after manual calibration. However, during our 14-day test, we had to re-set the CAT S61 twice because it suddenly started giving erroneous measurements.

This error in our test unit may be accidental, but those users who want to use a CAT smartphone for measurements should, just in case, have a tape measure on hand so that they can check the rangefinder readings and, in extreme cases, recalibrate the device. If configured correctly, a laser is a very practical tool that can measure not only the distance of objects from each other at a distance of up to 8 meters, but also calculate the area.

Thermal imager in operation. Photo: CHIP

An air pollution sensor, on the other hand, should only be used for rough measurements, since temperature, air humidity and air quality often fluctuate greatly. But this depends not so much on the sensor itself, but on the measurement principle: if the smartphone is lying on the table, it analyzes completely different data than when you hold it in your hand or carry it in your trouser pocket. Even measurements at different points in the same room can give completely different results.

However, information about whether air humidity fluctuates between 30% and 40%, or between 60% and 70%, can sometimes be useful. In addition, the sensor should sound an alarm if it decides that the air is too polluted.

The laser measuring device calculates distances and areas. Photo: CHIP

Unexpectedly good camera

For a smartphone of this class, photo quality is far from the main characteristic. Therefore, from the apparatus “for the working class” we expected mediocre rather than brilliant results in this area. However, during our testing, we were amazed: the 16-megapixel camera of the Cat S61 produces really high-quality, highly detailed photos in daylight. Only at dusk do pictures become less clear: details disappear, surfaces become covered with noticeable noise.

The Caterpillar device runs almost pure Android 8.1 with a minimum number of applications from the manufacturer that can be easily uninstalled. The Cat S61 responds to commands very quickly—you won’t feel much of a delay here.

Characteristics and test results of Caterpillar CAT S61

CAT S60 from Caterpillar is the most secure smartphone in the world

Hello, dear readers of the site Uspei.com. We are used to talking about thin, light, “frameless” smartphones that we use in everyday life.

But today we will move away from this topic and talk about a more specific class of secure smartphones . Yes, these are bricks, yes, they are used, and yes, the men in the neighboring garage dream of this.

For those who don't want to read, watch the video review at the end.

When all the pressing questions have been answered, let’s now talk about the essence: There is one that is engaged in the creation of special machinery and equipment. From excavators with tools to brutal clothes and shoes, we decided a long time ago that it was time to make a smartphone to match all this.

This is how the CAT line of rugged smartphones appeared. And today we are looking at the flagship – S60. This “brick” has finally gone on sale, including in Russia. And he has one incredibly cool and extremely exclusive feature - a thermal imager . Which we will naturally talk about!

When it comes to rugged smartphones, as a rule, they try not to touch on the design too much, but the S60 is definitely the cutest “armored phone” .

A massive rectangular block (to be fair), not the largest compared to other similar devices. One might even say compact: thickness 12.66 mm and weight 224 g.

Let's move on to its main features. The wide side frame is made of metal, and the remaining parts are made of shockproof plastic.

Everything is firmly and reliably assembled, so the S60 can be kept in water for 60 minutes at a depth of 5 meters and everything will be fine.

Water resistance is no surprise now - IP68, supports immersion up to 5 meters, but now any flagship, of course, is not 5 meters, but can be immersed in water.

Much more interesting is the impact resistance of MIL-SPEC 810G, a military standard , which can withstand a fall from a height of human height, that is, 1.8 meters: there is no reason not to check it. Hit the floor - and nothing happened to the phone, let's throw it again with the screen down. Another blow and not a scratch.

The screen is covered with thickened Gorilla Glass 4 to increase the reliability of the assembly and feel free to throw the smartphone onto concrete. In regular smartphones the thickness is 0.4 mm, in CAT S60 - 1 mm .

See also: Is Meizu M6s better than Huawei P Smart? Comparison of smartphones

Extreme conditions are also not a problem - the device operates at temperatures from -25°C to +55°C.

On the front, in addition to the screen, there is a 5 MP front camera peephole, an LED, and three physical plastic buttons (back, home and multitasking).

What are these toggle switches above and below? They are needed to physically cover the speakers. To prevent water from getting in. They have 2 modes: up to 2 and 5 meters. Of course, the sound becomes noticeably quieter in the second case.

You can immerse it not only in water, but also in mud, and then use the system software to “dry” the speakers , playing various sounds. The same scheme is used in the Apple Watch.

On the left side there are only volume buttons, but on the right there is a whole bouquet: a raised power button, an orange customizable button (in the settings you can assign short and long press actions), below are three plugs with an SOS button, microUSB for charging and a 3.5 mm headphone jack .

By clicking on SOS , you can send your location to three recipients; their contacts are set in the settings. The bottom is empty, and the top is a ledge. We'll get to it later.

It’s a pity, of course, that the connector is not Type-C. Manufacturers have already learned how to make them secure without using plugs. Looking forward to the next generation!

The backrest looks like carbon fiber, but is actually made of plastic. At the top there is a plastic door that covers the slot for SIM cards and SD cards. Yes, two SIM and MicroSD at the same time .

Next: next to it there is a dual camera, I would say it would be a regular smartphone, but no. There is only one 13 megapixel camera. It shoots very averagely, of course not at the level of state employees - but certainly average.

The video is recorded in Full HD 1080p 30 fps, but all this is not important! You can’t enter Instagram from it, although you can too. But above the camera is the most interesting thing this phone has - the thermal imager eye.

You might have seen a similar infrared thermal imager in action films or shooters; it is because of it that the protrusion is there. CAT S60 is the world's first smartphone with this technology.

Overall, the device gives the impression of a reliable and indestructible smartphone. It's not nearly as good as the Nokia 3310, but it's not bad.

See also: Xiaomi Mi 9 camera vs Asus Zenfone 6. Who is cooler? How to shoot? Do you need Google Camera?

What can a thermographic camera do? Lepton from FLIR is installed here It works at a distance of 30 meters through darkness and smoke . Naturally, you can take photos with a resolution of 640x480. And also shoot videos.

The mode is turned on in the camera settings, after which the image obtained in the infrared range and temperature values ​​in different parts of the frame are displayed on the screen. There is a scale nearby for greater convenience. All this works in real time.

But who needs it? Like all Caterpillar products - for professionals . For example, rescuers, builders, firefighters and other workers in hazardous professions.

Here's what it looks like in practice. For example, you are somewhere on a ship and you need to see if the engine has overheated or something else. In our conditions there are no such things, but, for example, you can see how the MacBook heats up and in which part it is warmest.

Let's apply this scenario to any thing that generates heat. Even if you put your hand on the table and immediately remove it, a heat trace will be visible.

In the gallery, pictures taken with a thermal camera can be viewed in two modes: simply swipe up or down to look at a regular photo and in sensor processing.

Let's move on. The display, of course, is touch-sensitive, but it also reacts to gloves and wet hands . 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1280x720 using a-Si AHVA technology, essentially this is a regular IPS, so don’t worry about unnecessary terms.

The screen is good – both in terms of brightness reserve (about 600 nits), and in terms of saturation and viewing angles. The display is really very good , I didn't expect it. On the brightest day, the information on the display will be clearly visible.

The smartphone runs on Android 6 and this is the main disadvantage of such devices - they usually do not receive a new version of the OS. On the other hand, the target audience of the CAT S60 hardly needs this. Although, personally, I could use some nougat or an Oreo.

Hardly anyone plays games on this, so performance is not really needed here. However. Inside is a 64-bit 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which is expandable via microSD up to 128GB.

See also: Meizu M8c review - a fast smartphone with two drawbacks

Considering the old Android 6 and HD display, this is a steal . The speed is not standard, but no lags were noticed either.

What about wireless connections? 3G and 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC. Android Pay, by the way, works. Of course there is GLONASS, GPS, aGPS and Beidou.

It easily finds satellites without cellular networks, so you can take it into the forest and always have maps with you. Those. It determines the location very accurately and for such a phone this is important.

The smartphone will confidently last a working day - it has a 3800 mAh and supports Quick Charge 2.0. CAT S60 is the ultimate niche product.

In terms of hardware, it is inferior to almost all state employees and mid-rangers. Well, that’s not what it was created for. It is ideal for fishing trips, camping trips, and generally all places where it is scary to take an iPhone X or Galaxy.

But most importantly, it is able to monitor heat leaks, for example, repairs at the dacha, look at holes in the walls, the tightness of windows, and generally check the thermal insulation. If everything is fine, then you can move on with your life and get things done.

Professional individual thermal imagers are very expensive - the same module as in a smartphone will cost 20,000 rubles. Here is an example of prices for thermal imagers:

At the same time, the S60 itself costs 50,000 rubles . This is a lot of money, but it’s stupid to discuss the price; there are simply no analogues to a smartphone, so there’s no need to think about buying it here.

Moreover, specifically in this case, it makes no sense to discuss - gray or PCT (Russian standard)? Definitely, you can only take the PCT, because... In the event of a breakdown, the S60 will be replaced or repaired without any questions asked.

Something tells me that when you are an engineer, a pilot or a sailor, such cases occur. I am sure that such a device has already found its buyers.

And Caterpillar is doing very useful things, promoting to the masses devices for professionals that can be used in everyday life. – after all, it’s also a good smartphone!

0

Tags: smartphones

See you! Keep up with everything and always on the pages of the blog Uspei.com

Help the project - subscribe to our Yandex.Zen channel!