The new Cat S61 was not designed for people looking to watch kitten videos and take selfies in the safety of their own home or cubicle. Cat claims the upgrade for its S60—the first smartphone with thermal imaging—is “bigger, better and bolder,” and “rugged and “robust” enough to take on any working environment. For engineers on site and on the go, the S61 has features that just might be exactly what they have been looking for, but at a lofty price, around $1,000, and thick design.
Thermal Imaging Camera
Cat upgraded the integrated thermal imaging camera offered on the S60. Now offered in HD, the image resolution has increased, and the display shows significantly more heat spots with more clarity. Additionally, it is now capable of reading temperatures up to 400 °C (752 °F), which is a significant increase from the S60’s capabilities of reading up to 100 °C (212 °F).
Air Quality Sensor
A new addition is a volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor, which monitors nearby air quality for a range of contaminants. It takes a reading every 30 seconds, adapts as you move around and provides real-time reports. It also can show humidity and temperature numbers. The data is presented in easy-to-read graphs.
Laser Distance Measurer
Forgot your laser distance measurer? No need to stress about it—one is built into the rear of the Cat S61. It can measure up to 10 meters and calculate area.
Durability
The whole point of the S61’s design is to be tough, inside and out. Its IP68 rating makes it dustproof and waterproof, including saltwater, up to 3 meters deep for 60 minutes. It also withstood a 6-foot drop test on concrete and can withstand temperatures between -22 °F and 149 °F for up to 24 hours. The phone is a bit on the bulky side in order to accommodate a 4,500mAh battery, but that does mean it is built to last.
As for the basics, the new S61 is a mid-to-high-end smartphone powered by 2.2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 630 processor and comes with 4GB of RAM. It has 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded, and a 16-megapixel primary camera on the rear and 8-megapixel front-facing. The Android 8 Oreo operating system allows you to run Android compatible mobile CAD application. It offers connectivity options one would expect: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and FM. Additional sensors include a compass magnetometer, proximity sensor, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope and barometer.
As far as the insides, the phone is comparable to many others, but at a price tag of around a thousand dollars, the features would definitely need to be worth it. For many professionals for whom this phone may have been designed, this ruggedness may not be necessary, especially with the abundant cases available to protect less-expensive phones. But, cost isn’t the most significant downside. Anyone interested in the Cat S61 will have to travel, and far, to get one. For now, it is only available in the United Kingdom.