CAT S60, the first smartphone with a thermal camera, will be available to pre-order in June

Folks interested in rugged mobile phones are, most probably, familiar with the CAT-branded handsets that have been around since 2012 (more exactly, these handsets are made by a UK-based company called Bullitt Mobile Ltd, under license from Caterpillar Inc.)

The newest CAT smartphone, called CAT S60, will be available to pre-order staring June - quite many months after being officially announced (back in February). Like most other CAT handsets, the S60 is a very tough device, being able to withstand drops on concrete from up to 1.8 meters (6 feet), and survive under water (up to 5 meters - 16 feet) for 1 hour. But the new device also brings something that no other smartphone has: an integrated thermal camera.

Powered by FLIR (a company that also makes standalone thermal cameras), the thermal camera of the CAT S60 allows users to visualize heat that's invisible to the naked eye, being able to highlight temperature contrasts and spot heat sources up to 100 feet away - so it's great for detecting heat loss inside buildings, or finding overheating appliances (this obviously works in the dark, too). The camera can provide not just still images, but also videos and time lapses. CAT says that the S60 is "ideal for builders, electricians, emergency services, utility workers and so many more", but nothing stops you from getting the phone if you want it, even if you don't need a thermal camera in your life.

Ruggedness and thermal camera aside, the CAT S60 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and offers mid-range features like an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor, a 4.7-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixels, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of expandable storage space. There's also a very generous 3800 mAh battery on board.

The CAT S60 will be available to pre-order starting early June, first in Europe, then in other parts of the world (we assume this includes the US, where the smartphone should cost $599 unlocked). Interested?


source: CAT