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Cat has a brand new rugged phone with lasers and other super powers, and it costs $1,000

By Victor Hristov

Updated: Feb 23, 2018, 1:38 AM

12comments

Android

With a brutal, rugged and unmistakeable look, the new Cat S61 rugged phone means serious business and might just be the perfect phone for adventurers and blue-collar workers.

From the first sight you know that this phone is tough: it is constructed with an aluminum-reinforced frame and meets military-grade standards such as Spec 810G rating. And it's also IP68 dust and water resistant, and can survive 1.8-meter drops on concrete.

It will survive a drop test and has some truly unique superpowers

But this phone not just about its super-tough construction: it has three awesome super powers.

1. The first one is a FLIR thermal imaging camera that is improved from the one in previous Cat phone models and can now sense temperatures of up to 400 degrees Celsius. Why is a FLIR thermal imaging camera useful? Well, you can just use it to detect animals in the city park at night, or you can use it to actually do some work. Mechanics for instance will be able to use it to notice issues with an engine, construction workers can use it to diagnose electronic equipment and more.

2. Additionally, the Cat S61 features an innovative Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) sensor. This will come in handy for those who work in cramped areas and are at risk of poisoning from wet paint or other hazards. The S61 can be set to take a reading with this sensor every 30 seconds to detect air quality and warns you if you are in danger.

3. Last, but not least, the Cat S61 features... lasers! A tiny laser beam comes out of the back of the phone and can measure things of up to 10 meters distance.

Cat S61 back and front

And this phone will also work when you have your gloves on and when you touch the screen with wet or moist fingers.

Price and release date

By this time you might think: heck, this is a phone that even an average person might find handy.

Did we say it costs $1,000?

But there are a few caveats. First, the price: the new Cat S61 costs $1,000 (£799 in the UK and €899 in Europe).

That's as much as the iPhone X and it's actually more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, LG V30 and the Google Pixel 2 XL (in case you've forgotten). It's also a significant hike over Cat's last model, the S60, which cost $600.

Also, the S61 is a phone for professionals and it's much thicker and bulkier than your average handset (still, it does not look terribly malformed).

And in terms of actual specifications you are not quite getting a flagship device, but there are no big compromises either. This is a phone with a reasonable, 5.2-inch LCD screen and a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. It has the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chip with 4GB of RAM and 64 gigs of on-board storage. On a positive note, it does come with a 4,500 mAh battery, so it should last a really long time.

One thing we cannot comment on yet is the actual camera performance - we only know there is a single 16MP rear camera with 4K video on the back and an 8MP front shooter - but we certainly will be looking out to testing the new Cat S61 when it comes out in the second quarter of 2018. Would you get one?

source: Cat Phones

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.