Product test

Caterpillar CAT S60 - The virtually indestructible flagship mobile phone

9.12.2016

Translation: machine translated

Smartphones have one thing in common: they are relatively fragile. Who doesn't remember with pleasure the Nokia 3210, which was virtually indestructible? Even more indestructible than the clunker from the past is the current clunker from Caterpillar. But under the bonnet - as far as we can talk about hiding with this device - there is something remarkable. For example, an infrared camera.

The dimensions of the Caterpillar S60 give you an idea: The mobile is not made for people who care about filigree technology and finesse in design. It is 12.7mm thick, 73.4mm wide and 147.9mm long. So it's a real hunk. The weight: 222 grams. That's a lot of weight for a 4.7-inch screen. Despite these strange specifications, the Caterpillar S60 is one of the flagship smartphones. Why? Because it's indestructible. Almost, anyway.

A brand for tough people

Caterpillar, often stylised as CAT, is known for making machines that are indestructible.

The American company also manufactures shoes, clothing, work accessories and even smartphones. Including the - forgive my early opinion - great S60.

Smartphones

Cat S60

32 GB, Black/Silver, 4.70", Hybrid Dual SIM, 4G

I'm often accused in comments of taking sides in favour of one smartphone or another. I'm an Apple disciple or an Android fanboy, I hate this or that product. And today I'm taking sides. In the context of mobile phones, the Caterpillar S60 is top-notch.

Because the Caterpillar S60 makes a clear statement: it shows that smartphones don't have to be thin and sleek to impress. It shows that it is still possible to build devices that are made for a specific target group. It shows that there are still engineers and inventors out there who don't just want thinner, lighter, faster and more memory. Because let's be honest: when was "This phone is two millimetres thinner" really a great selling point that blew us away as soon as the product was unveiled?

The workmanship of the Cat S60 leaves nothing to be desired

At Caterpillar, the argument is "You can sink the thing" and "The S60 has an infrared camera built in". Yes, an infrared camera. How cool is that? What's more, the S60 has a 3800mAh battery, which promises a decent battery life. According to the manufacturer, it has 43 days of standby time and 30 hours of talk time. It shoots 1080p videos and takes photos with the 13 megapixel camera on the back of the device. It has 32GB of internal memory and can be expanded by 128GB with an SD card. On top of all this, there is the Qualcomm MSM8952-3 octa-core processor, which ensures that Android 6.0.1 runs quickly, reliably and smoothly. In short, the Cat S60 has all the characteristics of a flagship mobile phone, but has abandoned the idea of being sensitive to all kinds of things.

And now tell me it's not an absolutely great device.

Not just for construction workers

Franziska Matt is a horse rider. She worries about all sorts of things in winter when it comes to the safety of her grooming horse and herself. Her helmet is regularly inspected and replaced. Her mare wears reflectors and she attaches lights to her boots so that everyone can see her in the dark. She also has a smartphone that can take a beating. Her HTC M7 has already endured a lot and she herself is amazed that the bent, dented device with a cracked top right corner still works at all.

She's been thinking about buying a new mobile for a while. "It's important to me that it can withstand a lot," she says, turning her mobile over. So far, no new device has met her requirements. She doubts that she will land another lucky strike like the M7.

She is the perfect test subject for the S60, and not just because she regularly hangs out with large animals in the dark. Because for users like her - outdoor types with specific stability requirements - the Samsungs and iPhones of this world are simply not enough. Sure, they may be technologically far superior to the device Franziska Matt is looking for and be thinner, faster and lighter, but a broken mobile after a fall from a horse, which hopefully never happens, doesn't call for help. Mountain bikers, snowboarders, skiers and hikers will probably recognise the feeling of simply having a little more certainty that the technology won't fail if the worst comes to the worst.

Therefore: Franziska Matt received the mobile as a tester around three weeks ago.

Surprising best feature

Franziska Matt admits she has deliberately dropped the mobile more than once. "A shatterproof mobile phone almost tempts you to do that," she says with a laugh. The general public was very curious. Both iPhone users and Android fans wanted to take a closer look at the device. She herself used it in her everyday life, both in her free time and at work as a project design intern at a large property general contractor.

This is where the infrared camera comes into its own, as it can be used on construction sites to detect thermal bridges - gaps in the insulation of a house or flat. Previously, this required a special camera, but with the Cat S60, the images captured can be sent directly to the office. "In the beginning, I took infrared images of everything: horses, cars, seats on the bus... simply everything," says the young woman. The camera may not be good enough to obtain exact measurements, she points out, but it is certainly good enough to determine where the sensitive camera needs to be focussed. "The camera is perfectly adequate for use as an overview on the construction site."

However, the infrared camera is not the phone's biggest feature. "Showering with the S60 was the best thing", because the smartphone's water resistance allows her to listen to music in the shower without any worries. In general, she has learnt to love the robustness of the phone: "The Cat is a mobile that you simply never have to worry about. If you drop it, it doesn't matter at all. Just like if it gets wet, dirty or anything else." What's more, the battery lasts "forever", i.e. far longer than a day.

The casing has a few scratches and the home button is a little bumpy, but otherwise the device is still in perfect condition. The only weakness on the hardware side that Franziska Matt can identify is that it lacks a feature that would make life much easier for people on construction sites: A laser distance measuring device. This would allow Caterpillar to combine a complete suite for construction experts in one device. With exceptions, of course, when it comes to extremely specific needs.

A dedicated app store that makes sense

Manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC supply their smartphones with their own software. This often includes their own app store, which essentially offers the same apps as the Google Play Store. In most cases, this is a complete waste of working time and storage space.

Caterpillar, however, shows how it's done.

"The additional Caterpillar App Store is clearly aimed at a certain type of person," says Franziska Matt. When opening the store, users are not greeted by apps that every user sees in every other app store, but apps such as a collection of knot-tying instructions or Fish Brain. Of course, WhatsApp is also among them, because engineers and bricklayers also want to use the service. But one look makes it clear: the Cat S60 wants to appeal to a group of people, both in terms of hardware and software, who have completely different expectations of technology than iPhone users.

The conclusion of our tester: "The Cat S60 is big and clunky, but not impossible to use. You get used to it quickly and then you'll have fun." The physical weak points, she estimates, are the flaps on the sides and back of the phone, but otherwise it is just as indestructible as advertised. It's a great flagship for a manufacturer that wants to build a device for all those who find thin phones too delicate. <p

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Dominik Bärlocher

Senior Editor

dominik.baerlocher@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.

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