There's a new smartphone on the block that costs the same as an iPhone X, but regular people can't get it. Well, they can, but they probably aren't going to because it simply isn't for you. Unless they work in construction, that is.
Bullit, the British phone manufacturer that launched the Cat S60, is back with a new phone — the Cat S61. Unlike all high-end smartphones, it's the only one that has a heat-sensing FLIR camera that now captures up to 400 degrees Celsius.
Wondering what's a FLIR camera doing on a smartphone? Well, that's the point. This smartphone isn't just any other flagship released in 2017 or to be released this year. It has specific components to aid very specific jobs, mostly blue-collar ones. For example, the FLIR camera will aid workers in analyzing if, say, engines or electronic components are faulty.
Cat S61 Features
That's just the tip of the iceberg. The Cat S61 also has a Volatile Organic Compound sensor that can determine the air quality nearby. It's probably for people who work in cramped spaces or places where there's a lot of toxic material mixing in with the air, like wet paint, wood shavings, cleaning products, and others. Amazingly, the phone takes a reading of the air every 30 seconds and notifies the user if the quality becomes too toxic to breathe.
Other than those badass features, the Cat S61 is like any other mid to high-end Android smartphone. Powering the phone is a rather underwhelming Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor, but 4 GB of RAM makes up for that. The phone shines in the battery department, though, offering 4,500 mAh of juice. There's also 64 GB of storage onboard, and the phone at least runs what appears to be the stock version of Android Oreo. An update to Android P is coming.
The phone sports a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 1080p. In terms of design, the phone won't wow anyone. In fact, it kind of looks bulky and unseemly — but that's to be expected. The phone isn't really meant to be a crowd pleaser in the aesthetics department. There's also a reason why it looks so ruggedly atrocious: the phone has an IP68 certified body, enabling it to withstand up to 1.8-meter drops and be submerged underwater for up to 3 meters.
Cat S61 Release Date
The Cat S61 launches in the second quarter of 2018 for roughly $999 when converted. It'll launch a couple of months later in the United States. Thoughts about the phone? Will this be any useful in your profession? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
