While best known for their construction, agricultural, and defense machineries, Caterpillar does branch out to other products on occasion. This time around, they’re putting out their own branded smartphone in the form of the Caterpillar S60. And, yes, it’s designed to be as rugged as the ultra-tough equipment the outfit’s best known for.
Designed for use at job sites and other high-risk areas, the phone pairs a strengthened die cast steel frame with a Gorilla Glass 4 display, allowing to shrug off 5.5-foot drops onto hard concrete with ease. Taking it into water? Not a problem, either – just flip a couple of switches in front to seal off the speaker, 3.5mm port, and mic opening to render it fully waterproof at depths of up to 16 feet.
While thermal cameras aren’t exactly a jobsite necessity, they might be for other potential applications of the Caterpillar S60, so it comes with an onboard thermal imaging sensor that allows it to see things in the midst of total darkness. That means, it can be used by military personnel to survey an area in the dead of the night, firefighters for seeing through smoke, and even building inspectors for finding heat leaks and electrical troubles. And, yes, it still comes with a regular rear camera (13 megapixels) and a lower-spec one out front (5 megapixels).
It comes with a 4.7-inch touchscreen (1280 x 720 resolution) that can register taps from both wet fingers and gloves. Features include a Snapdragon Octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 3,800 mAh battery.
No release date yet, but the Caterpillar S60 will retail for $599.