UK-based Bullitt Mobile-backed CAT or Caterpillar (also known as a US-based construction machinery manufacturing company) on Monday announced the launch of its latest muscular Android-powered smartphone, dubbed as the “CAT S41” with a rugged exterior. If you are not aware of this, the US-based construction machinery company licensed its brand to UK-based Bullitt Mobile back in 2013. Since then, the UK-based Bullitt Mobile has been producing CAT-branded feature phones, smartphones, as well as accessories. The point is that Bullitt Mobile has the official permit to manufacture, distribute and sell CAT-branded feature phones, smartphones and accessories worldwide. Carried a price tag of £399.00 (approximately Rs. 34,150), the CAT S41 is now already made available for purchase via the company’s official website in Black colour option. The smartphone will also be available on the various e-commerce websites including Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, eBay, The Home Depot and B&H. In the US tech market, the CAT S41 will be available at a price tag of $449.
If you don’t remember, the UK-based Bullitt Group unveiled their rugged CAT S41 smartphone last month at the IFA 2017 trade show event in Berlin, along with company’s other to rugged devices, CAT S31 and a Windows 10-powered Cat T20 tablet. Like the CAT S41, the CAT S31 also comes with a rugged build quality, water and dust proof construction, military-grade protection, and a large battery.
The main highlights of the new CAT S41 are its Corning Gorilla Glass 5-protected full-HD display, IP68 rating, a mammoth 5,000mAh battery and a rugged body with a military-grade MIL-SPEC 810G rating that means the smartphone can survive under all extreme weather conditions. The CAT S41 is capable of tackling the rough and tough conditions (including extreme pressures, temperatures, climates, shocks, and drops) due to its rugged build quality. As we mentioned, the CAT S41 also features IP68 certification that means it is a water and dust resistance device. The company claims that it can survive in up to 6.5 feet of water for an immersion duration time of an hour or less. Like all Cat smartphones in the product line, the CAT S41 is also designed to survive repeated drop tests onto concrete from up to 5 feet 9 inches from every orientation. CAT also says it can survive thermal shocks and salt mist spray.
Design wise, the smartphone sports an octagonal rugged body with a rubber back, making it a sturdy and durable. The body frame has a sort of caterpillar track design that provides a comfortable and extra grip in your palm. The CAT S41 also features a trio of physical buttons beneath the display for navigation. The volume rockers and the power button are all placed on the right-hand edge of the smartphone, while a programmable key is placed on the left-hand edge of the smartphone. The programmable shortcut key can be used to start the SOS (Lone Worker app), Push to Talk (PTT) service, or to easily launch the phone’s flashlight or camera app.
Commenting on the launch, Peter Stephens, CEO of Bullitt Group (Global mobile licensee for Caterpillar), said, “The Cat S41 is an uncompromised smartphone specifically engineered and built for the tough environments in which our customers use their devices. Its rugged, shock, shatter, water and dust proof construction is built to address the needs of our customers and their unique lifestyles. Our research revealed that what Cat customers want most is a powerful rugged smartphone combined with a huge shareable battery – and the Cat S41 delivers all of that and more.”
CAT S41 Specifications:
As far as specifications are concerned, the CAT S41 comes equipped with a 5-inch super-bright full-HD display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a scratch resistance Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top. Talking about its power and performance, the smartphone is powered by a 2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P20 MT6757 octa-core processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt memory, which can be further expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card slot. Talking about its software (OS), the CAT S41 runs on Google’s Android Nougat operating system out-of-the-box.
For photography enthusiasts, the CAT S41 features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and an LED flash module. On the front, the smartphone sports an 8-megapixel fixed focus camera for capturing selfies and making video calls. The rear-facing camera also is capable of recording Full-HD (1080p) videos at 30 fps.
In terms of Connectivity, the smartphone supports various connectivity options including dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 & 5GHz), GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, FM Radio, a 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, USB OTG and a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the CAT S41 comes packed with a mammoth 5,000mAh non-removable battery and supports MediaTek’s Pump Express 2.0 technology for fast charging. It also comes with a battery sharing feature that lets you charge the other phones as well. The smartphone’s battery is rated to deliver up to 38 hours of talk time (on 3G network) and up to 44 days of standby time on a single charge. Sensors on the device include an Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Digital Compass, and Proximity sensor. Dimensionally, the CAT S41 smartphone measures 152 x 75 x 12.85mm and weighs 218 grams.
