Phone “tank” review: controversial, but out of your own pocket – not a shame



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Today’s hero – the latest product from the CAT S62 PRO company – the most powerful CAT phone with Android software released to date.

Like the typical CAT – the phone booth is bright orange, and on the back we will find the drawing of the tracks of a bulldozer, which reminds you that you have a device in your hands that is not afraid of any tests. Inside the box, in addition to the phone itself, we will find a USB-C cable and an 18W charger.

Appearance

In fact, I wasn’t expecting such a sleek and rugged phone. To this day, almost all solid savages look like toy walkie-talkies: on a small screen, on all sides – a symphony of brightly colored plastic. It looks like CAT was aiming to make a phone that it wasn’t ashamed to pull out of the bar after a hard day of building. On the one hand, we will find very noticeable sound buttons and an unmistakable ribbed power button.

On the other side there is a hybrid SIM / Micro SD slot protected by a sealed cover and a programmable orange PTT (Push-to-talk) button that allows you to use your phone as a walkie-talkie or call up any desired application: camera, call log, calculator or any other Next.

At the bottom of the phone there is a USB-C connector and a speaker. No headphone jack. On the back: a camera with a flash and a thermal imager, but on them a little later. Here and there we will also find a classic fingerprint reader (perhaps a little out of date).

Screen

Although the screen has a small screen size of 5.7 inches, the phone is heavy and very heavy at 248 grams, which is more than the larger Apple 11 Pro Max, which weighs 226 grams. Such a heavy weight was due to the thick aluminum body, rubber-like non-slip plastic back cover and protective glass on the front for added screen protection.

The screen resolution is good: 1080 x 2160 pixels, the individual pixels are not visible at all. The maximum brightness is sufficient even when working outdoors when it is sunny, and here the minimum brightness is too high when surfing before going to bed “eyes of hunger”.

Parameters

The CAT S62 PRO is equipped with an older Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The smartphone comes with Android 10 “naked” with several branded CAT capabilities. The manufacturer also guarantees updates to version 11. Phone speed will be enough for everyday tasks and unnecessary games, but the miracles are not worth waiting for. The purpose of this phone is different: the device is protected from environmental influences according to the IP68, IP69 and MIL-SPEC 810H protocols. It does not fear water (even salt), mud or sand, nor a fall from a height of 1.8 meters. You can probably agree with the manufacturer’s words: “it’s as strong as a CAT phone should be”.

The battery of the phone is 4000 mAh and it is enough for two days of very active use. So, if you are going for a hike, take an external battery as well.

Sound

The speaker is here alone. You will surely hear the call even in a noisy environment, you will also hear the interlocutor perfectly, but here is an example from life: you had to fix a little thing in the car once. There is wind in the yard, I go to Youtube to see the instructions on what to do, and I only hear the voice of the recording when I hear it at its fullest. And here it is not a construction site.

Connection

There are nuances in the connection. Compared to the cheap Redmi Note 9 PRO, the latter’s WiFi signal is stronger: Redmi showed the entire signal split behind a wall, while the CAT S62 PRO phone lost a split or two. After checking the speed of the WiFi data received from the phones, the CAT S62 PRO reached 42-45mbps. Redmi showed a result of 75-80mbps. It is possible that the weaker signal is due to the metal body of the phone, which does not allow to reach the maximum speed. I have no complaints about the quality of the 4G connection

fingerprint reader

As I mentioned, you will find the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone and I have no complaints about it. It almost always works, reads both assigned fingers equally, the phone vibrates when it recognizes the stamp. Maybe just the screen could turn on faster.

Thermal imaging camera

The manufacturer is very proud to have an improved thermal imaging camera installed in the CAT S62 PRO. This feature allows you to capture heat objects in photos – useful for heaters or builders to see heat leaks, for automotive service personnel to diagnose hot engine parts, and more. Thermal images can be combined with normal photos for a clearer image. For me, this feature might come in handy unless you’re looking at which windows let out the most heat. However, such a feature of the phone equipment will not change the professional equipment, so how much of it will be used to decide the future buyer.

Cameras

The phone has two cameras (which, to be honest, are somewhat unusual in the context of modern phones): a 12-megapixel rear and an 8-megapixel front. And I won’t spare any criticism here – I wouldn’t call the photo quality even mediocre. The colors of the photos taken with the main camera are very unnatural: the green grass looks like salad, the white faces turn pink, the blue sky turns purple, and the slightly pink flower turns bright pink. The camera is suitable unless you record the progress of the construction, take pictures of which screws have yet to be purchased, but no more. And that’s weird because the phone is turning quite halfway. When shooting in FullHD, electronic image stabilization also works. So, if you work in the construction industry – you are unlikely to complain about the camera, but if you are a constipated hiker and take your phone instead of the camera when you go to the mountains – you should look elsewhere.

Summary

And here we come to a difficult recap, because the CAT S62 PRO is a very controversial device.
First of all, the appearance. On the one hand, I fully support the manufacturer’s desire to make the phone not only durable but also stylish, but its aluminum edge (and aluminum is a soft metal) is not protected in any way. So whenever it falls on concrete, stone or gravel, the edges of the phone will get scratched.

The phone will survive the blows, I have no doubts, but its commercial aspect will disappear, so what’s the point of making it beautiful if this beast’s natural environment is not appreciated? You will say: buy a tray and you will be calm. A few durable phones in a tough case? “Sorry”, this is no longer logical.

Secondly, remember, previously tough phones had a special ring on the strap on the case? That’s right, it would be really useful here. Imagine you’re hanging from a crane or climbing a mountain, pulling out a phone, and that comes out and falls in free fall, and I’m already talking about 1.8 meters tall here. If the phone is secured at the waist with a safety strap, there are no such dangers. Would such a loop be very detrimental to the elegance of the phone? Vargu.

Third, the camera. While it fully understands the target audience of this camera, in 2020 phones that cost three times less will take better photos, even with a single camera. So I don’t justify the manufacturer’s savings here. Maybe it’s not the camera sensor itself that is to blame, but the software that processes the photos? All you have to do is wait for system updates.

Fourth, it’s the battery. 4000 mAh is not low, the processor is not “cranky”, the screen is small, so why are the batteries not enough for an active weekend? Probably the fault of insufficient software optimization. Again, we expect better results after the promised updates.

Fourthly, it is a FLIR thermal imaging camera, which is so emphasized by the manufacturer as a strong point. FLIR manufactures professional thermal monitoring equipment and I would find it hard to believe that this feature can replace specialized and certified equipment. Rather, it already has a better camera and increased body protection from scratches.

And the fifth – the price. A good phone should cost accordingly. Paying more than 600 euros for a phone, I hope it does everything well, not the best, but well – it will make good photos and videos, it will have not only a large but also a long-lasting and fast rechargeable battery, it will be equipped with a relevant processor and maybe even stereo speakers.

And for shock and water protection, here’s something to think about: choose last year’s flagship with great cameras and IP68 resistance, buy a quality, shock-resistant case, close the protective glass for a few euros and and here it is – complete set. Do not give up.

Don’t get me wrong, I like this phone, it’s perfectly assembled, I’m not afraid the device will fall out of hand, it won’t slip at all. I like its compact size, which is already a rarity. I like the nice volume and power buttons. It works pretty fast (thanks to “naked” Android). But the product looks unfinished and a poor camera, quiet speaker, and mediocre battery make it questionable whether the asking price is reasonable.

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