Bullitt Group, which licenses the Cat mobile phone brand from Caterpillar, has announced its latest flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2016.
The Cat S60 is described as “the world's first smartphone with an integrated thermal camera” and also as “the world's most waterproof smartphone”.
It includes a thermal camera from imaging specialists FLIR, which means that Cat phone users can use their devices to detect heat loss, identify over-heating equipment and ‘see’ in darkness or through smoke.
In addition, the Android-powered handset is waterproof to depths of up to 5 metre for one hour, allowing it to be used as an underwater 13 megapixel camera, and can withstand a drop of 1.8 metres onto concrete. It runs Android on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor and is equipped with a 4.7-inch display that’ll respond to wet or gloved fingers.
Peter Stephens, CEO of Bullitt Group, said "To stand out from the crowd in today's smartphone market requires true innovation and we are proud to partner with FLIR to announce what is truly a world's first. The Cat S60 represents a milestone for smartphones. We are excited for thermal technology to be in the hands of Cat phones customers and to discover the myriad of daily time and efficiency use cases it will present for them."
The Cat S60 is expected to be available later this year with a SIM-free price of around €649 / $599 / £500.