Endurance test: premiere at Velomotion – with today's test of the Caterpillar Cat S50 outdoor cell phone, we are also launching a new test category, namely an endurance test. We will put the mobile companion through its paces on the bike for a whole season and keep you up to date on the progress of the test here on Velomotion. Today we start with the technical data.
Fact check
[tab:Overview]
RRP: €479
Display size: 4,7"
Internal memory: 8gb
Camera: 8 megapixels, 1080p
[tab:Specifications] [easytable th="0″] Software, Android 4.4.2Dimensions,145 x 77 x 13 millimeters
Weight, 185 grams
Display, 4.7″ / 1.280 x 720 pixels
Internal memory, 8gb / expandable via micro SD
Camera, 8 megapixels / LED flash / HD video / front camera
Battery, 2.630 mAh / permanently installed
Processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 / 1.20 GHz / 4 cores
RAM, 2GB
[/easytable] [tab:END]
The manufacturer Caterpillar may well be known to most readers - only very few will think of smartphones, after all the Americans mainly produce construction vehicles. But for some time now, Caterpillar has also been producing mobile phones and smartphones that, how could it be otherwise, were designed for tough use on construction sites or generally on rough terrain. In concrete terms, this means that the devices offer much more than just a waterproof housing. For example, the Cat S50 tested here meets the MIL-SPEC standard, which was actually established for equipment used by the American military. But what does that mean specifically?
The Cat S50 is completely waterproof and can also be used with a wet display and/or wet fingers. In addition, the robust housing makes it shockproof and completely dustproof. It should survive even the worst mistreatment technically intact. We are curious to see whether the smartphone can keep the manufacturer's full-bodied promises in practice.
The technique
To begin with, a few words about the built-in technology. Inside the Cat S50 is a Snapdragon 400 CPU with 4 cores and 1,2 GHz each. Although this processor is no longer up-to-date, it is still completely sufficient for most applications. The operation of the Android interface always runs smoothly and even Full HD videos are played smoothly. The 2GB RAM also has its share in the good performance, which offers enough space even for complex applications. The internal memory itself is perhaps a little tight at 8GB, but it can be expanded by up to 64GB at any time using a micro SD card.
The display of the Cat S50 measures 4,7″ and has at least an HD Ready resolution of 1.280 x 720 pixels. It is sufficiently bright and there is nothing wrong with the color representation. Hardly anything is left to be desired when it comes to the interfaces: USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and WLAN according to 802.11 a/b/g/n are state of the art. The battery is sufficiently dimensioned with 2.630mAh and should ensure decent runtimes. The fact that this is permanently installed is probably mainly due to its robustness. The camera on the back takes photos with up to 8 megapixels and records videos with a resolution of 1080p. The camera for video telephony on the front only offers a VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
The housing
Of course, the mighty case of the Cat S50 is immediately noticeable when you touch it for the first time. The thick frame with the beveled corners is made of high-quality plastic. The back is ribbed and extremely non-slip. All connections are protected by small flaps to counteract the ingress of water or dirt. Nice: If one of the flaps is not properly closed, the mobile phone reports this immediately on the display with a warning message. The speakers on the front and back and the microphone are covered by small metal grilles. The camera lens on the back, on the other hand, is quite unprotected and even protrudes a bit - practice will have to show how it fares in rough everyday life.
The software
Android 50 runs on the Cat S4.4.2 – whether there will be updates to newer versions is not yet known. We liked the fact that Caterpillar did not make major modifications to the operating system. Except for a few optical adjustments, you get a "naked" Android that is only available from a few other manufacturers. The fact that Caterpillar does not pre-install countless – often unnecessary – apps and leaves this up to the user also deserves praise.
The test – practice
Many will now probably ask themselves: why test an outdoor smartphone in a bicycle magazine? Well, due to the now huge range of functions of these devices, including GPS, camera and the like, they are basically the ideal companion for extended bike tours, whether on a touring bike or an enduro. However, the use often fails due to the lack of robustness of such devices or insufficient battery life. While we can probably rule out the former with the Cat S50 (or not?), it still has to be proven in other areas.
The "construction site cell phone" will accompany us for a season and will be used as a navigation device, especially on enduro and trail tours. Since it often gets muddy, wet and dirty there and one or two falls are an integral part of the sport, we are curious to see how the Cat S50 will perform.