Bullitt Group has partnered with Cat in the UK to create the first Android smartphone with a built in thermal imaging camera. The embedded thermal camera from FLIR can detect heat and measure surface temperatures from distances of up to 100 feet. In the press release published today, the company also claims it’s the ‘world’s most waterproof smartphone’.
Using the FLIR camera on the back, buyers will be able to detect areas of heat loss around windows and doors, or spot areas of moisture or missing insulation. It can also be used to detect over-heating appliances or circuitry. And because it’s a thermal camera, it can ‘see’ through smoke, and doesn’t need any ambient lighting to work.
While the thermal camera is clearly the biggest selling point of the Cat S60, the phone has some other strong features, perfect for tradesmen, builders, and the like. It’s waterproof up to 5 meters, and is certified to survive an hour under water at those depths. What’s more, it can survive drops of up to 1.8m on to solid concrete. Its display is bright enough (540 nits) that it can be seen in bright sunlight, and the touchscreen is usable with wet fingers, or even when wearing gloves.
The device — which will launch at MWC next week — features a 4.7-inch 720p display coated in Gorilla Glass 4, as well as an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Its main 13MP camera can be used underwater, and is paired with a dual LED flash, while the front facing camera boasts a 5MP sensor. It’s loaded with Android Marshmallow out of the box, and has a mammoth 3,800mAh battery which should easily keep a small 720p screen going for hours on end.
Key Specs
- Strengthened Die Cast Frame
- Drop proof to 1.8m, MIL Spec 810G
- Super bright display (typical 540 nits), Gorilla Glass 4
- 4.7” HD capacitive multi-touch with auto wet finger & glove support
- Optimised battery performance (3800mAh)
- High quality audio experience (>105dB)
- Underwater 13MP main camera with dual flash, 5MP front-facing camera
- 4G LTE
- Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor
- 32GB ROM, 3GB RAM
- Android™ Marshmallow
- Dedicated FLIR thermal camera app with MSX technology; still image, panorama, and video capture; changeable heat palettes; temperature spot meter; and min, max, and average temperature data
It will be available to buy later this year and cost €649/$599.
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