CAT's thermal camera-packing smartphone goes up for pre-order next month

Back in February, CAT first introduced its S60 smartphone, a ruggedized, waterproof device that also happened to be the world’s first mobile phone to feature an integrated thermal camera. Now pre-orders are finally getting ready to kick off in Europe, starting this June, and with availability for others territories to follow.

The new S60 will set purchasers back €649 (roughly $599) and can be ordered directly from CAT’s website or from FLIR, the maker of the phone’s thermal camera. It’s currently unclear exactly when the pre-ordered devices will ship, but hopefully not too much longer after that.

• Best Android phones
• Best cheap Android phones

So what does the nearly $600 device bring to the table, aside from a thermal camera? While that’s obviously the biggest selling point, there’s also waterproofing up to a depth of 5 meters for an hour, letting you use the phone as an underwater cam. Then there’s the rugged body that can take a ton of drops and knocks without skipping a beat, thanks to the MIL Spec 810G rating. Hardware wise, the specs are pretty mid-to-entry range in nature, with an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor and 3GB of RAM, as well as 32GB storage, a 4.7-inch 720p display, a 13MP rear cam, 5MP front cam, 4G LTE, a 3800 mAh battery, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow onboard.

Obviously CAT’s phones aren’t aimed at average Joe’s but for certain types of professionals, such as those in construction and surveying, such a device could be a dream come true. What do you think of CAT’s latest? Share your thoughts down in the comments.