As you've come to expect of rugged devices, the CAT S52 comes with
highest IP[68 rating which means that it's all but impervious to sand, dust and water
Now this means that your CAT S52 will be protected completely from contact with harmful dust
whether that's wood shavings, sand or soil.
Alongside this, the S52 can be completely submerged in water
and is waterproof down to 1.5 metres for up to 35 minutes.
Now, it is important to remember that all of these tests are performed in fresh water,
so you should certainly exercise more caution around salt water or chlorine.
The CAT S52 also comes with a MIL-SPEC-810G certification,
testing which involves thermal shock, vibration, humidity and salt mist.
This also certifies protection against drops of 1.5 meter or 5 foot
all of which are done on concrete, which is noticeably higher than where you'd naturally hold your device.
Indeed, the CAT 52 is drop tested repeatedly onto concrete from this height,
on every side and every corner of the phone.
The display of the CAT S52 is also protected by a 0.7mm pane of toughened Corning Gorilla Glass 6,
which doesn't sound big but for a phone certainly makes a massive difference.
Now, this is beneath a protective ridge; vital in protecting the display from scratches and bumps.
Finally, the CAT S52 can operate within a temperature range of -30 degrees to 65 degrees
and has a category 4 resistance to vibration.
It's also covered by a 2 year comprehensive warranty in Europe.
Now, rugged devices are designed to be as they are, with no need to add a case or other accessories,
and the CAT S52 is the sleekest CAT device to date, whilst still being incredibly tough.
Indeed, at 158.1 x 76.6 x 9.69mm and weighing just 210g, the S52 is one of few rugged devices that is genuinely pocket friendly.
That said, it still feels incredibly sturdy. Thanks in no end to the high-grade aluminium frame
whilst the non-slip, rubberised TPU back gives for great grip in hand and an attractive matte-like finish.
Unlike a lot of other rugged devices, there are no removable caps over ports since the ports are actually waterproof themselves; helping with the overall sleekness of design.
The display isn’t half bad either and a super bright 5.65-inch HD+ IPS panel is bright in all conditions; even direct sunlight
This comes with a 1440 x 720-pixel resolution at 285 pixels per inch
with 16M colours at the standard 18:9 aspect ratio
giving a 68% screen-to-body ratio overall.
Colours are bright and vivid and glove made can be enabled so that you don't have any issues using the
touchscreen whilst your fingers are wet or if you're wearing gloves.
This is particularly important since the physical navigation buttons have been removed
in favour of Android's virtual buttons.
The CAT S52 also comes with a rear fingerprint scanner
which is the first on any CAT phone and has been pretty quick and reliable in the time I’ve had with the device.
CAT has labelled the S52 as having the best camera currently available on a rugged phone
with a single 12MP lens on the rear, with a bright f/1.8 aperture
dual pixel PDAF and EIS.
For a device of this kind, pictures are pretty impressive, and details aren’t half bad.
The bright aperture gives for some great low light shots whilst fast and accurate focusing comes courtesy of its dual pixel Sony sensor.
The CAT S52 also comes equipped with an 8MP front sensor
and supports video shooting at up to 1080p @ 30fps.
On the performance side of things, the CAT S52 runs a Mediatek Helio
processor along with 4GB of RAM
provides all of the speed and efficiency that you'll need for daily tasks
Indeed, the CAT S52 comes with Android 9.0 (Pie) in box
however an upgrade to Android 10 is reportedly due early in 2020
You’re also promised security patches every 90 days.
A 3,100mAh battery is more than respectable for a device of this standing
and CAT claims that this provides up to 29 hours of talk time,
up to 28 days of stand-by time and a day-and-a-half of ‘real world’ battery life.
When it is time to recharge, then the S52 also supports fast charging.
At the top of the device, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, whilst the waterproof USB Type-C port is to the bottom.
The S52 all supports a microSD card and a Nano SIM, both of which can be accessed to the left of the device.
Finishing things off, the device is 4G with dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 and NFC
So, in conclusion, the CAT S52 certainly stands up to CAT’s high standards of durability
whilst looking smart and sleek and like the type of phone you would actually want to buy
It’s smart, it’s sleek, it’s attractive and yet still comes with all of the rugged features that you need to boost productivity.
Don’t forget the CAT S52 is available to pre-order from Clove Technology for only £449.99 inc-VAT so check that out.
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