Skip to main content

Built-in thermal imaging gives Cat’s S60 smartphone superpowers

Caterpillar is better known for making bulldozers and backhoes than smartphones, so it goes without saying that the new Cat S60 is not your typical phone. It’s the world’s first smartphone with an embedded thermal camera, which opens the door to countless applications.

Inside is a FLIR thermal camera, along with a 13-megapixel visible-light camera to augment the thermal view with visible details like edges and corners. You can even add crosshairs to measure an object’s temperature by just pointing the Cat S60 at it.

Recommended Videos

Aside from these heat-viewing superpowers, the Cat S60 is also the most waterproof smartphone available. With the speakers open, the phone is waterproof up to 6.5 feet, but a switch up top lets you close both the speakers and microphone, readying the phone to dive as deep as 16 feet without issues.

It also sports a beefy die-cast frame that will withstand falls onto concrete from 6 feet high, which helps it earn a military-spec durability rating. Watch our video to see its durability and impressive thermal imaging put to the test.

Alexander Thickstun
Alexander graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2005 and an MBA in 2011. He's an outdoor enthusiast and avid…
Cost-cutting strips Pixel 9a of the best Gemini AI features in Pixel 9
Person holds Pixel 9a in hand while sitting in a car.

The Pixel 9a has been officially revealed, and while it's an eye candy, there are some visible cutbacks over the more premium Pixel 9 and 9 Pro series phones. The other cutbacks we don't see include lower RAM than the Pixel 9 phones, which can limit the new mid-ranger's ability to run AI applications, despite running the same Tensor G4 chipset.

Google's decision to limit the RAM to 8GB, compared to the 12GB on the more premium Pixel 9 phones, sacrifices its ability to run certain AI tasks locally. ArsTechnica has reported that as a result of the cost-cutting, Pixel 9a runs an "extra extra small" or XXS variant -- instead of the "extra small" variant on Pixel 9 -- of the Gemini Nano 1.0 model that drives on-device AI functions.

Read more
Does the Google Pixel 9a come with a charger? Here’s what’s in the box
A woman holding a purple Google Pixel 9a.

After much speculation in recent months, the Google Pixel 9a has finally been announced. Google's Pixel A series is an excellent choice for those seeking a reliable Android smartphone at a lower price point, and the latest model follows this trend. While it is undeniably part of the Google Pixel 9 series, it has fewer features than its higher-end counterparts.

One question you might have when considering the Pixel 9a is whether it comes with a charger. We’ve got the answer
The Pixel 9a does not come with a charger.
The short answer is that the Pixel 9a does not have a charger. This has become common practice for most smartphones today, including other models in the Pixel 9 series, like the Pixel 9 Pro. While this may be disappointing, it's not surprising.

Read more
Google Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 8a: should you upgrade?
Google Pixel 9a vs Pixel 8a.

Google has released a new budget phone, the Pixel 9a. How does it compare to its predecessor, the Pixel 8a? We've got the answers, and the changes are significant in some ways. In others, not so much. If you have a Pixel 8a and are considering upgrading, read this first.
Google Pixel 9a: vs. Google Pixel 8a: specs

Google Pixel 9a
Google Pixel 8a

Read more