The Cat S42 features unrivalled toughness and proven durability that makes it an essential everyday work phone, especially for more demanding environments, such as the mining industry.
Drop-tested, multiple times, onto steel from 1,8 m, on every side and corner, Cat phones are built to be impervious to dust and are fully waterproof – surpassing the IP68 rating (tested in 1,5 m depth for 35 mins). The phone is also fully washable, making it ideal for those concerned with hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cat phones are further differentiated with their military grade specification (US military MIL SPEC 810H) which includes: thermal shock tests, high and low temperature extremes, tumble and vibration tests and salt mist resistance. The S42 is protected by a hard-wearing, non-slip rubberised TPU back-plate.
Displays are protected by a thick pane of toughened, scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and recessed in a protective ridge, while screens are covered by a 24-month repair warranty at Cat service centres locally and worldwide. Cat Phones maintain their Ingress Protection (IP) and MIL SPEC rating far into their use cycle, unlike many devices that lose their durability over extended misuse. IP measures how good the phone is at stopping items such as dust or water getting inside.
Notable improvements:
- Long-life battery: 4200mAh battery and power-efficient 12nm Mediatek Helio A20 chipset, which provides up to two days of ‘real world’ battery life.
- Faster connectivity: dual-band WIFI (2.4GHZ + 5GHZ), Bluetooth 5.0, NFC Enhanced
- Camera: rear-facing 13MP/Front-facing 5MP.
- Memory: 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM storage.
- Larger, brighter touchscreen: 5.5”, 18.9 HD+ that works with gloves and is readable in full sunlight.
- Touch screen can be controlled with wet fingers or while wearing most gloves.
Mobile phones as carriers of coronavirus
The worldwide pandemic has highlighted the need for hygiene vigilance and awareness of our daily movements. A study by the University of Arizona (https://news.arizona.edu/story/where-do-germs-lurk-new-survey-shows-most-americans-dont-know) found that a typical worker’s desk has hundreds of time more bacteria than an office toilet seat.
Your phone becomes an extension of your hand, through which many infections are transmitted. Phones also tend to come in direct contact with the face, nose or eyes, second only to face masks. However, most are neither disposable nor washable, thus warranting disinfection.
Most mobile manufacturers would caution against using alcohol or bleach on their devices to avoid possible damage. The Cat S42 can be repeatedly submerged and scrubbed with hot water and soap. It is built to withstand exposure to sanitisers, bleaches or detergents. It has no need for additional protective cases, which trap and accumulate germs – an essential hygiene detail for those who must keep on working. As the world goes back to work with a heightened focus on hygiene, Cat is proud of their phones' easy-clean credentials.
The Cat S42 launches on Android 10, with a guaranteed update to Android 11 with security patches every 90 days. The dual SIM variant allows users to use 2 nano SIM cards as well as a MicroSD card. The 3,5 mm audio jack and micro USB port are both waterproof and 4G Enabled (VoLTE, VoWiFi supported) with dual band WiFi, BT 5.0, and NFC. It also includes an app called Toolbox that will surface relevant applications for rugged phone users, aiding discovery of content, and linking to Google Play.
The S42 is the best of both worlds as it bends the enhanced features you expect from the S40 range with the rugged reliability you expect from the S30 range – and providing it in the lower S30 price bracket. This is an unbeatable combination. The phone replaces the popular S31, and will be available in South Africa from August.
