There are quite a few near-indestructible phones on the market right now, but this brand-new Cat contender exceeds even the highest of military-grade standards in areas of drop testing from heights of 6 feet, and is able to withstand extreme temperature ranges from -22 degrees Fahrenheit to 167°F for an entire day!
The Cat S75 is also waterproof, and resistant to sand, dust, and dirt with an impressive IP69K rating. It's equipped with a waterproof 50-megapixel main camera that boasts an f/1.8 aperture, plus underwater photo modes. But the most impressive spec of this newly announced device is its satellite capabilities.
• These are the best rugged phones in 2023
Announced as part of the Mobile Word Congress (MWC) 2023 event taking place in Barcelona, Spain, as we type, the Cat S75 is said to be the Bullitt Group's toughest 5G phone yet and able to shrug off anything and everything that life throws at it, sitting at the very edge of technical and engineering innovation.
If you can't bury your phone in the hot Sahara desert sand and still send satellite messages, or swim with sharks underwater while snapping photos, or if your phone can't survive a free-fall drop onto hard steel surfaces - then is it really worth owning?
Cat phones can supposedly survive up to 30% longer than the average smartphone, and gone are the days of worrying about your phone falling off of the coffee table (or even into the club toilet) as most modern non-Apple devices are made from much tougher stuff lately, and the new flagship Cat S75 is setting an advanced standard of what your smartphone should be able to endure in 2023.
Bullitt Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of rugged phones, including Cat and Motorola devices, and it has now succeeded in the creation of the world's very first satellite messaging smartphone with an included two-way satellite messaging capability through the company's satellite service plan, as well as the Bullitt Satellite Messenger proprietary app.
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We know what you're thinking, didn't Apple do this first with the SOS Emergency Satellite feature introduced with the iPhone 14 series? Well technically, no.
We reported back in December 2022 that the Bullitt Group had partnered with MediaTek in an effort to win the mobile space race by using the MediaTek NTN (non-terrestrial network) chip in a new flagship device.
The Cat S75 is equipped with this NTN chip, but it differs from the Apple iPhone 14 satellite functions in that the Cat S75 will allow for seamless messaging between the satellite user and another phone on a normal network, plus direct connectivity from the device to geostationary satellites that are situated 37,500km above the earth, making it possible to send a message or make an SOS assistance request to anyone (not just emergency services) without signal.
As for the triple camera array, the CAT S75 will feature a 50MP main sensor, 8MP wide sensor, 2MP macro sensor with an underwater mode on the rear, and an 8MP front-facing selfie camera. Cat even says that it will keep your warranty intact if you've submerged the device five meters deep into water, it's that confident in the waterproof functionality of this new flagship.
Other amazing features of this phone include its rigorous testing to withstand drops from 1.8 meters, high humidity, salt fog conditions, intense vibration, and tumble tests. Despite being put through the worst possible conditions, the Cat S75 includes Bullitt’s Hygiene+ technology – with all external surfaces containing antimicrobial silver ions to fight surface bacteria.
The display is a 6.6” FHD screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz, plus the superior 5000mAh battery provides up to 2 days of power without needing a charge, perfect for camping. MediaTek’s Dimensity 930 octa-core 2.2GHz processor is what powers this device, and 6GB of RAM are installed with expandable internal storage.
Heralded as the most "reliable" phone, the CAT S75 is a game-changer for trialing new reliable methods of connectivity. The corporate Vice President at MediaTek’s wireless communications business unit, JC Hsu, has shared that:
"Satellite technology for any smartphone is the next big step in mobile connectivity, and what MediaTek has delivered with its stand-alone, standards-based satellite communications chip. We successfully worked with Bullitt, integrating our 3GPP NTN technology and chipset into the world's first commercially available devices with two-way satellite messaging."
Hsu continues, "It’s a significant advancement for remote users and emergency services, but this technology also paves the way for other unique smartphone satellite communication and connectivity markets."
The CAT S75 is available to pre-order now $630 / £549 / AU$960 including a 3-month free trial of the Bullitt Satellite Messenger Essentials service plan, which will include up to 30 direct-to-satellite messages per month.
• You may also want to check out the best rugged tablets, as well as the best rugged laptops for those who combine work with adventure.
• Check out the best waterproof cameras if you love underwater worlds, and see our review of the new Doogee S96 GT which also boasts underwater photo modes.
