Today we have got something a little bit different as I am unboxing not just a phone but a satellite communication device and a work tool for those of us who aren’t afraid to get a bit mucky in the pursuit of an income.
I am of course talking about the CAT S75 by Bullitt
Some of you may be wondering who Bullitt is and you are correct to wonder as they are not a common name in the world of smartphone builders like Samsung, Apple OnePlus Honor and Google. Bullitt is a company that specialises in making a phone that is for workers and explorers, phones that like it rough and don’t shy away from being a bit bulky in the name of protection and ruggedness. They have been the company behind CAT-branded phones for a few years now but they also make devices for Motorola Mobility as well (more on that later).
So without further ado let’s step out of my comfortable foldy flagship zone and into the more toughened world of rugged mobile tech and unbox this tough customer.
Now that your eyes have been sufficiently seared by the beauty within that glorious white box let’s talk specs….
Specs
| Name | CAT S75 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | Height 171mm, Width 80mm Depth 11.9mm |
| Weight | 268g |
| Back Material | Plastic (with aluminium frame underneath) |
| Colours | Black |
| Operating System | Android 12 (upgradeable to Android 14) |
| SoC | MediaTek Dimensity D930 octa-core 2.2GHz |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2,BLE, SBC, AAC, LDAC, APTX, APTX HD USB Type-C USB 3.1 GEN 1 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh (non-removable) |
| Audio | Loudspeaker |
| Unlock Options | Rear mounted Fingerprint, Face Unlock |
| Network | Sattelite: 23/255/256 5G: n1/n2/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/ n41/n75/ n77/n78 4G: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28/32/38/39/40/41 3G: 1/2/4/5/8 2G: 2/3/5/8 |
| NFC | NFC enabled |
| DisplayParameters | LCD IPS 1080x 2408 400ppi 120hz refresh rate Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Main Camera | 50MP Main Camera (f/1.8), 8MP Wide 2MP macro featuring underwater mode |
| Front Camera | 8MP Camera (f/2.0, |
| Flash | Dual LED Flash |
| Rugged Credentials | Ingress Protection: Ingress Protection (IP68 and IP69K) Drop tested: Up to 1.8m onto steel MIL SPEC 810H: Resistant to vibration: Category 4 Resistant to humidity and salt mist Thermal shock: handles low to high-temperature differences between -30°C (-22°F) to 75°C (167°F) for up to 24 hours |
| GPS | GPS (L1 + L5 dual frequency), A-GPS, LTEPP, SUPL, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou |
| Additional Features | Zello PTT (push-to-talk) key, MediaTek MT6825 chip for satellite connectivity, SOS Assistance, Advanced two-way satellite messaging, Location sharing |
So that is the specs taken care of let’s have a quick look around the device to see the hardy beats in all its glory.
Staring up front is where we can find the 6.6″ LCD IPS panel which is made of Gorilla Glass Victus at 0.8 mm thickness to ensure that is scratch and impact-resistant. it will also work with gloves if you enable Glove Mode in the settings and can be used with wet fingers! The screen will refresh at up to 120hz and this can be set on at all times, reduced to 60hz or set to adaptive mode which will automatically adjust depending on what is being done on the device.
Also to be found on the front of the phone is the front-facing 8MP camera which is located in an old-style teardrop and is in the bezel around the screen. The bezels by the way are huge and this is deliberate and is most likely been done in this way to help against the screen breaking if dropped but I also suspect that it may be to do with the aforementioned glove mode.
Tucked into the section just above the camera is the earpiece which is also built into that top bezel as well this sounds crisp and clear and I have not had any issues hearing people during calls.
Moving around to the right-hand side we can find the strangely placed buttons. This is one of the first phones I have used in quite some time where the power key is placed above the volume rocker. This requires some finger gymnastics to find the power key on what is already quite a tall phone. the good news is that this can mostly be negated buy the “lift-to-wake” feature that is present in the phone’s settings and also by using the fingerprint reader on the back. Both the volume rocker and the power buttons do have a solid feel and are responsive when pressed. They are not metal though but they do feel sturdy which is a theme throughout the phone.
On the base of the phone, we can find a USB Type C port that is flanked by what looks to be a dual speaker but in reality, this is a single-speaker affair. The grill on the right of the USB port is the speaker and the other side most likely is hiding a mic array under the grill. Although I cannot see the water ingress protection for myself I expect these apertures to all have gaskets on them internally.
Continuing around to the left-hand side is where the programmable key is hiding along with the only port that will allow access to the internals of the phone the Sim/SD card slot. The programmable button like the other on the right of the phone is again solid but this time has the added benefit of being ribbed for ease of location as this can be used for a Zello Push To Talk (PTT) button or just for any other functions which can be configured in software.
The Combo Sim/SD card tray is quite deeply recessed inside the phone and is a toolless style the flap that covers this is a reassuringly solid feeling and when closed creates a tight seal. I am a little concerned that it could be flipped open with relative ease but I am sure that this has been thought about in design and I wouldn’t be surprised if the internal sections of this compartment are all coated in a waterproofing agent.
Finishing our tour of the sides we come to the top of the phone which house the SOS button in a deep red, which is again ribbed for ease of location but this time it is recessed into the phone’s casing so that it is level to prevent accidental activation. Next to this is the only visible Mic hole on the phone.
Around the back, we have got a fairly clean panel with the exceptions being the camera array and the fingerprint reader. the fingerprint reader is nicely positioned where your index finger would naturally fall so it is easy to use and a good size for me but if you have bigger/wider fingers it may be problematic for you. It responds quickly and seems to be pretty accurate with a very low failure rate from my testing at least.
The camera array is housed in a single slightly raised bump that is on the rear right corner of the phone in a very similar position that Samsung tend to place their cameras. In the array, we have got a 50MP Main Camera (f/1.8), 8MP Wide angle camera and a 2MP macro featuring underwater mode. Below this, we have got a very bright dual LED Flash which works really well as a torch as well if you need it too.
That concludes the tour of the phone.
I have been able to get some limited use out of the phone since it arrived on my doorstep on Monday but I have got plans to take it with me mountain biking this weekend to give it a bit more of a test. This is one of the areas where Bullitt and CAt intend for this style of the phone to be used so I will be putting it through its paces as best as I can over the next few days.
I am normally quite gentle on the phone I am lent for review as i don’t want to break them and be asked to pay for the damages! However in this case I am going to be a bit rough with the phone as it is a tough phone after all so within the realms of relative sense I will be tough on this phone over my testing period. I may even be able to get some underwater photography use out of this if I am allowed to keep it for my trip to Turkey later this month! It then the north sea may have to suffice instead not that you will be able to see much in there!!
If you are interested in picking up a tough phone from CAT or more specifically the CAT s75 then you can do so from the CAT phones store now for £549. If however, you prefer your phones with Motorola branding then you can also pick this phone up as the Motorola Mobility made Defy 2 although I think this is limited to America’s at this time.
As a small treat here is a link to the app satellite messaging app working as it should, not as I tried to demo unsuccessfully in the video above!!