CAT S40: A phone to withstand my life?

During the summer holidays I was invited along to an event where I would hear all about the new CAT S40 smartphone. As a killer of phones I was very interested to hear about this device that not only looks nice but is waterproof, dust proof and can withstand an awful lot of abuse.
The CAT S40 runs of the latest android operating system and is about the same width as my Xperia Z1 when it is in its case. It has duel sim capabilities and doesnt come preloaded with a load of rubbish. In fact one of its selling points is the fact that it has its very own app store called the App Toolbox (you can access google play store as well) where all of the apps have been tried and tested. It also lists apps based on industry you may work in. This is great for those in construction, farming or similar when a tough phone like this would be really popular.

As an android user myself the transition from my Xperia to the S40 was seamless as Google automatically logged me in to the various apps and downloaded the apps I use.

The covers of the ports are robust and after lots of uses do not show any sign of damage unlike those of the Sony water proof phones I have used in the past and it means that I felt happy and confident to take it in the sea with us when we went swimming which is not something I would do with my normal phone despite it being advertised as waterproof.

I was also happy to have the phone on the sandy beach without worrying about where the sand may end up as the S40 has no nooks and crannies that can get filled with sand. The device is certified to an Ingress Protection rating of IP68 which means it is totally dustproof and waterproof to a depth of 1 metre for 1 hour or less. The S40 is designed to be durable and is drop tested to 1.8 metres so will be protected against accidental propping during normal use but is not indestructible although mine fell down the stairs a few times and is perfectly fine!

The battery life on the S40 so far has been amazing and I have left it days before charging it which is something I could not have done with my previous phones. It is advertised as having a 39 DAY standby time which is just phenomenal. The screen is clear and easy to read and so much brighter than my Sony which is great for when you are outdoors. It has a 4.7 inch HD screen, uses 4G and has 16GB storage which can be expanded with a micro SD card.

As a blogger I was concerned about the camera quality as I do take a lot of pictures with my smartphone which was why I bought the Xperia in the first place as it has a 20MP camera. The S40 comes with an 8MP rear camera which seems to work well but it did suffer from some lighting issues and focusing problems. These were not that evident when I took photos but they were when my daughters took pictures. Mind you we did really put it to the test by taking it into a cave! It also comes with a 2MP front facing camera which is perfect for those holiday selfies.

Check out some of the unedited images taken with the S40 below.

 

 

The camera is good but unfortunately I don’t think it is good enough for the photos I need to take on a daily basis and there were a few pictures that I was disappointed to see that they had come out blurry. However if it wasn’t that I needed these pictures for my job I would swap straight away. I will however download some different camera apps like Zoom FX or VSCO Cam and give it another go to see if they can help to improve the quality because having a phone that I can trust wont smash every time my clumpsy hands drop it on the floor will take a huge weight of my mind!

Overall I think the CAT S40 is a fantastic robust phone that does everything a normal android smart phone does whilst protecting it against lifes knocks and bumps. I think it is a great toddler proof phone or one suitable for someone who goes through phones as quickly as I do.

You can find out more about the technical specifications of the CAT S40 on the link below

http://www.catphones.com/en-gb/phones/s40-smartphone/