Unpacking the Cat S42 – the “First Anti-Bacterial Phone”

Mobile phones are handled and pressed to our faces on a daily basis, meaning that any bacteria or other microorganisms can easily transfer back and forth between the hard surfaces of your phone and your skin.

Research shows that our phones are home to thousands of germs, with one University of Michigan study finding in excess of 17,000 bacteria on handsets.

With this in mind, Cat has developed a range of smartphones treated with Biomaster antimicrobial technology. Based on the inclusion of silver ions during manufacturing, the process creates a permanent level of product protection, inhibiting the growth of microbes on the phone surface and therefore reducing microbial levels on the surface.

The Biomaster-treated Cat S42 will be available from early 2021, with the treatment coming to other devices in the Cat phones range later in the year.

Tested to Cat phones’ demanding rugged standards, the S42 features MIL SPEC 810H and IP68 and IP69 ratings, and surpasses their rigorous and repeated drop testing from 1.8m onto steel, including multiple drops onto every side and corner.

It’s fully waterproof, tested submerged in water at depths up to 1.5m for 35 minutes. Like all Cat smartphones in the range, it is also put through vibration and tumble tests, salt mist conditions, and it’s built to operate in high and low extremes of temperature and to survive thermal shocks.

Here’s a closer look at the Cat S42’s Key Specifications:

• Powerful 4200mAh battery.
• Water/dust proof (IP68, IP69), Drop tested to 1.8m onto steel, MIL SPEC 810H, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5.
• Waterproof smartphone – up to 1.5m for 35 minutes.
• 5.5″ HD+ 18 x 9 display optimised for outdoor use with a touchscreen that can be used with wet fingers or when wearing gloves.
• Android™ 10 (with upgrade to 11).
• 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM, Expandable Storage (microSD™).
• Mediatek Helio A20 MT 6761D chipset, 1.8GHz quad-core processor.
• 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera.
• LTE Cat 6, VoLTE, VoWiFi.
• Textured, extra grip design.
• Programmable Shortcut Key useful for Push to Talk (PTT), SOS (Lone worker app), or to easily launch its torch or camera.
• Bluetooth 5.0, NFC.
• 3.5mm audio jack (waterproof).
• Curated apps and content catalogue.
• Dual SIM – Nano SIM + microSD™.
• Android Enterprise support.
• Security updates cover for 3 years.
• Zero-touch support.