Cat S61
64 GB, Black / Silver, 5.20", Hybrid Dual SIM, 16 Mpx, 4G
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
29 reviews
The phone is not worth the money.
Very disappointed in the phone, already sent it in twice, worst phone ever and not worth the money. Is more in repair than I could use it.
Very disappointed
Where I was convinced with the qualitet S60 I bought the successor model S61 in April, to nerwige messages whether I want to save new contact after each call can get used to. At the beginning of August, problems with the battery, after about 4 hours 0% and after connecting to the power supply in a few seconds 50%, you did not have to be an Einstein to determine that it ligt not at the bedinung as it does the support suggest, several mails with CAT and to vacations I needed another device, emergency solution OPPO A5. Data on delivery and pickup address I sent on 21.08.20, the Lebel I receive on 23.08.20 (Sunday) with info that tomorrow it will be picked up, the phone I sent to service 24.08.2020 as it was required by the manufacturer. On 2.10.20 I send request what is wrong with the phone to manufacturer and service, manufacturer does not answer, service writes "Unfortunately we have received the device without receipt and no error description"....
The invoice was included and even if I had forgotten it, it takes 38 days or 30 working days to send a response? No one informs me that I have to describe everything again. Why do I have to follow the manufacturer's instructions to send the phone if they have no contact with each other? After two months I have to conclude that the Oppo A5 is just as fast as CAT S61 for what I need only lacks thermal imaging camera and does not make such nice photos.
As long as it works it's a good device, after 5 months of use I think it's a very expensive gadget that by looking robust gives a safe feeling at the construction site but in the end it's a waste of money, costs a lot of nerves and it's supposed to be called an imposition S61.Pro
- Robust
- Thermal imaging camera
Contra
- Service
- Support
Top mobile phone with thermal imaging camera !
I am fully satisfied with the cat phone
I can only recommendGood robust mobile.
I now have experience with two CAT S61. The old one I bought around 2018/19 and the new one I bought a month ago. I used the old one for about 4-5 years until the battery was no longer usable, while I used the new one for a week. I am happy with the CAT S61.
+ It is robust and does not need a protective cover.
+ It has a bright LED flash.
+ It has a good battery, at least to start with.
+ For a lightweight smartphone user, it has everything I need.
+ I particularly liked the thermal imaging camera.
+ Although the water covers on the connections fell off, I was able to film underwater for about a quarter of an hour before too much water flowed into the electronics. After a night of drying, everything worked again.
I noticed the following disadvantages.
- There are better cameras on the market.
- It's a bit big and clunky, but it never bothered me.
- The audio quality via the AUX connection is unsatisfactory with weak sound. With the old mobile, all sounds were cut off when listening to music through the headphones at the quietest level. No matter which headphones. With the new mobile, there was no clipping, but it was noisy at the quietest level, which also resulted in poor sound quality.
- The covers for the two ports are getting brittle. They lasted maybe 2 years on the old mobile. I found replacement covers online. I was able to replace the one on the USB-C side myself, but a different principle had been implemented on the headphone side. There you probably have to open the device to insert the cover.
- If you want to open the mobile, you first have to remove the back. However, this is glued, which makes repairs difficult.
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As the battery replacement was similarly expensive to buying a new mobile of the same design, I decided to buy a new one. But when I bought it from Bitronic, it arrived defective. The following is my description of the fault on the service request:
"The mobile arrived with two cracks in the screen. In addition, the cover of the charging cable was defective and the wrong cable was included. I set up the mobile anyway and took a week to see if there were any other defects. The laser warning sticker came off and the cover for the headphones broke after about a day of normal use."
Digitec was very responsive but Bitronic said it was not under warranty and it would cost me 554CHF. When I asked for it back unrepaired, the screen was repaired. So they fixed the main problem, but I'm a bit confused. What do they want to repair for 554CHF? The coverings of the two plugs?
However, I don't want to complain as I am now in a satisfactory condition.Pro
- robust
- Waterproof
- Infrared camera
Contra
- somewhat clunky
- Audio quality at low volume
- Protective covers on plugs become brittle
the worst smartphone I have ever had
Two months after the warranty expires, the battery gives up the ghost. And, of course, it can only be replaced with a surgical operation. (the tube knows what to do).
Contra
- lousy battery
What is really needed?
The CAT S60 accompanied me for about 3 years and had repeated crashes of individual system apps and sometimes even complete system crashes. This was more than I had ever experienced on any other mobile phone before, and I heard similar things from other CAT users.
After the CAT, I thought about what I really need and the thermal imaging camera was not one of them, rather robust or easily repairable? Now I've decided on the latter: it's nice if the phone doesn't break right away, but the benefit is also fulfilled if it can be easily repaired without running from pillar to post. The successor to the CAT is now a Fairphone, and it still runs very reliably.Pro
- special sensors (thermal imaging camera)
- Robust and waterproof
Contra
- Frequent app and sometimes system crashes
- Hardly any accessories e.g. sleeves
6 out of 29 reviews
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