Extremely durable; Bright display; Long-lasting battery doubles as an external pack

Terrible camera; Underwhelming performance; A little pricey; No fingerprint sensor

Now I have had it for a year, so I update a little. Compared to most other phones, this is one of a staple clutch. Large, heavy and thick. It is not too big, heavy and thick, I have no trouble dealing with it and having it in my pocket.

Should you buy the CAT S41 If you're in need of a rugged smartphone that can withstand plenty of tough situations and take a little damage here and there, and has an IP68 rating against dust and water, then it's hard not to recommend this device.

Extremely rugged and durable; IP68 rating; Decent screen; Insane battery life; Battery share feature; 3.5mm audio port; Shortcut button; Android Nougat software; Google Assistant

Not many additional features or software extras; Average camera; Heavy due to the durable materials used; Not the best performance; Can be a tad sluggish during high-end games with demanding graphics

The Cat S41 is built like a tank, but its price leaves a gap in its armor.

Super durable; Simple; uncluttered software; Excellent battery life

Poor camera; Subpar performance in price tier; No fingerprint sensor; No Android 8.0 Oreo

Excellent price of kit. I've had the previous model and loved but it died. The battery will last approximately two days without charge for normal use a full day on streaming music and loud speaker. Charging other devices is also first class. Still it feels too plastic and it marks when you drop it.

The S41 is the latest uber-rugged smartphone from building-site veteran CAT. It's a rugged handset with all the trimmings of a modern smartphone, aimed at DIY enthusiasts, white-van folks and people who regularly find themselves in hazardous environments.

Seriously rugged; Excellent battery life; Decent DIY tools; Programmable key is useful

No confirmed Oreo update; Some hardware compromises

As our mobile devices move towards thinner and more elegant form factors, we lose track of a lot of the aspects the really matter in a phone. Battery life. Durability. These have been falling by the wayside since the days of the flip phone.

Extremely rugged Long-lasting battery Programable PTT button Wide array of ports IP68 dust and water resistance

Sub-par performance Terrible cameras

Certainly the first brand that comes to mind when you think rugged phones is CAT. Although some decent contenders from China have made it to local shores, CAT is in many ways still the go-to manufacturer.

Great build; big battery can be used to recharge other phones

Camera could have been better

More than a year after we reviewed the Cat S60 , a rugged smartphone equipped with an infrared FLIR camera, we're checking out the S41, another device from the Bullitt group which licenses the Cat brand (along with Range Rover and Kodak) and has been gradually growing its clout in the small but...

Conservative design; unlike some rivals; Recognizable brand; Can be used as an emergency charger; Stock Android

No biometric security; More expensive than the competition

When I head out into the field for work, I make sure to wrap my glass sandwich smartphone in some kind of case and those cases protect it well. However, Cat's line of phones are designed and built from the ground up to withstand the elements and offer a solid mid-level phone at a reasonable $450...

Stellar long battery life; High level of dust; water; and shock resistance; Snappy performance for typical every day tasks; Ability to charge other devices with its massive battery

No biometric security; MicroUSB for charging