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

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.

I have had the phone for only 4 months, the last three weeks I have been to two AT&T stores and they said the phone was broken.I am trying to deal with the manufacturer and they are just giving me the run around.

In our test, the CAT S41 shows itself as a robust outdoor smartphone with a relatively good system performance. The Android system runs smoothly and the performance is sufficient for apps that demand more than WhatsApp and the Internet browser.

robust case with IP68 and MIL SPEC 810G; dualSIM and microSD can be used simultaneously; good system performance; solid camera quality

GPS slightly inaccurate

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

This has to be the best phone I have ever owned! The battery lasts for ever, the sound is very loud, I can hear people talk even in noisy areas, the screen adjusts to the amount of light needed.

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

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

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