The price, specs-wise, is quite higher but if you need a secure phone to use in extreme conditions, stop looking around Cat S52 is the right option for you.
Cat S52 two-minute review
Only a few numbers of smartphone companies produce rugged smartphones for those who need something that can survive in extreme conditions. Obviously, flagship devices like Galaxy Note 10, Apple iPhone 11 Max Pro cannot survive under demanding condition but here is where Cat S52 UK comes into action. A smartphone designed by Cat is not an ordinary smartphone for those who are looking for the latest, fastest smartphone with an exceptional camera, a plethora of battery, RAM and more. Everything rotates around security and durability when it comes to Cat smartphones. The Cat S52 is very much like other rugged smartphones which you can drop a few times and it won’t break. Moreover, you can use it with gloves on as well. However, Cat S52 is slightly different as this time Cat has done something different – tried to combine durability with a wide range of features. The key highlights of Cat S52 are related to its solid build design, excellent 5.65-inches display, high-quality 12MP rear camera and its powerful enough MediaTek Helio P35 Chipset. We have summarised everything in our Cat S52 Review below including its UK availability and pricing details. So, let’s keep going!
Price and Availability
Released on November 12th of 2019 Officially Available to Buy in the UK Cat S52 Price UK: £389 (~ $485/AU$771)
The smartphone isn’t the latest one but its onboard features can compete for many other rugged smartphones in the market. The official Cat S52 release date was 12th of November 2019 and now it’s on stores not only in the UK but other countries as well. As for Cat S52 Price in the UK, users can get this amazingly designed rugged smartphone after spending only £389 which after conversion comes to around $485/AU$771. The colour options, unfortunately, are limited and users can only buy Cat S52 smartphone in Black colour.
Design
Dimensions: 158.1 x 76.6 x 9.7 mm Weight: 210 grams Not Designed for Ordinary User Solid Build with Extra-level of Security
Since it’s a rugged smartphone, it’s quite big and not ideally designed for ordinary users. It’s equipped with the reinforced structure and a plethora of rubberised elements.
This is special because it was trying to combine pleasure and company. With more conventional looks, it maintained its brutality and security assets. Obviously, the smartphone still doesn’t deserve the title of the finest, but it looks very nice because of the degree of protection. There are symmetrical bezels in front of us which are not too wide for the class. A silver aluminum frame surrounds the perimeter of the structure. Screws at the ends and big giant buttons add certain violence. They’re made of metal as well. The back panel is made from rubberized material, polyurethane thermoplastics. This also has two distinct textures and a ribbed background.
Display
IPS LCD 5.65-inches Display 720 x 1440 Pixels Resolution at 285 PPI Density Corning Gorilla Glass 6 Protection Colours are Fine and Not Oversaturated
The Cat S52 comprises 5.65-inches diagonal display – based on IPS LCD Technology with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The display also comprises a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels which is considered quite enough as far as its price tag is concerned.
However, it’s not an as high resolution as many flagship devices but we think its great as it can reduce power consumption significantly – especially when the battery isn’t really big. The brightness in average sunlight is quite good and the corners are entirely typical for IPS with a traditional dark fading. The colours, on the other hand, are fine enough and not oversaturated.
Camera
12MP Sony Camera at Rear with F/1.8 8MP Camera at the Front for Selfies Average Video Quality Electronic Stabilisation System and PDAF
The Cat S52 holds a single camera on its rear – a 12MP lens (Sony) with an aperture of f/1.8. This camera lens is loaded with Dual Pixel PDAF focusing as well as EIS (Electronic Stabilisation System).
According to Cat, it’s the best-in-class camera in a rugged smartphone. However, based on hands-on reviews shared by the different online platforms, it’s not really impressive. In daylight, it can shoot impressive images with natural colour rendition but when it comes to evening, it struggles a lot and everything becomes quite complicated. Video recording, on the other hand, is Full HD. The overall quality is average but we should be thankful for the electronic stabilisation which most of the other manufacturers don’t add. The front 8MP camera with an aperture of f/2.2 is quite good and ensures a satisfactory level selfie as well as video calls.
Performance
MediaTek Helio P35 Chipset for Smooth Performance 4GB RAM for Smooth Gaming 64GB Storage with microSD Option Reliably Smooth Overall
Digging down inside the phone, it’s equipped with MediaTek Helio P35 Chipset which has 8 Cortex-A53 cores – coupled with PowerVR Rogue GE8320 GPU to manage its graphics requirement. The sources with their hands-on experienced confirmed that its 4GB RAM is more than enough according to its Chipset and it can allow users to work smoothly on multiple applications with ease.
The amount of onboard memory is 64GB but you will get only 47.17GB to store all of your stuff on the phone. However, you can expand it further up to 512GB using a microSD card. The Cat S52 works smoothly and reliably if you don’t use it extremely. For instance, lag or glitch can occur during applications download or update. Making a long story short, it’s not really bad – even though it’s not really a flagship smartphone.
Battery
3100mAh Non-removable Battery Fast Charging Feature Up to 93% Charge in only 2 Hours
Cat S52 doesn’t really shine in terms of its battery – 3100mAh. This seems not enough to provide power to Helio P35 Chipset which we think is energy efficient Chipset
All in all, it looks like an entire disaster. However, some sources have confirmed that it works perfectly fine throughout the day with casual use. With casual or light use, it can last up to two days with 7 hours of screen time activity. That is quite impressive but let us again confirm that it’s not a power-full battery but an average. It has a fast-charging feature which makes it stand out. The test reports shared by a wide number of online platforms confirm that it can restore juice back to the battery up to 93% in 2 hours which sounds good.
