Heavy equipment company Caterpiller Inc has unveiled its flagship product, the Cat S60 smartphone, which features integrated thermal camera, at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2016 (MWC 2016) in Barcelona.

"The Cat S60 represents a milestone for smartphones. We are excited for thermal technology to be in the hands of Cat phones customers and to discover the myriad of daily time and efficiency use cases it will present for them, (sic)" said Peter Stephens, CEO of Bullitt Group, global mobile device licensee for Caterpillar in press release.

This is the first time in the world a smartphone featuring a thermal camera was showcased. The camera comes from FLIR, a company reputed for its thermal-imaging technology. The thermal camera has the ability to pick up heat and temperature signatures from a distance of 50 to 100 feet. The cameras will let users see through smoke.

Cat S60 features waterproofing up to 5 meters for one hour, and can be used as an underwater camera as well. The smartphone is also dustproof.

This flagship product from Caterpiller Inc "exceeds military specification" and can reportedly withstand drops on concrete from up to 1.8 metres. Users can control the touchscreen with wet fingers or wearing gloves, as it features Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

It has an optimised battery performance of 3,800mAh, a Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor, a 4.7-inch HD screen, 32GB of storage and 3GB RAM, and runs Android Marshmallow. The image resolution is limited to VGA (640 x 480), The Verge reported.

The company has claimed the smartphone will come in handy for building professionals, utility workers, outdoor sports enthusiasts and emergency first responders.

Cat S60 will cost $599 and will be available "later this year."

Cat S60 key features:

  • Strengthened Die Cast Frame
  • Drop proof to 1.8m, MIL Spec 810G
  • Super bright display (typical 540 nits), Gorilla Glass 4
  • 4.7-inch HD capacitive multi-touch with auto wet finger and glove support
  • Optimised battery performance (3800mAh)
  • High quality audio experience (>105dB)
  • Underwater 13MP main camera with dual flash, 5MP front-facing camera
  • 4G LTE
  • Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor
  • 32GB ROM, 3GB RAM
  • Android Marshmallow
  • Dedicated FLIR thermal camera app with MSX technology; still image, panorama, and video capture; changeable heat palettes; temperature spot meter; and min, max, and average temperature data