IFA 2017 | CAT T20 rugged tablet now official

CAT Phones introduced two new rugged phones at this year's edition of the popular IFA trade show, but they also introduced a new tablet. Due to the specific market niche it targets, the Caterpillar T20 is designed to operate in tough environments and to easily handle drops, scratches, and continuous vibrations.

The CAT T20 sports an Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor, 2 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage, and it was announced as the first rugged tablet by CAT Phones. Its list of specs and features also includes two low-end cameras (2 MP front and 5 MP on the back), an 8-inch IPS display with 1,280 x 800 pixels with Corning Gorilla Glass protection and a factory-fitted screen protector that increases its ability to resist drops and scratches, and a generous 7,500 mAh non-removable battery. In terms of connectivity, we find 4G LTE Cat 4, dual band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, mini HDMI, and GPS with GLONASS support.

Having a weight of more than 1.4 pounds, the CAT T20 is not too easy to carry around, but it makes up for it with the IP67 rating. Thanks to it, this tablet can spend up to 30 minutes submerged in up to 3 feet of water without being damaged. The operating system installed by CAT Phones on its first rugged tablet is Windows 10 Home.

The price tag of the CAT T20 tablet reads EUR€649 or about US$770. Unfortunately, there is no official launch date to talk about yet. In the meantime, those interested in a rugged handset can get the CAT S41 smartphone that is already available for purchase and has a price tag of EUR€449 (~US$533).

A recent study conducted by Bullitt Group revealed that "1 in 3 consumers in Western Europe have broken a mobile phone in the last three years," so the rugged smartphone sector should continue its growth. After all, handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active show that even the big names in the industry still pay attention to this niche.