CAT S22 Flip joins the latest ‘new’ trend of flip phones. It takes a slightly different path than say Samsung Z Flip 3 or Motorola Razr. The CAT S22 Flip is a rugged smartphone in the traditional clamshell form factor from about 15 years ago.
There is a market for people who want just a basic phone, especially in a harsh working environment. Construction workers, oil riggers, and farmers come to mind. These people want a phone that is mostly for calls or use it as a walkie-talkie. But when the need arises they want access to the internet and Google Play Store apps. CAT S22 Flip is a phone for these people in mind.
Bullitt group sent AndroidHeadlines the CAT S22 Flip for review. So let’s get the unboxing done out of the way so we can test drive this unique rugged clamshell smartphone.
Unboxing the CAT S22 Flip
Most unboxing experiences are very ho-hum these days. This is because the form factor is not very different between various smartphones. I was excited to see a tiny box pop out of the envelope. I haven’t seen such a small phone box in quite a long time.
Flip-up the cardboard and you see the CAT S22 Flip, underneath the fold is a power brick, USB-C cable, and a headphone jack dongle along with some paperwork. There’s no SIM tool and we’ll get to that in a bit. Extremely minimal and fully functional packaging, just like the phone itself, I guess.
Design is very old school and that is a good thing
The CAT S22 Flip reminds me of my first cellular device – Samsung XGH-475. But the similarity between the two devices ends at the clamshell form factor. The CAT S22 Flip is however IP68 and MIL-SPEC 810H rated device.
I like the rubberized exterior of the CAT S22 Flip. Build quality is excellent, with no squeaks or creaks, or rattles anywhere. While the phone fits in one hand easily, it requires two hands to open it so you can use it.
This device will survive drops, water submersion along with bleach and alcohol so go ahead and use it anywhere without worrying about a case or screen protector.
Oh, and before I forget, this device comes with a removable 2000 mAh battery. The silver button on the top back can be opened with a screwdriver to remove the battery. Underneath the battery, you will find the SIM and SD card slots. I like how you can slide the covers for the card slots to pop them open, place the SIM or SD card and then click them back in.
The back cover has a red rubber lip which seals the battery inside once you tighten the screw at the top. There are two pogo pins on the back cover for charging the device but I am unsure what charger is compatible with those so you might have to do a bit more research there.
On the right-hand side, there is the orange programmable button. The opposite rail has the volume rocker and USB-C charging port with a flip cover.
Once you flip the phone open there’s a 2.8-inch screen with Gorilla Glass 5. You can use gloves or wet fingers on the display and it responds to taps and touches just fine. Instead of on-screen navigation, you use the three buttons at the top of the …….
Source: https://www.androidheadlines.com/2021/11/cat-s22-flip-review-flip-smartphones-are-cool-again.html