I switched back to a flip phone a couple of years ago now after getting sick of ‘over tech’. Wanted to simplify my life and get away from all the extra junk of a smartphone. Haven’t regretted that decision at all but it has been a bit of a challenge finding a good quality flip phone. I’ve been through several already and it seems like the manufacturers aren’t concerned with quality on this style.
But I am liking this CAT phone more and more all the time. It felt a bit bulky and heavy at first but I think it’s because everything else in this genre is built so light and cheap. This phone feels well built. It’s solid and doesn’t feel like it’s going to smash into pieces with a normal drop.
I wasn’t overly keen on having a phone with the entire Android OS on it as I really want it as basic as possible but it’s not as intrusive as I thought it might be.
The best concession I’ve learned to love is having a touch screen again. It’s so much easier for texting than having to revert back to the old T9 method. Not sure how I used to be able to text fairly quickly back in the day with T9 cause it’s truly awful once you’ve used a touch screen. This is the only flip phone I’ve had that has the touch screen and I don’t think I’d want to lose that feature again.
Aside from those things, the phone itself is great. Battery life is excellent. Sound quality is very good. Connections are stable with both cellular and wifi, and Bluetooth works well with headsets, speakers, etc.
My biggest issues would have to be with Android itself but that isn’t the phone’s fault. I like every Android OS upgrade less every time as they continually muck with what you can actually do with the platform all in the name of security. I have the same issues with my Android tv box, etc. They need to come up with a better way to secure the OS without sacrificing so much usability. For example, what’s the point of having voice activated calling if I have to open and unlock the phone before it will accept the voice commands? Defeats the convenience of the feature altogether. I really dislike Android after about version 6 or 7 and because this phone is new, you are getting a pretty new version of the OS. I have continually put off the system update it wants to do as I don’t want to lose any more features and have to muck around with even more restrictions.
Overall, if you want to go back to semi-old school with a flip phone, you’d be hard pressed to find a better quality option than this CAT phone. And for the price, you definitely won’t find a better option. Hopefully this phone will mark a return to better quality hardware for those of us who don’t want to be slaves to a smartphone. I think this market is growing so maybe companies like Nokia, etc will put more effort into their retro phones instead of slapping together the junk they have been just to keep a toe in the water of that market. But if CAT is the only company committed to building solid flip phones then I’ll keep buying their phones. They have a good opportunity to corner this smaller sub-genre if they keep building quality sets like the S22.
| Brand | Renewed |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Renewed |
| Place of Business | USA |
| Model | Cat S22 |
| Model Name | Cat S22 |
| Model year | 2022 |
| Part Number | Cat S22 |
| RAM | 2 |
| Memory storage capacity | 16 GB |
| Memory Slots Available | MP |
| Flash memory installed size | 2 GB |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 2 GB |
| Digital Storage Capacity | 16 GB |
| OS | Android 11.0 |
| Processor Brand | Mediatek |
| Processor Speed | 1.3 GHz |
| Processor Type | Snapdragon |
| Mounting Hardware | Adapter |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Standing screen display size | 2.8 Inches |
| Display type | OLED |
| Optical Sensor Resolution | 5 MP |
| Battery Description | Lithium Ion |
| Batteries included | Yes |
| Batteries Required | No |
| Battery Capacity | 2000 Milliamp Hours |
| Battery Cell Composition | Lithium Ion |
| Battery Power Rating | 3.6 |
| Cellular technology | 4G |
| Connector Type | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB |
| Human Interface Input | Touchscreen |
| Form Factor | Foldable Case |
| Does it contain liquid? | No |
| Manufacturer | Renewed |
| Item model number | Cat S22 |
| Parcel Dimensions | 12.5 x 8 x 6.5 cm; 340 g |
| ASIN | B0CLTK1C75 |
