Caterpillar CAT B35 - Mobile Phone 4GB, 512MB RAM, Dual Sim, Black

I looked around at various phones that would enable me to detox from the ridiculous amount of screen time I was racking up on my smartphone (Google Pixel 3aXL). I considered options from Nokia and others, and reviews seemed to be a mixed bag (as they do for this to be fair).I thought I'd give the B35 a go. I didn't want to spend more than £100 and at £85 this seemed pretty good value. Ordered on a Monday for free delivery by Thursday, and it arrived early on the Wednesday which was an exciting surprise.Out of the box the phone seems pretty well made. The outer shell is a sort of rubberised plastic (which I've since noticed does seem to attract smudges but most phones do) and a nice overall design to my eye. A case of form follows function methinks, which is quite appropriate given the CAT branding. Size wise it seems small, but a phone of this type would do coming from a large smartphone like the 3aXL. I've added a photo of it next to a tin of Pepsi for reference. I'd be happy to chuck this in the bottom of a rucksack / go camping with the kids etc - it just seems more rugged than my smartphone.On start up the phone displays the CAT logo and you hear the sound of a CAT engine starting up. My 3 boys think this is amazing and that I'm really cool, but it's grating on me already and I can't see a way to disable it in the menu. It's not a big problem - I just usually use the light of my phone screen to make my way to bed without putting the light on to wake my wife, and then turn it off - and I don't think she wants to hear the sound of a CAT C-11 engine at 1am.I wasn't sure from the advert and ordered a nano-sim adapter but this was a horrible waste of £2.49 - the phone had one already in the slot. It connected to WIFI easily, and recognised the EE network with no issues.The OS is pretty intuitive, and once muscle memory has kicked in for thumb texting with predictive text, it's a pretty smooth process to operate.WhatsApp works with no issues - although no video calling which I was aware of. For me, WhatsApp was a must have and the fact that is works so well on this is great.I tried to get my Apple @me.com email added to the native email app on the phone, but no luck. I'm not certain this is the phones fault, as I've struggled to get it working on other non-Apple devices too. I set up another free email address and it worked fine.I transferred my contacts seamlessly in 2 minutes via bluetooth which never happens to me - it always takes 4 hours.From the home screen you hit the left arrow to see 4 'quick access' apps. These are the KaiOS store, google assistant, google maps and Youtube. I can't see an option to change these which is slightly frustrating. I'd prefer WhatsApp & messages to live there (I've no interest in using youtube on the phone - which was a good part of my motivation to ditch the smartphone). That being said, there is a dedicated 'notices' shortcut from the home screen which shows any WhatsApp notifications / emails etc and this seems to work very well.What else can I say? There's really not a lot to it. It is what it is. Here's a summary of my Pros and ConsPROS1) It works2) It's not a smartphone3) It's not a "dumbphone" either (eg Youtube, Google Asst etc)4) Decent battery life (also because you have less reason to use it. I'm 2 full days from a 100% battery and now on 73% so seems like it could last a week no problem)5) Good option for a smartphone detox6) Not that expensive7) Intuitive OS8) You will feel very nostalgic depending on your age9) You will not be harangued by notifications every 14 seconds10) Seems rugged11) If a survival situation necessitated you sending a WhatApp message while underwater, you could do itCONS1) Older style screen means you need to be looking straight on to get the best viewing angle. No big deal really2) It makes excavator noises on start up and shut down3) Not able to select your apps for the home screen 'dock'4) If you are a chatty Cathy on the keyboard, you might find this frustrating even with predictive text. However if you're not, you now have an excuse for your one word answersCan't think of anything else.Don't buy it if you are intending to sit and watch YT etcDo buy it if you want a basic feature phone, that's still 4G and has WhatApp - as well as Google Maps etc to get you out of a pickle.I'm keeping my smartphone just in case but looking good so far.

The phone won't appeal to everyone: it's got a small screen (non-touchscreen, of course) and the KaiOS app store is stocked with a few primitive games and a few utilities that no-one will ever use. And the camera is bad.But what this phone does have going for it might appeal: it's waterproof and drop-proof, with a battery life of days, and can create a 4G hotspot. The Google Maps app won't do navigation, but it will do directions. And the Google Assistant - well, I don't know what use I'll find for that - but it's there. It also - depending on the model variant - supports dual SIMs or one SIM and a Micro SD card. And it has a built-in torch and FM radio.If you wanted a cheapish feature phone and were thinking of getting a Nokia 8110 'banana phone': don't. At least not until you've considered this one. You drop your banana phone in the bath and it's done for. You drop the CAT B35 in the bath, it'll go for a swim and refuse to come out because it's having so much fun. Although why are you taking the phone in the bath anyway?

Keypad malfunctions often so sometimes a key doesn't respond sometimes it doubles or triples this makes typing a nightmare.It takes a good few seconds to load basic screens like calls and contacts.It randomly restarts itself sometimes at bery inconvenient times and them you just gotta wait a long time until its up and running again.Battery life is good. Connectivity is good.Complex apps like maps and browser are way too slow.I would love to contact support to ask for a replacement with a working keypad but they only have a call back option. No way for me to contact them. Any advice would be appreciated

At last, a phone that’s strong enough to survive the spasticity of my neurologically-damaged hands; has buttons with a nice solid click; holes for a lanyard; doesn’t try to overwhelm you with functions; easily imports your Google contacts; connects to the Interwebs; has dual SIM slots; a good speaker; a clear screen; and is just the perfect size. Made by Bullitt, it does indeed feel, ahem, bulletproof. (Sorry.)I bought it as a backup to my iPhone: as something I could use in the rain, etc. when out and about. It also needed to connect to my hearing aids, via Bluetooth – which it does admirably.In an ideal world it would have an SOS button – but its market is construction, not the disabled, like me. Worth every penny, though!

Its good points - it has buttons and is rugged. I have dropped it, left it in the road overnight in the rain, and found it in the washing machine having just been washed and dried, and all it complained about was being too hot to make a call (presumably during the drying cycle. I think it is fair to say it is robust. If just using as a phone and no smart nonsense, then the battery life is really good too, so much so that I have forgotten to charge it, and had it go flat (with virtually no warning).Having said it is robust and has buttons, that is where the joy of ownership ends. It is one of the most annoying phones I have ever owned. Intended as a site phone ? It is nowhere near loud enough to operate in a noisy environment. I cant seem to find a way to change the ringtone for a text message to make it noticeable. Even the simplest functions are hard work with this phone. This one has properly got its knickers in a twist, and now when calling one of my friends, it always says it is calling someone else ! I have to switch off the predictive text because it is so dumb that it takes more key presses with it turned on. Even with the phone "locked" it gets up to antics in your pocket, because it is not a proper keyboard lock. Text messages are displayed by conversation, so it is not straightforward to see what order they came in. Things that you have taken for granted for years in a phone dont work on this one. Be prepared to be frustrated.Everything on this phone is hard work