Huawei's New 2020 Smartphone can take a Person's Temperature

Huawei's new Honor Play 4 smartphone has an inbuilt IR sensor that acts as a thermometer, which can read the body temperature of a person. (Photo Source: Huawei)

Huawei is developing another device that can be integrated into a smartphone a thermometer. Huawei's Honor Play 4 Pro features an IR temperature sensor integrated into the rear camera block that can measure the surface temperature of people and objects. 

In a year when the spread of coronavirus epidemics is a major concern and a fever may be an early sign of a fever infection, the Play 4 Pro is the perfect 2020 smartphone.

In a video posted on the Chinese social media site Weibo, Huawei showed how the feature would work. Aim the phone at someone's forehead, tap through the app, and the phone will give you a chance to read the temperature. There is no definitive way to screen for COVID-19, but fever is a symptom in most hospital admissions, and it is very easy to check. 

The use of infrared irrational thermometers is a common sight in Huawei's home country of China, and in the United States, employers such as Amazon and Wal-Mart are scoring large numbers of warehouse workers as part of coronavirus control.

Huawei says it's IR thermometer can read temperatures from -20 ° C (-4 ° F) to 100 ° C (212 ° F). The IR sensor is not as accurate as a thermal camera, nor is any device that reads the surface temperature as accurate as the internal temperature. 

An IR sensor is inexpensive, though, and they're already often incorporated into smartphones for face unlocking and camera effects, so Huawei has been able to respond quickly to epidemics.

Like any other phone in Huawei's "Honor" line, the Play 4 Pro is designed to capture the flagship feel of any affordable device. The phone has a 6.57-inch, 2400 × 1080 LCD, Huawei's Karen 990 SC, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, and a 4200 mAh battery. 

It runs Android 10, but the US export ban means that the Play 4 Pro doesn't have Google Play apps and services, so you'll be stuck with Huawei's ecosystem. The phone is currently only sold in China, where the version of the IR sensor runs for 2,999 yuan (~ 422).