Smartphone is known to be that gadget equivalent to a Swiss Army knife.
Combining a phone's functionality with a web browser, a music player, a camera, a GPS, and tons more, all into one single device, smartphones can also be equipped with an array of other sensors, like IR blaster, gyroscope and more.
But it has also been almost that long that most smartphones still rely on some external sensors to do other things, including pressure or temperature measurement.
As for the latter, the Chinese multinational technology company Huawei is trying to change that with a smartphone it calls the Honor Play 4 Pro.
In 2020 where the world is experiencing the 'COVID-19' coronavirus pandemic, having a fever can be a concern, since it can be the early indication of infection.
Samsung was the pioneer in the field of technology launched its first temperature sensor phone Galaxy S4 in 2013. But Huawei here is playing its part to be the first phone ever to properly have such ability, using infrared sensor.
Huawei's Honor Play 4 Pro has an infrared temperature sensor integrated into the rear camera block to measure surface temperature of people and objects.
This way, users can screen for early symptoms for coronavirus, or just to measure temperature for a fever.
In a video posted on the Chinese social media site Weibo, Huawei demonstrates how the feature works: Just aim the phone at someone's forehead, tap through the app, and the phone will give a temperature reading.
Huawei said that the infrared sensor in the Honor Play 4 Pro can read temperatures ranging from -20°C (-4°F) to 100°C (212°F).
Considering the prevalence of IR sensors in smartphone cameras, Huawei simply upped the game by re-purposing one for taking temperatures.
Like any other phone in Huawei's "Honor" line, the Play 4 Pro is designed to bring a rather 'flagshippy' feel to a cheaper device.
The smartphone is equipped with a 6.57" screen, 2400×1080 LCD, Huawei's Kirin 990 SoC, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4200mAh battery. It runs Android 10, but the U.S. export ban means the Play 4 Pro doesn't have Google Play apps and services.
The phone is initially being sold in China, where the version with an infrared sensor is retailing at ¥2,999 or about $420.
It should be noted through, that an smartphone's infrared sensor may not be as accurate as a thermal camera, or a dedicated thermometer device.
On smartphones sold on a massive quantity, companies tend to pack them with cheap sensors to lower the price.
What this means, despite the Play 4 Pro's temperature reading capability could come in handy from time to time, the result should not be something to totally rely on when screening for coronavirus. What's more temperature checks alone aren't a guaranteed way to screen for disease, too.