SAN FRANCISCO, June 5 — Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei’s budget brand Honor has created a handset that can detect the body temperature of an individual — no extra hardware needed, according to a report by XDA Developers.

Just in time for the Covid-19 outbreak — or perhaps a smidgen too late — Huawei budget-brand Honor has developed a smartphone that uses infrared sensors to detect human body temperature. 

The feature is available on the newly announced Honor Play 4 Pro, the top of the brand’s new range, and can be seen in action on the company’s official page on Chinese social networking site Weibo; the screen is shown displaying temperature readings after being held up to someone’s face or wrist.

Honor confirms that the technology can accurately calculate temperatures to the tenth of a degree between -20 and 100 degrees Celsius, or about -4 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The entry-level version of the phone, the Honor Play 4, and a more basic iteration of the Pro do not have this feature.

These devices will soon be available in China starting at CNY 1799, or about US$253. The company has not indicated whether it will make the line available outside the country. — AFP-Relaxnews