Huawei's new smartphone will allow people to take their own temperature and screen for the coronavirus. The innovation uses an IR temperature sensor that will allow the device to perform a fever screening on a person.

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According to Ars Technica's latest report, one of the biggest smartphone developers, Huawei, has found another way to integrate another unique feature into a smartphone: a thermometer.

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The release of the Honor Play 4 Pro of Huawei includes an innovation of its rear camera block. It's integrated with an IR temperature sensor that will allow the device to measure the surface temperature of people and other objects. It can detect an individual's fever, which is an early indicator of the infection.

Huawei's new smartphone has a temperature-taking feature; 'Honor Play 4 Pro' can perform a fever screening for COVID-19

According to Ars Technica, a demonstration video was posted on the Chinese social media site Weibo that shows how the new feature of the smartphone works. The demonstration shows that the device's owner just needs to aim the smartphone at someone's forehead, tap the app, and the phone will provide a temperature reading to identify if the person is suffering from a fever.

However, the report clarified that the temperature checks done using the new device are not a guaranteed way to screen for COVID-19. However, the feature can still help since having a fever is a symptom of the viral disease, and is one of the most easy-to-identify symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

China, where Huawei's headquarters is located, uses infrared non-contact thermometers, while employers like Walmart and Amazon in the United States, are screening masses of warehouse employees for fevers as part of their COVID-19 control measures.

The company claimed that its sensor can read temperatures from -20°C (-4°F) to 100°C (212°F). However, the report clarified that an IR sensor as not as accurate as a thermal camera, and the device is as effective as an internally taken temperature.

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