World’s smallest thermal camera is teeny tiny and the size of a quarter

Bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to gadgets. Enter then, the InfiRay P2 Pro thermal camera. It claims to be the world’s smallest thermal camera and plugs right into your smartphone via the mini USB slot.

It weighs just 9g, and at a size of 27 x 18 x 9.8mm (about the diameter of a quarter at just over an inch in length), it is truly tiny. But why do you need a thermal camera on your smartphone anyway, aside from the mere fact that it’s pretty cool?

This little camera manages to keep its package so small because, as mentioned earlier, it uses the phone’s display to view the images. It’s actually a very clever idea, particularly as many electricians and HVAC engineers often need access to a thermal camera for their work.

The size of this camera doesn’t prevent it from packing a punch, however. Many thermal cameras suffer from a stutter image. The P2 Pro, though, operates at 25Hz, which allows it to capture motion as well as stills. The resolution is also higher than most other thermal cameras at 256 x 192px. This sounds hilariously low compared with what we photographers are generally used to, but for a thermal camera, that is very good.

The other interesting thing about the P2 Pro is that it has a magnetic macro lens available. This is a nifty flat add-on which just snaps onto the front of the device. It’s really very clever and fairly foolproof. You can purchase the camera with and without this lens.

The camera has a range of -20 to 550˚C (-4 to 1044˚F), plenty for most needs. You can purchase the camera for $249 or for $299 with the macro lens.