You Can Turn Your iPhone Into A Thermal Camera With This USB-C Gadget

An iPhone is a powerful piece of technology that fits in your pocket, and iOS 26 is making it even more powerful with a bunch of features that add immense value in everyday life. Then, there's Apple Intelligence that provides incredible tools to edit photos, identify objects, and even filter spam messages and calls. But what if you need something that the current generation iPhones simply don't offer – like a thermal camera. For those wondering, a thermal camera is a handy tool that captures images based on their heat expenditure through infrared radiation. While the idea of using a camera like this might feel like a novelty to many, it comes with a number of benefits.

A thermal camera can potentially save you hundreds on your energy bill when using one at home — a use case that may become more prominent as AI can drive up your power bills. It allows homeowners to pinpoint potential problems in the home, such as poor insulation and dangerous overheating circuits. It can also catch water leaks — a slow problem that can eventually destroy parts of a home, leading to thousands in potential repairs.

This makes the Flir One Gen 3 professional thermal camera the perfect companion for homeowners. This compact and portable device attaches to your iPhone via a USB-C connector. Featuring Multi-Spectral Dynamic Imaging, this allows the Flir camera to enhance the thermal images it takes by highlighting details and making problematic areas easier to spot. With an 80 x 60 thermal resolution and 1-hour battery life, you'll be able to easily snap high-quality photos all over your home.

The associated Flir One app provides features for homeowners that they can't get from a dedicated thermal camera. You can upload images to the cloud for later viewing, explore articles to learn more about device usage, and access third-party apps for specific use cases. And with Flir Home Inspect, you have guided instruction on how and where to look for potential problems in your home. The device works with most modern iPhone models that feature a USB-C connection. But there's also a dedicated Lightning port version for older Apple devices. You can also use the camera for Raspberry Pi projects to upgrade your bedroom or living room, where you need to track the temperature of a surface or object at frequent intervals.