Blackview is known for making phones for adventurers as they make some of the best rugged phones out there. Adventures, by definition, should include elements of fun, thrills, and sometimes even danger. But if you carry reliable gear, you have nothing to fear. Blackview recently launched the new rugged BV9800 Pro, the first thermal camera phone designed for outdoor adventures.

The BV9800 Pro helps serious adventurers increase situational awareness via the integrated FLIR® Lepton® that “sees” heat which is invisible to the human eye. Thermal vision is a key capability in areas of national defense, public safety, and firefighting and provides diagnostic capabilities for utilities, construction, and inspection. The ability to create an image based on differences in heat allows users to see in total darkness and know the temperature of all the objects in the scene. In addition, the BV9800 Pro comes with a Sony® 48MP camera as well as the standard IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810G certifications that all Blackview rugged devices come with. Also, there is GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU navigation systems, air-pressure sensor, and a 6580mAh battery that offers a battery life of up to 840 hours in standby or 27 hours of talk time.

A thermal camera may seem like a gimmick but it can prove to be useful in a number of situations. For example, imagine that you are out camping in the forest and start a campfire to warm or cook. To make sure that the fire is out before you leave, you can use the thermal camera to check because it is very common for fires to seem extinguished but they rise again. It is similar to what firefighters do to check for any “hotspots”. The BV9800 Pro can confirm that a campfire is completely out before you go to sleep or break camp. And while sitting around the campfire, you can see if that noise in the darkness is an animal or your friend trying to scare you.

Many animals are naturally camouflaged and very hard to see with the naked eye, even when they in plain sight. Wildlife photographers can often use the thermal-camera capability of the BV9800 Pro to spot an animal’s heat (unless hidden by foliage or behind terrain). With the exact position of the animal known, you can change the lens to the Sony® 48MP camera to capture photos of animals in their natural environments.

Specialized thermal cameras are used in public safety for search and rescue and suspect pursuit. They are especially valuable after dark when a traditional camera is useless. There are countless news stories of lost hikers, children, or pets being found using a thermal camera at night. Unfortunately, accidents can happen in the great outdoors, and a BV900 Pro can be a useful tool in low-light conditions or total darkness. Capable of seeing a person-sized object at up to 30 meters away in the dark, the new BV9800 Pro provides aid for detecting people or other warmer objects in total darkness. To learn more about it and how its new thermal imaging features can help you in various situations, check the product page here.