Fresh off its rollout of a smartphone that can charge wirelessly at 100W, Honor said at MWC 2022 it will offer new earbuds that monitor temperature. The new buds look like AirPods Pro. And temperature sensing is a function Apple has reportedly tested in AirPods.
The former Huawei subsidiary, based in China, said its new $199 Earbuds 3 Pro combine a temperature sensor with an AI temperature algorithm. It has an 80% chance of coming within plus or minus 0.3 degrees Celsius of an accurate reading, the company said.
Honor Earbuds 3 Pro
Building temperature measurement into earbuds has seen increasing market interest recently. Such tech could help track fertility, monitor sleep patterns and contribute to other health metrics, like detecting fever.
Honor Earbuds 3 Pro let you tap three times on an earbud to start a measurement. And you can take a continuous measurement, the company said. In addition, the buds feature an “abnormal temperature alert.” But Honor emphasized they are not intended for medical use and do not yet have related regulatory approvals.
Evokes Apple’s rumored plans
So to review, the arrival of temperature-reading earbuds brings to mind an October 2021 report in The Wall Street Journal. It suggested Apple may be working on AirPods prototypes with sensors to measure core body temperature. And not only that, but also posture and hearing levels.
The report noted such in-ear temperature sensors could work with a rumored Apple Watch Series 8 sensor. However, people reportedly familiar with Apple’s plans told WSJ that temp-reading AirPods are not expected to launch in 2022. And they may never come out.
Honor rolled out its noise-canceling Earbuds 3 Pro at MWC 2022 along with its Magic 4 series of smartphones. The company said Honor Magic 4 Pro takes a charge wirelessly at 100W. That allows it to reach 50% capacity in just 15 minutes.
The company said it hoped to release the new products globally. But it’s not yet clear if that will include sales in the U.S.
