InfiRay 256x192
Highest resolution available in mobile phone TCs
G1S, like Glory Pro, is equipped with an InfiRay thermal imaging module with the highest currently (January 2023) available resolution (256x192px), operating at 25Hz. The only downside: there is no way to fix the color scale, so you cannot compare any two shots.
Sample thermal photos - set 1
Temperature range and consistency
According to the specs, the precision of the readings should be within +/- 2C. When you look at the photos above, notice that the differences in min and max temperature readings, taken couple of seconds from each other, are off by max 0.5C.
Thermal cam software
Unlike regular phone cameras, where you can usually download a camera app from Google Play and use an alternate software, with the TI cam you are stuck with the phone vendor software. In case of G1S, the software works smoothly and is easy to operate on a basic level, however if you are new to the TI experience, it may be difficult to figure out some of the advanced options.
The thermal camera cannot be accessed from the regular camera app - you need to start a dedicated InfiRay application (IR Camera). The application comes with no help at all, and we were unable to identify a help system or a manual on the AGM website.
Do not despair - first, you can see in the video below a full walkthrough of all options and functions of the thermal camera software. Second, if you really crave for some help, you can download a "MyFLIR" app - it will not work with AGM thermal sensor, however it has almost a mirror functionality to the AGM software, and a built-in help system - go to hamburer menu, choose settings icon, and then help.
The good things...
The IR Camera software is fast and easy to use. The functionality is very similar to that of FLIR thermal camera phones, and it works with full frequency of 25Hz.
Why are FLIR cameras limited to <9Hz? The main reason are the licensing constraints, based on the assumption that higher-frequency thermal scanning may be (mis)used for military purposes. InfiRay does not seem to follow similar restrictions, and so the software operates very smoothly.
The wide range of color modes makes it easy to use the TC in different contexts and applications.
... and the bad things
The IR Camera software seems to be freezing every 20 or so seconds - for a second or two. Interestingly, this "feature" is also present in the FLIR devices - and it is not a bug. Every 20 seconds (unless you you switch the time in settings to 40 or 60 seconds) the thermal sensor re-calibrates itself, and rather than showing a clearly readable message "Calibrating", it feels instead as a momentary app freeze. Just get used to it :-)
The only significant downside of the IR Camera application is the lack of color scale lock, or at least possibility to set a fixed-color isotherm. Without this feature, the device is much less useful than it could be - e.g. when you want to identify the heat leaks in a large building, you will most likely need to take several shots to cover the whole area - and "red" in shot #1 will not signify the same temperature as "red" in shots #2, #3 and so on. The only way to compare the values is by using the min / max / center measurements. Unfortunately, the IR Camera software update check keeps returning a failure message, so it is hard to say if any update is (ever) coming.
Sample thermal photos - set 2
