We review the UNI-T UTi120S

The UNI-T UTI120S is a low-cost handheld thermal camera which offers a decent thermal resolution, great framerate and waterproof housing.

PROS: Good IR resolution, 25 Hz framerate, IP54 waterproof rating, 16GB SD Card.

CONS: Given the price, you can’t really expect more.

Product	Type	Resolution	Battery capacity	Waterproof	LCD screen	Price
UNI-T UTi120S	Handheld	120 x 90	2600mah rechargeable lithium battery	Yes	2.4″ (320 x 240 pixels)	Click for more info
UNI-T UTi89 Pro	Handheld	80 x 60	5 hours (Rechargeable Lithium Battery)	Yes	2.8″ (320 x 240 pixels)	Click for more info
UNI-T UTi260B	Workbench	256 x 192 pixels	5000 mAh Li-ion, 6 hours	Yes	2.8″	Click for more info

UNI-T UTi120S Specifications

UNI-T UTi120S – Specs & Review

I can’t decide if I like the UNI-T UTI120S’ design. On one hand it looks like a toy when compared to a Flir thermal camera and on the other hand I kind of like the color. Either way, this is a low cost camera which can provide a decent thermal resolution. And speaking of thermal, you’ll be slightly disappointed to know that the thermal sensor is alone on the back of the camera, there’s no visual camera there to support it.

You’ll find four buttons on the front to operate the menu settings and a 2.4″ LCD screen with a 320 x 240 pixel resolution, one thermal sensor on the back and a trigger to capture thermal images which you’ll be able to download to your PC via its USB-C port.

UNI-T UTi120S – Thermal imaging quality

The infrared resolution is pretty good because it uses a 120 x 90 thermal sensor totalling 10,800 pixels. Now if this were 2020, I’d say it’s awesome but lately, the market has been flooded by cameras from chinese manufacturers which use higher resolution thermal sensors for ridiculous prices.

One of the big advantages of thermal cameras which come from China is that they’re not bound to any EAR export regulations like american manufacturers are, so they can provide cameras with a 25 Hz refresh rate as is the case with this one. The experience is greatly superior in comparison to using standard 9 Hz cameras. As expected, there is no option of manual focus on this specific camera and don’t expect to get one at this price level.

UNI-T UTi120S – Temperature Range, Accuracy

Now let’s look at this infrared camera’s temperature measurement capabilities. First of all, there’s the thermal sensitivity which is rated at 60 mK. This is inline with what you would expect in this price range. Thermal sensitivity can actually be a much better indicator for image quality than thermal resolution. Think of it as the difference between a 10 megapixel DSLR versus a 20 megapixel standard camera. The image on the DSLR although contains less pixels somehow manages to capture more details. Thermal sensitivity is a good measure of the quality of the infrared sensor.

Then there is the temperature range and here again, things look inline with what you would expect since it can detect anything in a range from -4 to 752°F (-20 to 400°C). The accuracy is also rated at +/- 2% / 2 C, so no surprises here either. UNI-T have not posted any info on the viewing angle, so we can’t offer you an accurate number.

UNI-T UTi120S – Battery life & Memory

Now we get to the storage and things look great here because it comes with a 16GB microSD card, good enough to never have to delete any thermal images for many years.

In terms of battery, it uses a 2600mah rechargeable lithium battery and this is a welcome feature since cheaper cameras sometime tend to use AAA batteries which you have to buy separately. The camera is completely waterproof and dustproof with an IP54 rating. This rating means it can rain on it or maybe it can withstand a splash of water but not more than that.