A new report by KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests Apple may be looking at revamping the front facing camera of the iPhone 8 with an advanced module, capable of detecting 3D space in order to set the device apart from competitors.
The next iteration of the iPhone, which is expected to sport an OLED screen and may include a special anniversary edition costing over $1000, may feature a front-facing camera combined with an infrared sensor capable of registering depth information to take images resembling that of a 3D nature, allowing the device to potentially feature novel applications such as facial recognition, iris scanning and more.
Alongside the potential upgrade to security and authentication, the new camera module may also feature in new games and applications, making it capable of inserting the user"s face in place of a character"s. It would also enable the smartphone to take 3D selfies, which could then be inserted in an augmented or virtual reality setup, in line with Apple"s prior commitment to augmented reality.
While 3D-sensing capabilities on mobile devices are certainly not a new feature, given Dell"s use of an Intel RealSense camera on its Venue 8 7000 tablet, and the rudimentary depth-sensing capabilities of Apple"s own iPhone 7 through the use of two rear cameras, what would set the iPhone 8 apart from these would be the use of a single camera in conjunction with the depth information provided by the infrared sensor to create a 3D model of the image using algorithms provided by PrimeSense, the original creators of Kinect.
The report further states that Apple may, in the future, look to replace the rear camera with a similar 3D module as well, instead of the dual camera setup it currently employs. All of this, Ming-Chi suggests, would put Apple at a significant advantage in 3D sensing over competing Android manufacturers.
Via: 9to5mac