3D sensor to be specifically optimized for AR features

Nov 14, 2017 11:52 GMT  ·  By

Apple plans to launch a future iPhone model with a rear-facing 3D camera sensor that would push the AR capabilities of its flagship even further, according to a new report.

While Apple has already integrated 3D sensing cameras in the iPhone X launched this September, the company is now looking into investing in the AR features of its device with a rear-based camera module that would be based on a different approach than the current implementation.

Bloomberg says that Apple is already experimenting with one possible rear-facing sensor that would use “a time-of-flight approach that calculates the time it takes for a laser to bounce off surrounding objects to create a three-dimensional picture of the environment,” as compared to front-facing Face ID which on the iPhone X uses a structured light system to project lasers on the face and measure distortion.

Already in talks with possible suppliers

Apple is specifically looking into this technology because it relies on an advanced sensor, while the current model used on the iPhone X needs lasers to be positioned “very precisely,” the report notes. This makes it possible for Apple and its suppliers to build the new system faster with a higher yield rate, thus reducing the likelihood of production delays.

It appears Apple has already started talks with several companies that could build the new rear-facing 3D camera sensor, including Infineon Technologies, Sony, Panasonic, and STMicroelectronics NV.

AR has become a priority for Apple and CEO Tim Cook himself suggested that he aims the Cupertino-based giant to lead this industry with technology that would be completely new when it’s launched.

Bloomberg’s sources, however, noted that Apple is still in its early days with the work on the new 3D sensor, and there’s a chance that the company gives up on or delays it if the project does not advance at the desired pace.

The target is 2019, and Apple wants to keep both Face ID and the new rear-facing 3D camera sensor on the iPhone as part of the aggressive AR push that the company is planning in the long term.