Apple is reportedly working on another groundbreaking upgrade on its camera sensors for 2019's iPhones. The company is working on a laser-based 3D sensor that would further improve its augmented reality (AR) capabilities.
The new system will make use of lasers fired from the device and will measure the time it takes for a reflection to bounce back to the device. This will allow the device to establish a depth map that can be used in facial recognition as well as AR application.
This system may have some similarities with how the iPhone X creates 3D renders of faces for use in its Face ID security feature. The infamous notch of the iPhone X houses an infrared dot projector that beams 30,000 dots onto a user's face, while another sensor reads these beams and creates a data-based 3D map that allows it to identify faces. The system's 3D map evolves each time the user's face is scanned, allowing more accurate reads for additional security.
The depth information can also be obtained using a dual camera system, which is what most other phones including the newest iPhones use. Google's Pixel 2 flagship phone does this with a single camera using dual pixels creating a parallax effect.
The 2019 iPhone's breakthrough 3D sensing technology is expected to exceed all these other methods in both precision and accuracy, producing more reliable and robust results. Apple is also expected to keep the Face ID, as well as the front 3D sensing capabilities of the iPhone X. This makes the future iPhone equipped with 3D awareness on both front and rear sides.
AR is another front where the upcoming iPhone's rear-side 3D sensing will be useful. Apple is currently working to create a strong AR framework with its ARKit, which was released earlier this year. Once the number of AR apps ramps up, great 3D sensing may be the deal breaker for many users.
