Sony is going to increase the production of 3D cameras for Apple to meet the demand of different smartphone manufacturers. Apple would be involved in this, although it remains to be seen whether the Cupertino company will quickly apply the new technology.
Sony makes 3D cameras for Apple
This is what Bloomberg Quint reports. Apple already uses 3D hardware for the TrueDepth camera that was introduced with the iPhone X. With the available sensors and camera, you can make a 3D scan of your face, using Face ID infrared to project hundreds of dots on your face.
The technology of Sony is a so-called time of flight system (TOF). Here, it is measured how long it takes for a light pulse to touch a surface (for example, your face) and come back again. This would work more accurately than the TrueDepth system from Apple, and also function better on longer distances. That could mean that you have to keep your iPhone less close to your face to unlock.
TOF can also be used for the cameras on the back of the iPhone, where it can help in augmented reality applications and provides faster and better autofocus.
Not in iPhones of 2019
However, it does not seem likely that Apple will use this technique quickly. According to the well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company from Cupertino is holding on to the dual camera of the iPhone for the time being, with which enough depth information can be collected to take good pictures. As a result, according to Kuo, it would still be unnecessary to introduce the TOF technique to the iPhones that are due to appear in 2019.
According to the latest rumors, three iPhones will come out in 2019, with the same screen sizes as the devices that were released this year: 5.8 inches ( iPhone XS ), 6.5 inches ( iPhone XS Max ) and 6.1 inches ( iPhone XR). ). We also assume that the devices run on the A13 chip, get an improved version of Face ID and the cameras are slightly better.