THE Sony is one of the most prominent companies in the technology for smartphone cameras in the world and, in addition to competitors in the mobile market, the Japanese manufacturer and Apple are also partners in the production of iGadgets.
From this partnership, we commented last August that the next iPhones may have a 48MP sensor from Sony and, in 2017, we brought a rumor that the iPhone 8 could be equipped with a 3D laser on the rear cameras.
Although this technology has not been implemented in this model of gadget, this does not mean that it has been abandoned – quite the contrary, it is still in development and Apple seems to be more interested in it than ever, as reported by Bloomberg.
According to the manager of Sony responsible for the production of this technology, Satoshi Yoshihara, the company will increase the production of next generation of 3D sensors after receiving the interest of “several smartphone manufacturers” – which may, perhaps, include Apple.
But does Apple no longer use 3D technology in the TrueDepth camera? Yes. It turns out that iPhones with Face ID hardware uses structured light (VCSEL) to project millions of dots on the user’s face and authenticate various tasks on the device.
Sony’s technology, on the other hand, consists of a system that generates a measurement of time of flight (TOF) capable of creating depth maps and calculating the time it takes infrared laser beams to reach an object and return. According to Yoshihara, TOF technology is more accurate than structured light and can operate at greater distances.
This technology could also equip the iPhones rear cameras (in addition to the TrueDepth system, of course), with Sony starting mass production in the coming months to meet demand. For the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, however, this technology will not be available on iPhones that will launch in the second half of 2019, as we have already commented.
Regardless of whether this technology will equip the next iPhones or not, Sony is also developing it for other uses, such as games, in which it will be possible to take augmented reality to another level. Good thing comes around.
