Future iPhone Camera Might Get a 3D Boost Courtesy Sony

Does your tech geek heart want even more sci-fi additions to the iPhone camera? If so, you may rejoice in the news that Apple is reportedly thinking of using Sony’s 3D sensors for the front and rear-facing cameras in their upcoming iPhone models.

Although, Apple already has the TrueDepth 3D sensing technology, Sony’s revolutionary 3D sensor technology is far better when it comes to quality as it offers increased accuracy over distance. Sony uses a “time of flight” method which is similar to LIDAR in a self-driving car. LIDAR technology measures the distance to a target using laser light pulses.  The time it takes to bounce back, and the differences in wavelengths are used to make digital 3-D representations of the target. Sony’s sensors can work up to a distance of five meters. This could potentially increase various applications for 3D sensing technology.

Apple will reportedly produce their next generation of top-end iPhones that are set to launch in 2019 with these sensors, and with this development, it means that new applications are on the horizon.

Satoshi Yoshihara, a manager at Sony, says, “Cameras revolutionized phones, and based on what I’ve seen, I have the same expectation for 3D. The pace will vary by field, but we’re definitely going to see adoption of 3D. I’m certain of it.”

During an interview with Bloomberg Quint, Sony demonstrated how to use the 3D camera using a custom phone. They used two different apps to show different examples. They calculated the depth of the room and displayed a virtual goldfish swimming in front of and behind real-life objects in one app, and made specific hand gestures to cast magic spells inside a virtual game in another.

Of course, these are all in the talks, and there’s no guarantee that the next generation iPhones will have this tech. However, the news sure has a lot of people, us included, excited for the future of iPhone camera.