Apple's 2020 iPhone will have a more powerful 3D camera, report says

Apple may be doubling down on its 3D camera tech.

A new report from Bloomberg, citing people familiar with Apple's plans, claims the company plans to launch iPhones with a more powerful, laser-based 3D camera as soon as 2020.

SEE ALSO:Apple to fully switch to OLED iPhones in 2020, report claims

According to the report, this won't be just a small upgrade to the iPhone's current 3D camera, which powers the company's Face ID tech. The new, laser-based camera (in contrast to the dot-projection tech Apple is using now) will work "up to about 15 feet" from the iPhone, which means it'll be about more than just facial recognition.

Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up!

This new camera will increase the quality of regular photos by helping the main camera capture depth better, Bloomberg's sources said. But its primary use will be augmented reality, as it'll allow better placement of virtual objects on the screen. Apple has been investing in AR heavily in recent years, demoing the tech at nearly every major event -- but outside of Pokémon Go, there weren't many killer apps that would make consumers swoon about it.

The report goes on to say that this camera might actually be a prelude to an AR headset, which Apple might launch as early as 2020.

Interestingly, sources say this new camera may debut on the 2020 iPad Pro, which typically launches in the spring -- though that would be fairly atypical of Apple, which launches major features on the iPhone first and then trickles them onto other devices.

Besides the laser-based 3D camera, Bloomberg's report does a recap of other rumored features for future iPhones -- most of which we've already heard of -- including a third camera, a USB-C port (instead of Lightning) and better photo capturing tools.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Hands on with the new iPad Pro — Mashable Reviews

---

最新评论