Apple plans to add a rear-facing 3D sensor to a new iPhone

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Enlarge / A user tries out features in Apple's ARKit. (credit: Apple)

Citing a source with knowledge about Apple's new iPhones, Fast Company writes that Apple will introduce a rear-facing 3D sensor array to new iPhone models. Apple plans to buy the laser components for this array from Lumentum, the California-based company from which it already buys the front-facing TrueDepth lasers found in today's iPhones.

The publication’s source says that Apple engineers have been working on the rear-facing 3D camera for two years, and it is currently planned for inclusion in at least one model later this year. However, the timing could still change.

Apple is not alone in including this feature in 2020 flagship phones. Samsung’s new Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra, announced just last month, have rear-facing time-of-flight (ToF) sensors. They are used for Live Focus (which is an optional blur effect in photos) and Quick Measure (which allows users to measure objects in front of them).

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