iPhone 12, this is what the Pro with LiDAR scanner will look like
It’s been talked about for a long time, and apparently the rumors were right. According to rumors circulating these days, iPhone 12 will have a LiDAR scanner with advanced Immersive Augmented Reality features, but not on all models. Here’s how it will work and what it will allow you to do.
The technology that Apple has decided to use is called VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers), which is then an evolution of that launched with iPhone X in 2017 and implemented in the so-called TrueDepth camera and which makes Face ID, Animoji possible, Portrait mode and even AirPods proximity sensor based features. It is the type of scanner that is found on the new iPad Pro and that makes Augmented Reality even more precise and reliable.
It works like this: a special component emits invisible laser rays that bounce off the surfaces and are picked up by another component; based on the delay with which they go back (“time of flight”) it is possible to build a very precise image of the users’ face; with iPhone 12, however, you can also reconstruct the shape of the objects and the surrounding environment.
It is like a sort of pocket 3D scanner that allows you to place three-dimensional objects in the environment with greater precision, create more immersive Augmented Reality experiences and finally take even better photos, with a more credible Bokeh effect. It is, in short, something very similar to Google’s Tango Project, but much more efficient.
Unfortunately, and as already mentioned, the LidAR scanner will be an exclusive of the top models, namely iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max. References to the code “d5x” reveal it (with the code “d4x”, Apple refers to the series iPhone 11; therefore, “d5x” certainly points to the next generation) found within the preliminary version of iOS 14 leaked these days. The overall design should be roughly what you see in the video above. Good vision.
