Apple is rumored to be bringing the LiDAR Scanner found on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max to its full iPhone 13 lineup, according to a report from DigiTimes that cites supply chain sources.
The LiDAR Scanner, which Apple introduced with the iPad Pro in March 2020, is a pulsed laser that measures the distance up to 5 meters away of objects that are seen through the device’s camera by timing the travel, or flight, of the light pulse. The technology is used for augmented reality (AR) as well as improving photography by understanding how far a person or focus point is away from the camera lens.
The report, via 9to5Mac, speculates that Apple has signed a contract with Sony to manufacture its LiDAR components for the next three years.
Apple has adopted dToF LiDAR scanner in iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro series, and is expected to apply the scanner technology to all its 2021 iPhone models, which will remain available with Face ID sensors, the sources said. Sony, in the supply chain for Apple devices, reportedly has signed a three-year contract with Apple to offer a new-generation near infrared (NIR) CIS with a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array for dToF LiDAR scanner, indicating that Apple will adopt the scanner in iPhones and other devices through at least 2023, the sources said.
Little is known about this year’s new iPhone 13 lineup, although rumors suggest more devices will gain mmWave 5G support.