Apple is expected to improve the LiDAR Scanner on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with respected TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggesting that Apple will source the LiDAR scanner for the new models exclusively from Sony, replacing Lumentum and WIN Semi as the suppliers for the current-generation models, resulting in enhanced performance for the LiDAR system.
According to Kuo, Sony’s LiDAR Scanner is more power efficient than that on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, something which could allow Apple to offer improved performance at the same level of power consumption as on existing iPhones, or contribute to longer battery life on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
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.
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Sony will replace Lumentum (design) / Win Semi (production) as the exclusive ToF VCSEL supplier for iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Lumentum/Win Semi will face long-term structural risks in the VCSEL market.— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) February 24, 2023
Apple is expected to keep the LiDAR Scanner exclusive to this year’s Pro-series devices, with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus unlikely to see the sensor added with this year’s update.
