KGI Securities has always been known for accurate iPhone leaks. Last Feb. 21 it sent a missive to its clients detailing the possibility that the iPhone 8 will be featuring a revolutionary selfie camera technology.
The front-facing camera module will purportedly get outfitted with 3D sensors that will naturally allow users the capability to take 3D selfies.
According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it is unprecedented in smartphones and that it was first seen in the Kinect for Xbox. The overhaul is quite radical, opening fresh opportunities for a device that some accuse of stagnation.
3D Selfies And More
It is not yet clear how a 3D selfie could be implemented or how it will affect the quality of the 2D output if this option will still be available. According to 9to5Mac, the front-facing shooter could take a 3D image of the user's head and place it in avatars and characters in next generation mobile games.
The camera is said to play a role in other functions such as the facial recognition feature that the iPhone 8 is recently rumored to be rocking as an extra layer of user security. This detail has been bolstered by a previous report that stated how Apple has acquired the Israeli AI startup called RealFace, which is in the business facial recognition.
Some sources even suggested that Apple was able to acquire the 3D technology after the RealFace takeover.
The rumored fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 8 display may still get implemented as the KGI Securities report also supported previous claim that the Home button and the TouchID will be ditched. Some sources expect that the technology could be used in the rumored iPhone 8 iris scanner as well.
Augmented Reality
What is particularly exciting about the 3D selfie camera is its role in Apple's augmented reality ambition, which has been repeatedly articulated by Tim Cook in the past.
Save for Ming's report, very little is known about the game-changing camera so we have no way of knowing if it is related or similar to the camera sensors that allow some Android phones to run Google's own Tango AR platform. They are said to equip even the rear-facing camera the capability to perform depth of field calculations with help from IR transmitter and receiver.
Unfortunately, a 3D rear-facing camera will not roll out until 2018. This is another interesting part of the report because it means that Apple could be eliminating its dual camera technology for the iPhone 9 and beyond.
At this point KGI Securities was already able to identify suppliers for the 3D setup. Sony will purportedly manufacture the camera while Sharp snagged the contract to produce the IR peripherals.
