'iPhone 12 Pro' may add LiDAR sensor to triple rear camera bump

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware
The "iPhone 12 Pro" may update the layout of its rear camera, an image leak suggests, with the addition of LiDAR to the back of the iPhone prompting a repositioning of lenses within the square camera bump.




The "iPhone 12" is anticipated to have a number of camera improvements, including a bigger sensor and the addition of some form of depth-mapping technology. If an image leak is to be believed, it is possible that Apple has decided the upcoming models will include LiDAR as part of the updated camera module.

In a tweet from @choco_bit, an image is posted showing a diagram of the rear of an iPhone, cropped to show the camera bump and the standby button. On the drawing, three of the camera lenses are normal, while a fourth is indicated to be different, something the tweet describes as LiDAR in the "iPhone 12 Pro" and "iPhone 12 Pro Max" models.

@appleinsider @MacRumors @9to5mac you guys excited about iPhone 12Pro and 12ProMax with Lidar? pic.twitter.com/CQaQcb6hQ5

-- Fudge (@choco_bit)


LiDAR was a major new feature of the updated iPad Pro, with a sensor providing time of fight-based depth mapping to the rear camera assembly of the tablet. The move will enable the iPad Pro to be better used for augmented reality applications and for computer vision.

One notable change in the camera bump image is an altered layout for the camera module's elements. While the current iPhone camera module uses three lenses, with two on the left-hand side of the square and one at a midway point on the right-hand side, the graphic points to the use of four large lens elements, which will put each lens within its own quadrant of the bump.

The Twitter account is claimed to be operated by a former Apple Authorized Service Partner, and has offered leaks about Apple products in the past, a history that suggests the image may be genuine. It is unclear where the image was sourced, with the most likely scenario being an image from an internal design document or service manual, though it is also plausible the information that has been leaked may differ from what Apple actually launches later this year.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,020member
    If they didn't add it to the iPhone 12 Pro, I think there would be major disappointment. 
    stantheman
  • Reply 2 of 14
    harry wildharry wild Posts: 807member
    Great news for my 5.4” iPhone 12 Pro!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 14
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,332member
    I’d like to see Apple integrate a FLIR sensor into the iPhone. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 14
    trashman69trashman69 Posts: 161member
    With cameras in that location- the front notch will have to be smaller.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 14
    toysandmetoysandme Posts: 243member
    What I need is a decent telephoto. 10 X or better. 
  • Reply 6 of 14
    LiDAR is lie-detecting radar. Point your iPhone toward a person who is speaking, and if he/she is lying then augmented reality depicts an image with that person’s pants on fire. Engineers have teamed with scientists and sophists to develop a forked-tongue model for future iPhones. That technology would parse half-true and half-false elements from the words of sophisticated prevaricators.
    Algerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 14
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    What they need to do is add touchID back to the phone because FaceID doesn’t work through masks.
  • Reply 8 of 14
    AlgerAlger Posts: 29member
    The triangle-arrangement of the bigger lenses is way more aesthetic than a square arrangement.  Hope this diagram is wrong.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 14
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    Where’s the flash?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 14
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    With cameras in that location- the front notch will have to be smaller.  
    I doubt that. What evidence are you basing your statement on? Wishful thinking doesn't cut it.
  • Reply 11 of 14
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member

    toysandme said:
    What I need is a decent telephoto. 10 X or better. 
    LOL. ok
  • Reply 12 of 14
    Great news for my 5.4” iPhone 12 Pro!
    There isn’t going to be a 5.4” iPhone 12 Pro, and you definitely don’t have one. 
  • Reply 13 of 14
    rob53 said:
    Where’s the flash?
    In the center. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 14
    "time of fight-based depth mapping"? We'll be fighting our iPhone 12's?   ;) 
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