Apple could use a TOF 3D camera to make FaceID better on 2019 iPhones: Ming-Chi Kuo

FaceID on the next iPhone is going to get even better, according to a report by noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The 2019 iPhone will have an upgraded TrueDepth camera for better and faster authentication. First reported by MacRumors, Kuo said Apple will use a new sensor to better illuminate the face of the user and “to lower the impacts from visible lights of environment in order to improve the Face ID user experience.” The FaceID system will see a new sensor that will do range-sensing. It could be a Time of Flight 3D camera that will do the range-sensing. The camera will measure the time it takes for the IR light dot to travel between the camera and the subject to better construct a 3D image of the user’s face. The range-sensing camera can also prevent someone else unlocking the iPhone by holding it up against the user’s face. The TOF camera can also be used to make augmented reality better and improve the quality of 3D images. Kuo even notes that the 2020 iPad can edit 3D photos using the Apple Pencil. The iPhone X introduced the FaceID camera in 2017. Apple calls it the TrueDepth camera. It has a range of sensors facilitating the 3D face scan. It’s almost a miniaturised verison of the Xbox Kinect and has an IR dot projector that throws a beam of 30,000 dots to create a depth map and authenticate the face. The depth map is stored in the secure enclave of the iPhone and every time the user tries to unlock the phone, the FaceID system verifies the face by matching to the depth data it had captured earlier. It’s fairly advanced biometric face recognition system and is different from the 2D face unlock that most Android phones perform. But FaceID also has its own set of quirks. You can unlock the phone if you’re wearing a pair of glasses or a cap. It’s also known to have failed for twins. Apple did improve the low-light performance of the system, but with a TOF 3D camera, it will probably get even better.

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