Apple evaluates augmented reality for future iPhones

Apple is working on a rear-facing 3D sensor system for the iPhone in 2019, another step toward turning the handset into a leading augmented-reality device, according to sources, writes Alex Webb and Yuji Nakamura.

Apple is evaluating a different technology from the one it currently uses in the TrueDepth sensor system on the front of the iPhone X. The existing system relies on a structured-light technique that projects a pattern of 30,000 laser dots onto a user’s face and measures the distortion to generate an accurate 3-D image for authentication. The planned rear-facing sensor would instead use a time-of-flight approach that calculates the time it takes for a laser to bounce off surrounding objects to create a three-dimensional picture of the environment.

The company is expected to keep the TrueDepth system, so future iPhones will have both front and rear-facing 3D sensing capabilities.