Apple is rumoured to be working with an LG subsidiary to bring 3D photography to iPhone 8. The Korean Economic Daily, citing people familiar with matter, reports that the Cupertino-based giant is working with LG Innotek to add a dual-camera setup to the next iPhone to capture 3D imagery.
The sources claim that Apple is now "studying how to apply its 3D camera technology" into LG Innotek's smartphone camera. "Since LG Innotek also has its own 3D camera and related technologies, such joint efforts will likely to bear fruit sometime within [the] next year," the report cites a source close to the situation.
In its attempt to add 3D technology, the company is utilising the Israeli camera technology startup company LinX, which was acquired by Apple in April 2015. To recall, LinX expertise in allowing apps to freely use the 3D information captured by camera on the device to achieve new features such as the ability to refocus an image after it has been captured, measurement of the true dimensions of objects, 3D object modelling and real time background replacement for video calls.
The report adds that LG Innotek is already "exclusively supplying" its dual cameras for iPhone 7 Plus. The report adds that LG Innotek also has experience dealing with 3D cameras as LG launched its first 3D-enabled smartphone, LG Optimus 3D in 2011.
Considering that the all-new dual camera was seen only on the large iPhone 7 Plus, we can expect the 3D tech feature on the iPhone 8 Plus model likely to launch next year. Based on preliminary leaks, Apple is said to ditch the 'iPhone 7s' name for next year's iPhone based on its naming convention and directly name it iPhone 8 considering 2017 will be its tenth anniversary of launch of the original iPhone. An earlier report suggested that Apple is also making efforts to include AR features in an upcoming iPhone camera app.