According to new rumors, Sony will provide an upgraded LiDAR Scanner for Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley, analysts at Barclays, predicted that Sony might provide most, if not all, of the LiDAR Scanner components for the iPhone 15 Pro models expected to be released later this year.
Sony, which will supply a module, VCSEL, receiver, and driver for the models this year, may obtain the majority, if not the entire market share for the world-facing sensor. Both LITE and COHR are negatively impacted by this, which is likely.
Last month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Sony would take over as the only provider of LiDAR Scanner components for the iPhone 15 Pro models, displacing Lumentum and WIN Semiconductors. According to Kuo, Sony’s method is more power-efficient and could enable the LiDAR Scanner to perform better at the same power consumption level as it currently or to perform equally well with a smaller negative impact on battery life.
The LiDAR Scanner, which will debut on iPhone 12 Pro models in 2020, can measure light distance and record depth data. The hardware is anticipated to only be available in iPhone 15 Pro variants. Camera focusing, night mode photographs, and augmented reality apps may all benefit from an enhanced LiDAR scanner.
An A17 Bionic processor, a USB-C port, a titanium frame with solid-state buttons, reduced bezels surrounding the display, and more are said to be included in the iPhone 15 Pro.