Apple could be working with LG on a game-changing new camera for its upcoming iPhone 8.
Reports indicate that the tech giant is going all out on the camera for its 10th anniversary iPhone and that it is joining forces with LG Innotek on a camera module that will support 3D photography.
The news comes from The Korea Economic Daily, which published a report about Apple combing LG Innotek's lens technology with its own dual camera setup based on its LinX acquisition. LinX, an Israeli start-up, was bought by Apple in 2015. The company reportedly had technology that could give photos more depth by dividing the digital images in three stages. LinX's 3D depth mapping and lighting enhancements have likely been utilized in the Portrait Mode capability of the iPhone 7.
"Apple is now studying how to apply its 3D camera technology into LG Innotek's smartphone camera," a source told the outlet. "Since LG Innotek also has its own 3D camera and related technologies, such joint efforts will likely to bear fruit sometime within next year."
This indicates that the product of Apple and LG Innotek's new collaboration could be included in an Apple product that will be released in the latter half of 2017, which coincides with the iPhone's 10th anniversary.
According to the report, LG Innotek is the exclusive supplier of dual lens cameras for the iPhone 7 Plus.
BGR notes that this report isn't surprising given that Apple is expected to improve its dual camera hardware for its future iPhones. The company is also likely to offer 3D photography and video, and possibly even AR and VR features, to its future products. The outlet suggests that these features may even be offered in next year's iPhone.
MacRumors says that Apple is planning a major redesign for its 2017 iPhone. The next iPhone may be built with a glass body and an edge-to-edge display. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor would be built into the display, as will the front-facing camera.
