Every iPhone 13 may sport a camera feature currently exclusive to iPhone 12 Pro
But don’t count on it
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Applewill almost certainly improve its camera hardware for theiPhone 13range, and one of those improvements might take the form of aLiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging) scanner for all four models – the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
That’s according toDigiTimes, which claims – citing industry sources – that Apple is expected to equip all of its 2021 iPhone models with LiDAR.
This would only actually be an upgrade for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, since theiPhone 12 ProandiPhone 12 Pro Maxalready have a LiDAR scanner. Though it’s worth noting that the site’s wording may mean we also see a LiDAR scanner on theiPhone SE 3if such a phone launches this year.
Phones with laser beams
Having such a scanner allows a phone to fire out laser beams and measure how quickly they return, which in turn allows it to judge distances and map your environment. This can therefore improve the accuracy and overall experience of augmented reality applications.
And while augmented reality is a big focus for LiDAR, being able to accurately judge depth and distances can be beneficial to photography too.
However, we’d take the claim of a LiDAR scanner on every iPhone 13 model with a pinch of salt, since not only are we a long way off seeing those phones, but DigiTimes also has a rather mixed track record for early smartphone information.
ViaTom’s Guide
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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