iPhone 12 Pro Will Have A LiDAR Scanner, Leaked Image Suggests

A leaked image reveals that the upcoming flagship iPhone “Pro” models might sport a new feature found on the newest iPad Pro – a LiDAR scanner.

Apple's iPhone 11 Pro models have been praised their camera capabilities. A new leak, however, reveals that Apple wasn't satisfied with the iPhone 11 Pro models' cameras and has decided to equip it with a new feature.

The leak, spotted by 9To5Mac, reveals that the upcoming iPhone 12 “Pro” models will feature a LiDAR scanner alongside the triple-camera setup the iPhone 11 Pro handsets offer.

The image, which was originally sourced by ConceptsiPhone from the iOS 14 code but was spread online by a Twitter user who claimed to run a “discord server for Apple/AASP employees,” showed an outline that appears to look similar to how the iPhone 11 Pro looks like, but with a key difference – the camera module that used to house three cameras now houses four.

The fourth camera in the module looks similar to the LiDAR scanner at the back of the new iPad Pro, indicating that Apple could be actually adding the new sensor to its upcoming iPhones. This leak, if accurate, will serve as a confirmation of earlier reports claiming the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will have new 3D scanners on them.

What's the big deal?

Now, why is this important? Here are a few things that the upcoming iPhone 12 Pro models might be able to do with the LiDAR scanner:

• Better depth-sensing capabilities

The LiDAR scanner will enhance the iPhone's depth-sensing capabilities, which translates to more accurate photos, particularly portrait photos. And if it works just like how it does on the iPad Pro, it will also allow the iPhone to accurately measure distances and objects from up to five meters away.

• Improved motion capture and people occlusion

The new LiDAR scanner will allow the upcoming iPhone 12 Pro models to take advantage of ARKit 3.5, which Apple recently released for the new iPad Pro. It will allow the new handsets to produce more accurate AR environments.

Of course, this leak hasn't been confirmed yet, and so fans are advised to take it with a grain of salt and wait for Apple's official announcements in the future.