iPhone 8 Rumors: Himax Technologies Joins Supply Chain For 3D Sensors On Upcoming Apple Smartphone

Earlier this week Barron’s suggested the Taiwan-based company Himax Technologies will supply 3D sensors for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8. Now, a separate report also says Himax will supply components for Apple, and optical and photonic products manufacturer Lumentum will supply parts as well.

Himax will be among component suppliers for the iPhone that will come with a built-in 3D-sensing module that will allow for augmented reality and virtual reality capabilities, sources told DigiTimes.

Read: Apple and Augmented Reality: AR Tech The iPhone 8 Could Feature When It Releases

Meanwhile, Lumentum will supply 3D sensing modules for Apple’s upcoming 10th anniversary OLED iPhone, the report also said.

Last month, KGI securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo suggested the iPhone 8 (iPhone X) could have a 3D-sensing front camera. The recent reports mount even more evidence that Apple will release an iPhone with a 3D-sensing front camera this year.

The iPhone 8 will reportedly use VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser)-based DOE (diffractive optical elements) in its front camera system, which will have 3D sensing and 3D modeling capabilities, sources told DigiTimes. The module will allegedly be processed with chip-on-glass (COG) technology, with Himax handling glass component design. Himax’s backend partner ChipMOS Technologies will provide COG service, the report said.

Read: iPhone 8 Release Date Rumors: Apple Will Launch 10th Anniversary Phone In September In Limited Quantities

The report said Himax is already involved in Lumentum’s supply chain, which also includes STMicroelectronics. Earlier this month, it was rumored STMicroelectronics would make sensors for the front 3D camera. The iPhone 8 is said to have a delayed release date because key components being produced by STMicroelectronics in a factory in Crolles, France will not be ready for September. However, a research note from Barclays analysts said Apple will release the iPhone 8 in September, but in limited quantities.

Apple is expected to release three new models this fall, a 4.7-inch model, a 5.5-inch and a 5.8-inch version.

Two iPhones will feature LCD panels, while the iPhone 8 will feature an OLED panel which could stretch across the entire front of the device, meaning the iPhone might be priced at more than $1,000.

Apple is also rumored to ditch the physical home button by embedding the fingerprint sensor.