Apple's 2019 iPhone may have rear-facing laser 3-D camera

Dubai - Apple is working on a different technology from the current TrueDepth sensor system

Apple's new iPhone slated for 2019 launch will make augmented reality even more realistic with its laser 3-D camera. The new rear-facing 3-D sensor system will use a laser to bounce light 'pulses' off objects and measure how far they are, a technique known as time-of-flight, according to reports in Bloomberg.
Apple is working on a different technology from the current TrueDepth sensor system on the front of the iPhone and is expected to continue with TureDepth so the future iPhones can have both front and rear-facing 3-D cameras.
However, it is not yet confirmed whether Apple will use the system in the final version on the phone, as the testing of the technology is still in early stages. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment, the report states. 
In June, Patently Apple revealed Apple was granted a patent application for the technology. The iPhone X uses its front-facing 3-D sensor for Face ID, a facial-recognition system that replaced the fingerprint sensor used in earlier models to unlock the handset. Production problems with the sensor array initially slowed manufacturing of the flagship smartphone, partly because the components must be assembled to a very high degree of accuracy. 
While the structured light approach requires lasers to be positioned very precisely, the time-of-flight technology instead relies on a more advanced image sensor. That may make time-of-flight systems easier to assemble in high volume.
Companies manufacturing time-of-flight sensors include Infineon Technologies AG, Sony Corp., STMicroelectronics NV and Panasonic Corp.
Google has been working with Infineon on depth perception as part of its augmented reality development push, Project Tango, unveiled in 2014. The Infineon chip is already used in Lenovo Group Ltd.'s Phab 2 Pro and Asustek Computer Inc.'s ZenFone AR, both of which run on Google's Android operating system.