The LG G8’s headline feature is its multi-talented ToF selfie camera
Weeks ahead of its launch, LG has confirmed that the much-rumoured LG G8 will be unveiled at MWC 2019 later this month. And the company has also shed some light on the handset’s headline feature: its camera.
LG this morning confirmed that the G8 will feature a front-facing Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera sensor, which will serve multiple purposes.
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Arguably the biggest of these is face unlock. LG says the ToF sensor will enable users to unlock the G8 with a quick scan of their face. The ToF sensor will have AR and VR applications too. thanks to depth sensing.
“While other 3D technologies utilize complex algorithms to calculate an object’s distance from the camera lens, the ToF image sensor chip delivers more accurate measurements by capturing infrared light as it is reflected off the subject,” LG wrote in a surprise post this morning.
“As a result, ToF is faster and more effective in ambient light, reducing the workload on the application processor thereby also reducing power consumption.”
The majority of LG G8 camera leaks to date have focused on the handset’s rear setup, which is expected to combine a pair of sensors sat side by side, instead of being stacked on top of each other, as they were on the G7.
However, it appears the more interesting camera technology will sit on the front side of the phone. However, it’s still not clear if the G8 will feature one on two front-facing camera sensors.
LG’s announcement continues: “And due to its fast response speed, ToF technology is widely used in various biometric authentication methods, such as face-recognition.
“What’s more, because ToF sees objects in 3D and is not affected by light from external sources, it delivers an excellent recognition rate, both indoors and out, ideal for implementation in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications.”
The company has also revealed that the G8’s camera will be powered by the Infineon REAL3TM image sensor chip.
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The LG G8 is expected to launch on February 24, a few days after the reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and at a similar time to the Sony Xperia XZ4, another phone that’s expected to use a ToF sensor.
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