All four new iPhone 13 models will feature a LiDAR scanner, a feature previously only available on the Pro models and a key piece of a high-quality augmented reality experience. The news comes from Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives in a note to investors seen by MacRumors, and it only affirms Apple’s serious intentions in AR.
LiDAR which stands for “light detection and ranging” made its debut on the iPad Pro in April 2020 and Apple then emphasized that the new sensor will be used mostly for AR, even though it also helps the camera focus faster in low light. LiDAR technology is best explained as a 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor. It emits light beams and as they bounce off of your surroundings, it is able to measure the time it took for the light to return and estimate a distance with a pretty good accuracy. And unlike Face ID which is optimized to scan your face, the LiDAR scanner shoots more dispersed light beams better optimized for scanning a whole room.
Despite all of this, Apple hasn’t really advertized the LiDAR sensor much and except for the AR Measure app, the company is not using it to its full potential just yet. This new leak about all four new iPhones having it, however, definitely shows that Apple has serious intentions for AR.
The white dots are beams of light emitted by the LiDAR sensor, seen on an infrared camera. Image courtesy of Halide
Back in March, Ives was also among the first to predict that the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will be available in a new, 1TB storage option, double the current 512GB maxed out storage version. In this latest report, Ives once again confirms this is indeed still on track to happen.
Last but not least, Ives says that Apple is planning to unveil new 14″ and 16″ Macbook Pros at WWDC next week. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has previously also said that Apple plans to unveil new Macbook Pros this summer, and another leaker, Jon Prosser, also expects the pair to arrive soon and possibly at WWDC.
