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New report details one of the iPhone 8’s most hotly anticipated features

Published May 11th, 2017 12:15PM EDT
iPhone 8 Features
Image: Moe Slah

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With good reason, the most anticipated feature the iPhone 8 will bring to the table is a radical new redesign featuring an edge to edge OLED display. But with the iPhone 8 display hogging the headlines, it’s easy to forget that Apple’s next-gen iPhone will bring a lot of compelling features to the table, including advanced 3D sensors capable of best-in-class facial recognition.

Echoing previous reports, The Korea Herald reports that LG Innotek has been tapped to supply the iPhone 8’s 3D camera sensors.

The report said the company’s new facility investment worth 269.7 billion won (US$238.50 million) that was announced on April 27 will be dedicated to Apple’s orders. The initial deal size is estimated at about 200 billion won.

According to the report, Apple’s implementation of 3D cameras will have a number of varied use-cases, including gaming and facial recognition. And while the iPhone 8 won’t be the first smartphone to feature facial recognition, there’s reason to believe that Apple’s implementation will be the best we’ve seen to date. Facial recognition on Samsung’s S8, for example, only uses “2D technology” and can readily be fooled.

Remember, Apple earlier this year acquired an Israeli company called Realface, an innovative startup with really advanced and impressive facial recognition software. In fact, Realface’s technology is so advanced that it reportedly secure enough to be used for biometric authentication, an important tidbit given how easy it’s been to fool facial recognition systems on other handsets.

While it’s unclear how much of Realface’s technology will end up on the iPhone 8, the company previously boasted that its advanced software makes use of incredibly reliable deep learning methods capable of delivering unrivaled performance almost instantly. Specifically, Realface boasts that it’s software is able to recognize faces with a 99.67% success rate, which believe it or not, is actually higher than the 97.5% success rate humans are capable of.

All in all, the iPhone 8 is shaping up to be the biggest leap forward in iPhone technology we’ve seen in years, and perhaps ever. With an edgeless OLED display and advanced facial recognition, not to mention improved battery life and support for augmented reality, it stands to reason that the iPhone 8 will anchor the most sweeping iPhone refresh Apple has seen to date.

And for those curious, below is a demo of Realface’s technology in action.

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.