One of the rumored features of the upcoming iPhone 8 is that it could sport facial recognition technology. This is definitely something different for Apple who has typically relied on fingerprint sensors for security purposes since the iPhone 5s, but it looks like there is now more evidence to suggest that facial recognition could be a thing.In a report from Nikkei, Taiwanese company Largan confirmed that they will be shipping a bunch of lenses equipped with 3D sensors in the second half of 2017. For those unfamiliar, Largan is one of Apple’s suppliers for iPhone components who has supplied camera lenses for Apple’s iPhones in the past. According to the company’s CEO Adam Lin, “We will have lenses for 3-D sensing [module used in smartphone] ready to ship in the second half this year.”
Lin stopped short of naming who these components are for, but given that the iPhone is slated for the second half of 2017 and with the rumors of 3D sensors and facial recognition, it’s not that hard to put two and two together. This revelation follows an earlier report in which Apple manufacturer Wistron revealed that waterproofing and wireless charging will be features coming to iPhone 8 this year.
Unfortunately in Largan’s case, it wasn’t quite as explicit so do take it with a grain of salt for now, but if it is true, we are curious to see how Apple’s solution to facial recognition will differ from what we’ve seen so far.