Only the iPhone 12 Pro models will come with the Sony LiDAR depth camera

Apple is expected to launch four iPhones soon - the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. A new report from Fast Company states that only the iPhone 12 Pro models are going to come with the Sony LiDAR depth camera that Apple has on its current line of iPad Pro models. Apple has reportedly planning to get this feature to iPhones for a while now and is finally doing it with the iPhone 12 Pro models that are launching in October. 

The Fast Company report cites a source who is in the know of Apple's plans who indicated that the Sony LiDAR sensor was being reserved for the Pro versions for this year. 

Also Read: The coolest tech in Apple’s new iPads: What is LiDAR and how does it work?

Apple had brought in the LiDAR sensor to its iPad Pro models first. The sensor can measure depth using light pulses and this allows it to figure out how far or close a certain object is from the device itself. This helps in better differentiation between backgrounds and foregrounds and allows for better augmented reality (AR) features on the device that can be optimsed for games and other AR-based apps. 

For example, a game like Floor is Lava can use the LiDAR sensor to create more realistic visuals when you are playing in your living room and a company selling furniture can show you exactly how a table is going to look behind your sofa set without you having to lift a finger. 

Apple has not confirmed the presence of the LiDAR sensor on its pro models yet though, so at this point in time, this is as good as any other speculation. However, this is not the first time the rumours of the LiDAR sensor on iPhones have surfaced. There were talks of this earlier last month when a tipster suggested on social media that the iPhone 12 Pro Max is going to come with the sensor and a 120Hz display. 

As other rumours also indicate, Apple is “reserving” some features for its top-end models. Another report by Fast Company suggests that only the iPhone 12 Pro Max is going to support the fastest 5G connection - the mmWave 5G and that particular model which will need special hardware will be launched in only three countries. All other iPhone 12 models will support the sub-6GHz 5G.