KGI: Apple is two years ahead of Qualcomm with 3D sensing tech

Apple was years ahead of the industry when it first launched a 64-bit chip in its iPhone 5s, and it was years ahead with the introduction of fingerprint scanning, and this year, the expected signature feature of the Apple iPhone 8 - its 3D face scanning feature that will replace fingerprint scanning - is said to be at least 2 years ahead of the closest competitor, Qualcomm, according to a report by KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo is one of the best informed Apple insiders that has a nearly spotless track record with leaks and rumors.

Kuo has said that the Apple iPhone 8 will ship with a bezel-less OLED display and a revolutionary new front camera and an infrared module that can sense the 3D space in front of it.

Qualcomm, on the other hand, will not make shipments of 3D sensing products in meaningful qualities until at least 2019, according to Kuo's latest report. Qualcomm is allegedly lagging behind in both hardware and software.

The report also mentions that Chinese Xiaomi is the only company that is currently a potential customer for the upcoming technology, and it is awaiting the market's response to Apple's 3D sensing tech in the iPhone 8 before it develops its own 3D sensing devices.

source: 9to5Mac