Home
News
You are here

This iPhone 8 Face ID supplier hit record share highs, hinting at the 3D tech's features

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Aug 09, 2017, 5:37 AM

29comments

iOS Apple

When an obscure Austrian sensor maker becomes the best performing blue chip stock in Europe, it is bound to attract analysts' attention. Peeping at the AMS AG product portfolio, it immediately becomes clear why its shares have doubled since the year started.

Face ID is quicker, more secure, and more accurate than Touch ID

The company offers, among other things, sensors and emitters that are said to be part of the face-scanning setup on the upcoming iPhone 8. Moreover, reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo lists AMS as one of the component suppliers for the 3D sensing (provisionally dubbed Face ID) that will eventually debut with Apple's new handset, as you can see in his slideshow above explaining the parts that will go into Apple's face authentication tech.

There are several approaches to the 3D-sensing technology, such as time-of-flight that measures the amount of time it takes the near-infrared light from the emitter to get reflected off your face's features, and return back to the nearby sensor. The other is called structured light, and involves projecting a pattern onto the object, and inferring the depth perception where the lines break with an algorithm.

Apple’s pitch come September will be that Face ID is quicker, more secure, and more accurate than Touch ID. People inside Apple say it is.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) August 6, 2017

Apple might eventually use both of these systems, and one industry watcher already hinted that the 3D-scanning tech of the iPhone 8 would be second to none. So far, analysts expect it to be used for lighter duties, like face authentication or replacing game characters with your 3D selfie, for instance, but a few years from now, Apple's grand AR plans would eventually give it a way more prominent role that will merge the physical and virtual in ways that might be the next big thing in mobile.

source: Bloomberg & BusinessInsider

View Full Bio

Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.