Unconfirmed reports indicate that Apple will make the LiDAR scanner available to the entire iPhone 13 lineup and not just the 'Pro' models.

It is a long way until the second half of the year when Apple would usually announce new products but talks are already rife about the entire lineup of the upcoming iPhone 13 having the LiDAR scanner feature. Apple released four variants of the iPhone 12 smartphones in 2020 but only two of its high-end models, the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max have the feature. This year, rumors say that Apple will include the LiDAR, which is short for Light Detection and Ranging, in all of its iPhone 13 models set for release later this year, presumably in September or October.

   

What is the LiDAR scanner and why are users getting so excited about having them? A consumer-level LiDAR share some similarities in how radar functions, except that it uses lasers instead of radio wave signals to determine distances and depth. This is a huge development for augmented reality (AR) applications and welcome news for photography enthusiasts. The feature allows you to scan and map the surrounding environment by bouncing laser beams off an object and then determining how quickly they return to the source, similar to how submarines 'pings' a target, or how bats see their way around using sound waves. Given these capabilities, if Apple does include the LiDAR scanner feature in the entire iPhone 13 lineup, this surely will make photography enthusiasts and AR users very happy.

So what can you achieve if your iPhone has the LiDAR scanner feature? Try to imagine your phone rapidly firing off a series of laser pulses at various sections of a scene over a short period. For one, it will improve the range of your iPhone's cameras up to five meters and improve its object 'occlusion' capability. Occlusion is the presence of virtual objects vanishing behind real items like trees and shrubbery. Combined with the fast speed of the A14 Bionic chip in iPhone 12 models, the entire LiDAR scanning process becomes quicker. If rumors are true that the entire Apple iPhone 13 lineup will have the LiDAR scanner feature, then each of the models will have advanced camera capabilities.

According to a recent Digitimes supply chain report, Apple intends to include the LiDAR scanner sensor in all of the variants in this year's iPhone 13 lineup and not just on its 'Pro' models. Although the Digitimes report centers on the time-of-flight sensor sector, particularly on the supply chain aspect of things, as well as its adoption among Android makers, nestled within the report is a tiny bit of information stating that "all 2021 iPhone models," which means the upcoming iPhone 13, will have the LiDAR scanner feature. At present, the feature is exclusive to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Sources also said that Apple entered into an agreement with Sony, guaranteeing the use of LiDAR scanners in all iPhones from this year's models up to at least 2023. If rumors are true that the entire Apple iPhone 13 lineup, set for release this year, will have the LiDAR scanner feature, it would create a huge gap between its rivals, at least in terms of mobile phone camera applications.