Because Huawei plans to present a new cell phone with a camera capable of taking three-dimensional photos thanks to a 3D camera, unofficial sources said. The smartphone, whose codename is Princeton, will be announced this month so that it would go on sale in just a few weeks. The technology uses sensors developed by Sony Corp. capable of accurately measuring distances by throwing light at surfaces, another source added.
The new feature, dubbed “3D Camera” by Huawei, comes during a critical period for the smartphone industry, which is grappling with cooling of global demand as consumers find fewer reasons to buy new phones. Huawei aims to increase sales and take market share away from competitors like Apple and Samsung by offering users the ability to generate 3D models of themselves and the environment in real time and share them with others.
“This is a technology we have never seen before and, at best, could transform the way we see the world,” said Yusuke Toyoda, sensor analyst at Fuji Chimera Research Inc. in Tokyo.
Huawei To Launch A Smartphone With A 3D Camera
In addition to generating 3D images, Huawei’s new smartphone can create 3D models of people and objects, which can be used by augmented reality applications, according to one of the sources. The new camera will also allow developers to control apps and games in new ways, such as hand gestures, the source added. Probably, Huawei will put the new 3D camera in more than one smartphone model.
For Sony, the world’s leader in imaging sensors used in ordinary smartphone cameras, 3D cameras could generate billions of dollars in additional revenue from the sale of their new components. The company accelerated the development of the technology after purchasing Softkinetic, a Belgian startup based in Brussels, in 2015, combining the company’s high-end technology with its own skills to create 3D camera chips, small enough to fit inside a smartphone.
FaceID, Apple’s face recognition function, also uses 3D sensors but relies on a different technology called Structured Light, which can measure depth at shorter distances. Sony’s sensors can do this over longer distances.
