LG Rumoured to be Supplying Face ID Tech for 2018 iPhone X and iPad Pro

[Maura]

According to a new report from Korean website The Investor, via MacRumors, Apple is set to invest heavily in LG Innotek as a supplier of 3D sensing modules for this year’s iPhone and iPad models. The source for the story says that Apple’s upfront investment in LG could be as much as approximately $820.9 million, which would enable the company to expand its 3D sensing and camera module production facilities.

LG Innotek’s 3D sensing modules, which include the flood illuminator and dot projector, form part of the current iPhone X TrueDepth camera array, and are therefore responsible for Face ID, Animoji, and other features.

If the report is true and Apple is indeed investing heavily in order to enable LG to greatly increase its 3D sensing module production, this could be the clearest indicator yet that, as has been recently rumoured, Apple’s 2018 iPhone line-up will all have Face ID, including an updated iPhone X, a new iPhone X Plus, and a mid-range successor to the iPhone 8. Bloomberg News has also reported that this year’s iPad Pro model will also have Face ID.

Source: LG Expected to Supply Face ID Technology on New iPhone X, iPad Pro, and iPhone X Plus This Year