Source: Andrew Martonik / Android Central
A new report from Korean publication The Elec suggests that the Galaxy S30 series, just like the recently released Note 20, will escape the 3D time-of-flight (ToF) sensor found in the Galaxy S20 + and S20 Ultra.
The publication cites the inferior performance of Samsung’s sensor compared to Apple’s offering in the iPad Pro and the upcoming iPhone 12 as the reason behind the move. Samsung is also of the opinion that there is currently no ‘killer content’ that uses the sensor for AR or VR applications.
On the technical side, the differences between Samsung and Apple offerings stem from the underlying tech used by the sensor. While Apple uses a ‘direct’ ToF sensor with a LiDAR module, Samsung’s sensor uses ‘indirect’ ToF. As a result, Apple’s cameras have up to a 2x advantage in range, and can measure distances up to six meters, while Samsung’s sensor can only reach a range of about three meters.
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Neither Samsung nor Apple produce their ToF sensors directly, instead buying the Sony component. But Apple has reported an exclusive contract with Sony for the direct ToF technology, making only the indirect variant available to Samsung and other manufacturers.
As a result, the South Korean giant is turning to its semiconductor division, which is now investigating a new ToF sensor that will presumably continue to use indirect ToF technology, but with a significantly better measuring range. If Samsung’s LSI division produces beneficial results, and substantially improves ToF applications in AR and VR, the company may decide to bring the sensor back into future iterations of its phones.
However, Samsung’s next-generation flagships will have excellent imaging chops, with the S20 Ultra successor rumored to have a mind-boggling 150MP primary camera.
