In the run-up to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019, which will take place from February 25th to 29th in Barcelona, LG has published new information about its smartphone G8 ThinkQ. The smartphone, which was presented to the public for the first time at the trade fair, will have an additional Time-of-Flight camera (ToF) in addition to the normal front camera.
ToF cameras use infrared light pulses to determine distances to objects. This makes them particularly reliable for face unlocking, as they offer a higher level of security than normal smartphone cameras. Thanks to the infrared light pulses, ToF cameras can also be used in poor lighting conditions.
LG will therefore use the camera to unlock the smartphone similar to Apple’s Face ID. The camera will also be used for AR and VR applications. However, LG has not yet published application scenarios for the G8 ThinkQ.
Camera developed in Germany
The built-in camera REAL3 was developed by the German company Infinion.
Other smartphone manufacturers such as Huawei also use ToF cameras, but for other purposes. In the Honor View 20, the ToF camera is not located on the front but on the back of the smartphone as a supplement to the main camera. This allows depth of field information to be obtained, which is intended to improve image quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWrUKx_EcOY
Sony has also published a video on the subject of ToF cameras in the run-up to the fair, but the Japanese company has not yet announced a specific smartphone.
Other innovative features
To survive in the competitive high-end smartphone market, the LG G8 ThinkQ will also include a number of other innovative features.
According to Leaker Steve H.McFly @OnLeaks, who is regarded as a reliable leaker, the smartphone will reproduce the sound directly on the display instead of conventional loudspeakers. The Sound-on-Display technology enables smartphones with particularly narrow frames, as the sound is generated directly by vibrations in the display.
In addition, a publication by the Brazilian approval authority Anatel has already announced that the battery will offer a capacity of 3,400 mAh. Since the 6.1-inch display will probably be an OLED panel and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 is correspondingly power-hungry thanks to its high performance, an outstanding battery life is not to be expected despite the relatively large battery.
Further technical details, publication date and price are not yet known. Interested parties must therefore be patient until the presentation at the trade fair.
