Even before the release, LG gives the first details of the LG G8 ThinQ. For example, the device is equipped with a Time of Flight sensor for face recognition, augmented reality apps and more.
LG G8 ThinQ ToF sensor: what you need to know
The LG G8 ThinQ is one of the first smartphones with a Time of Flight sensor in front of the device, the manufacturer has informed. Such a sensor emits infrared light to all objects around you. Then the sensor registers how quickly that light reflects off to measure distances. This allows a super-fast 3D scan of your environment to be made.
This technique can be used for facial recognition, among other things. Because the 3D scan recognizes depth, the G8 sees the difference between a photo and a real head. The sensor can also add a bokeh effect to your photos because it easily distinguishes between the back and foreground. With augmented reality apps, the sensor can quickly and realistically display virtual objects in the real world.
ToF sensors such as those in the G8 ThinQ seem to become one of the major trends of 2019. For example, the Honor View 20 was recently unveiled, which is also equipped with a ToF sensor at the rear. Sony, Samsung, and some other major manufacturers would also have one or more devices with the technology under development.
Gimmick or a good addition?
The technology still has to prove itself. For example, there are only a handful of apps on the Honor View 20 that use the sensor that barely exceeds the level of a gimmick. “A skiing game that you play by making the ski moves in the ‘real’ and an app that counts calories: these are things that you leave behind after half an hour,” we wrote in our View 20 preview. LG claims that it works on different applications for the sensor, but does not yet share what it exactly plans.
The LG G8 ThinQ will be presented on Sunday evening, February 24th. The manufacturer organizes an event in Barcelona that day, prior to the Mobile World Congress. Sources claim that LG also plans to unveil the V50 ThinQ with 5G support. There are also rumors about an LG smartphone with a second screen.