Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will boast a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor to dramatically improve its 3D imaging capabilities, according to a leak from lens manufacturer Kolen. The company has started expanding its activities in Vietnam to meet the growing demand from Samsung, as it ramps up for the Galaxy Unpacked launch.
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According to a new report from ETNews, this latest expansion is a direct result of the increased demand for ToF sensors from Samsung. The company has already featured this type of 3D-sensing technology in its Galaxy S10 5G where it's used to improve Augmented Reality (AR) apps performance, and the artificial, adjustable bokeh-style blur behind the subject seen in Live Focus images – as well as bringing the effect to video for the first time.
The Galaxy S10 5G uses a ToF sensor in the front and rear-mounted camera array.
Unfortunately, the report doesn't go into too much detail about how Samsung will use the sensor on the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Pro. Leaked images of the handset revealed the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that featured on the Galaxy Note 9 has been ditched. It's unclear whether Samsung will use an in-display scanner – like the one featured in the Galaxy S10 Plus, for example – or leverage the ToF sensor to use a facial recognition solution, like Face ID on the iPhone XS Max.
Time of Flight sensors measure distance by firing out a pulse of infrared energy and recording the time it take to return – a bit like a bat's sonar system, if you remember that particular lesson in Primary School. This feeds an accurate reading of the depth of an image, allowing the device to create three-dimensional images, blur the background behind the subject of the photo, or track facial features.
There's been no shortage of leaks around the Samsung Galaxy Note 10. Ahead of the announcement at Galaxy Unpacked early next month, we've learnt about the tweaked Infinity-O display design, the demise of the 3.5mm audio port, the zoom capability of the new camera, and the price.
And most recently, leaked renders of the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Pro unmasked almost every detail of the all-new design, including a very Huawei-esque paint job. Of course, it's worth taking these images with a small pinch of salt. After all, nothing is confirmed until it's produced on-stage from Samsung mobile wizard DJ Koh. As always, T3 will have all the news from Galaxy Unpacked as it happens, to stay tuned for the latest on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.
