iPhone 8 Tipped to Sport 3D Front Camera, A11 SoC Production Said to Begin

Apple is said to be busy solving several reported yield issues it is facing with iPhone 8, including new hardware components, Touch ID improvements, OLED panel yield, and much more. Amidst all the drama, fresh reports bring news that isn’t so bad to the ears. One report claims that Apple is set to include a front camera with facial recognition, despite recent reports of technical issues in 3D camera production. The other report claims that TSMC has already begun mass producing the Apple A11 SoC on the 10nm process, the SoC set to be integrated in the new iPhone models this year.

The Investor cites a Korea Economic Daily report to claim that the iPhone 8 will have a 3D camera module in the front capable of facial recognition. These modules will be made by LG Innotek, the same company that was responsible for the iPhone 7 Plus dual camera module. “[LG Innotek’s] new facility investment worth KRW 269.7 billion ($238.50 million) that was announced on April 27 will be dedicated to Apple’s orders. The initial deal size is estimated at about 200 billion won,” the report states. KGI was the first to suggest this feature on the iPhone 8.

Separately, a new report from DigiTimes suggests that TSMC has started mass producing the new Apple A11 SoC. The company is set to be the sole supplier of these SoCs, without Samsung in the equation, which is expected to be included in all three new iPhone models tipped to arrive this fall.

The report confirms that TSMC faced initial yield issues, but it seems to have solved that now. “TSMC has begun 10nm chip production for Apple’s next-generation iPhone 8 series, the sources said. Production was once affected by issues involving stacking components in the backend integrated fan-out packaging process, but they have already been solved,” sources told DigiTimes.

The iPhone 8 is also expected to sport 3GB of RAM, vertical dual rear camera setup, bundled AirPods, wireless charging, waterproofing, and much more.