This concept puts LiDAR into an iPhone for the first time and it looks...ok

iPhone 12 Pro Concept Svetapple (Image credit: svetapple.sk)

What you need to know

Apple's refreshed iPad Pro had a LiDAR Scanner built in.
It's likely iPhone 12 Pro will get one, too.
This concept shows us what that might look like.

Rumors of a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor coming to a 2020 iPhone have been more than prevalent so when Apple added a LiDAR Scanner to the refreshed iPad Pro it pretty much telegraphed the fact that it's going to do the same with iPhone this year. And now we have a concept showing us what that might look like.

This concept comes courtesy of svetapple.sk and was spotted by Cult of Mac. Not only does it show us an iPhone 12 Pro concept, but it also gives us a glimpse of the rumored Navy Blue model as well.

Apple says that the LiDAR Scanner used in iPad Pro will allow it to take accurate and detailed 3D scans of a location, something that will be a big deal to developers who want to create immersive augmented reality experiences. What we've seen so far looks promising, and this is just the start.

A photo posted by on

iPhone 12 Pro Lidar Concept (Image credit: svetapple.sk)

If Apple follows its usual release cadence we can expect iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro to be announced in September time, although it's possible the current coronavirus pandemic situation could push that back. Time will most certainly tell on that front.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.