Expect more phones with iris scanning, depth sensing thanks to Qualcomm

Qualcomm is one of the biggest players in the smartphone space, its chipsets powering loads of devices around the world.

Now, the company has revealed updated versions of its Spectra imaging hardware, found in flagship processors. So what does that mean?

For one, Qualcomm has updated its “Spectra Module Program”, which delivered improved dual-camera support and better zoom in its initial release last year. What does the update bring to the table?

“…the camera module program is being expanded to include new camera modules capable of utilising active sensing for superior biometric authentication, and structured light for a variety of computer vision applications that require real-time, dense depth map generation and segmentation,” the company explains.

More specifically, the updated Spectra Module Program delivers three “camera modules”, in the form of “an iris authentication module, a passive depth sensing module and an active depth sensing module”.

What should you expect from next year’s phones? Qualcomm has detailed a few imaging and security upgrades for its next processor

The second big hardware upgrade coming to Qualcomm’s new silicon is the second generation of its Spectra image signal processor (ISP). For the uninitiated, ISPs are processors that generally handle camera-related tasks, taking the load off the main processor.

Qualcomm says its next generation ISP is designed to better support “computer vision, image quality, and power efficiency”.

“It features multi-frame noise reduction for superior photographic quality, along with hardware-accelerated motion compensated temporal filtering (MCTF), and inline electronic image stabilization (EIS) for superior camcorder-like video quality,” the chipmaker wrote.

Expect Qualcomm’s next flagship processor to pack this tech. In other words, it’s reasonable to expect iris scanning and depth sensing functionality in upcoming high-end phones.

Featured image: file photo of HTC U11