LG confirms G8 ThinQ branding for next its flagship

LG G8 ThinQ is set to debut at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona with a 3D front camera, the South Korean company revealed formally on Thursday.

Although LG didn't delve into the technical details of the ToF front-facing camera, the company did promise a new level of selfie camera capabilities with its upcoming phone. The recently released Honor View 20, for example, includes a 3D lens alongside its main 48-megapixel rear sensor that can measure distance between the subject and the camera lens as well as the volume of what you're shooting. We've seen LG announcing certain phone features ahead of the actual press event for a phone, so this isn't surprising. Infineon developed the ToF technology for use in both mid-tier and premium smartphones.

It's been well over a year since Apple started selling the iPhone X, yet only a few Android handset makers were able to replicate Apple's 3D facial recognition technology. It's a Time-of-Light (ToL) sensor that can be found on the front facing camera.

Compared to structured lighting, which is now being used by Apple for its front-facing TrueDepth camera, ToF is easier and cheaper to make.

"Keeping in mind LG's goal to provide real value to its mobile customers, our newest flagship was designed with ToF technology from inception to give users a unique and secure verification system without sacrificing camera capabilities", said Chang Ma, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Strategy at LG, in a statement. Apart from improving the reliability of the face unlocking system and selfie capabilities, ToF can also be used for AR and VR applications.

Its reported accurate measurements and fast response time LG is employing it as its visual biometric authenticator in the G8.