Face ID in 'iPhone 12' may gain speed alongside camera enhancements

The "iPhone 12" could include a faster Face ID authentication than currently offered, a leaker claims, as well as an enhanced version of digital zoom that is assisted by advancements in computational photography.

In the days before Apple is anticipated to launch a new collection of iPhones, more leaks about what to expect are surfacing by various sources. One such leak from a well-established leaker centers around the photographic capabilities of the inbound models.

According to a series of tweets from "@Pineeaks," a Twitter account operated by Max Winebach, Apple is still planning to ship a "dynamic zoning algorithm" for the TrueDepth camera array. The algorithm would enable the Face ID biometric authentication system to acquire a user's face at a faster rate, which will shave off fractions of a second from the entire Face ID unlocking process.

The tweet list, spotted by MacRumors also claims Apple won't be updating the design of the TrueDepth array at all for most of the models, with the exception of the "iPhone 12 mini." For that model, Winebach claims the notch will be narrower but taller to accommodate the smaller display.

The digital and optical zoom capabilities will apparently get a "massive boost" for 2020, with a "significantly extended digital zoom" with improved distance and quality. The upgrade, which could enable a 10x digital zoom, would rely on the iPhone combining "several frames at different zoom levels, and stacking them together," forming a hybrid of optical zooming and cropping, which then uses an algorithm to handle alignment and sharpening.

The ability to focus on items closer to the iPhone's camera may also be on the way. The account claims a sort of "macro camera" is still on the way, with users able to get "closer to objects compared to the current iPhone 11 Ultra Wide."