Upcoming Qualcomm chipsets to feature depth sensing camera tech

Qualcomm Spectra ISP camera module in action

The next-gen Spectra ISP makes Qualcomm the first brand to announce depth-sensing camera tech that was designed specifically for the Android ecosystem. The next flagship Snapdragon Mobile Platform is expected to bring it to the market.

by Codrut Nistor, 2017/08/16

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Depth sensing capabilities currently require a handset with lasers for detecting depth, as used by the early Tango devices, or dual cameras. Although AR and VR are not mainstream yet, mid-range and even low-end handsets might offer such features one day. In the meantime, we should get ready for depth sensing on devices that come with a single camera module.

The Spectra ISP arrived with the Snapdragon 800 series, but its next major iteration promises to bring one camera sensor-bokeh effects, as well as augmented reality capabilities. According to Qualcomm, the second-generation Spectra ISP "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."

In addition to the above, the next-gen ISP promises advanced motion tracking and optimized localization and mapping algorithms, thus being able to support new extended reality (XR) apps. Unfortunately, there is no launch date for the new Qualcomm ISP yet, but it has been confirmed that the technology will be part of the next top-tier Snapdragon Mobile Platform.