Spatial cameras could be an Ultra trick, but not until at least 2024
The upcoming iPhone Ultra model could have a key Apple Vision Pro feature – the ability to take “spatial photos and videos”, using the phone’s camera.
At least, that’s what the latest rumors are suggesting. According to a recent report from MacRumors, the spatial photo support could allow people to “record immersive 3D content” using the smartphone’s “outward-facing cameras”. The content could then, in theory, be uploaded and viewed on the Vision Pro.
Judging from the rumors, which came from an unnamed Weibo account with an apparently good track record for iPhone predictions, it doesn’t appear that the iPhone Ultra itself (or whatever the future device is called) will let you view the spatial photos. Instead, you’d need to have the headset to enjoy the ‘immersive’ content on a big floating, VR screen.
Notably, the rumor is bold enough to say this update will “lead the market to rethink what kind of photos and videos a mobile phone should take.” But it might be a while before we get to find out if that’s the case – according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the rumored iPhone Ultra (which has been tipped to sit above its Pro models) won’t be arriving until 2024 at the earliest. What are spatial cameras?
We first learned about spatial photos and videos back at WWDC 2023 during the Vision Pro’s reveal.
