Austrian semiconductor manufacturer AMS has released a new sensor that can measure ambient light intensity from behind an OLED screen.
According to a January 6th, 2019 media release, AMS’s new TCS3701 uses RGB and infrared light to determine a phone’s position even when the sensor is placed behind a device’s screen.
“This capability supports today’s industrial design trend to maximize smartphone display area by eliminating front-facing bezels, where an ambient light/proximity sensor is typically located,” reads an excerpt from the same January 6th media release.
According to Reuters, AMS supplies Apple with “optical sensors for 3D facial recognition features on its newest iPhones.”
Reuters added that analysts estimate Apple comprises 45 percent of AMS’s business.
As a result, AMS’s new chip could provide Apple with the means to finally build an all-screen iPhone.
“By developing this ‘Behind OLED’ ambient light/proximity sensor, AMS enables smartphone manufacturers to achieve the highest possible ratio of display area to body size while retaining crucial touchscreen disablement and automatic display brightness/color adjustment functions, which require an RGB/infrared light sensor,” said AMS, in the same media release.
AMS is selling the TCS370 for a unit price of $1.25 USD, in order quantities of 1,000 units per order.
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