What is the black dot next to your phone's camera for?

For several years now, several iPhone models have had a small black dot integrated into their camera system. While it may seem like just another mini camera on a smartphone, the truth is that it's a different tool that also allows you to take better photos.

iPhones are arguably the smartphone models with the best camera systems, and while it's true that the competition has been gradually catching up, if we ask users, the models from the brand with the bitten apple remain the favorites when it comes to taking photos.

This is because it's a very complete system that always offers high-quality results. Just by taking a quick photo without much effort, you can clearly see the difference between an iPhone and a mobile phone from another brand.

This black dot next to the camera is the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanner , which consists of a system that allows you to accurately measure the distance between the phone.

This technology projects infrared light onto surfaces in its surroundings, and the system calculates the time it takes for that light to return to the sensor to determine the distance of objects in a matter of nanoseconds. Measuring distance is important when taking a photo for several reasons: accurately depicting the space, allowing for precise measurements, and correctly interpreting the scene.

Unfortunately, the list of devices that integrate this technology is quite limited, and for now only Apple includes it in some of its devices:

• iPhones : iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Pro Max models feature a LiDAR scanner.
• iPads : iPad Pro models (12.9-inch, 4th generation and later, and 11-inch, 2nd generation and later) also include this technology.
• Other devices : Although not as common, some drones and specialized devices can also use LiDAR sensors for various applications.