Which iPhone is best for facial motion capture ?? march 2022

We have a free webcam-based facial capture program here,

And this is a video comparing ARkit and webcam,

Any news on this? I just bought the 16 Pro because it made sense to me that ā€¦ the better the camera, the better the resultsā€¦ but now I`m unsure whether I really needed to buy this really expensive new 16 Pro or a 13 Pro would have produced the exact same resultsā€¦?

Accoeding to the specs apple puts out its the exact same camera format/definition for the depth reader (which is what matters).
So yes, probably wasted money if you use the phone like a paperweight (and occasionally app development) as I doā€¦

Hm, I did read somewhere that Megapixel counts as well when it comes to captured data accuracy and the 16 Pro capture more raw data in general. So, I`m still unsure whether there would be a relevant quality difference between letā€™s say a 13 Pro and a 16 Pro.

Up after a certain mp count you dont really get much of a difference.
Consider it like a photographer with full frame DSLRā€¦

It really seems that I have bought the new 16 Pro unnecessarily then :slight_smile: . I still have 4 weeks to send it back for a full refund if I donā€™t want the phone. I`ll do some tests and then get my hands on a 13 Pro as well and compare them.

1 Like

Itā€™s just really surprising that there is almost 0 info about this in general. I mean itā€™s a great technology and one would obviously want to know if newer Iphones produce better results. I canā€™t even contact Epic about thisā€¦

Hey Jim!

So, the facial motion capture tech (TrueDepth) hasnā€™t really seen major upgrades in terms of the dot projector/IR sensor since the iPhone X, at least not for mocap purposes. The LiDAR in 12+ models is mainly for depth mapping, but it doesnā€™t really boost facial capture quality for Live Link or other systems.

As for the Mini vs. Max Pro versionsā€”facial capture-wise, thereā€™s no difference in performance. The Mini might be a better fit for helmet rigs due to the lighter weight, like you said. Hope that helps!

Go mini whenever possible (same depth sensors in-generation, lighter weight, lower cost, good battery). I donā€™t think cam specs matter as much as that generationā€™s hardware sensors do. Iā€™d decide between 12 mini & 13 mini, depending on your opinion on the depth sensor nerf & other needs.

1 Like

Thanks for the info. So, you are saying that an Iphone 12/13 Mini would produce the exact same results in terms of quality with the Livelink app as a 16 Pro?

No one has determined this yet.