As of today, you won't be able to use Animoji until you purchase iPhone X. However, as it turns out, this has nothing to do with the hardware of the anniversary iPhone. In fact, Animoji only uses the front-facing camera, not the unique TrueDepth sensor that Face ID requires.
Discovered by YouTube blogger Marquez Brownlee. In his review iPhone X, he uses Animoji to cover the TrueDepth sensor with his finger, but this does not appear in any way at the function. Animoji continues to work correctly – until you close the front camera. This can be clearly seen in the video if you rewind the video at 11:40.
It turns out that Apple could easily add this function to any other iPhone – but decided to artificially make it exclusive to the anniversary model.
Even assuming that Animoji is overloading the processor, this is no excuse why the technology is missing from iPhone 8/8 Plus. The chipset of these models is exactly the same as that of iPhone X.
Some publications (for example, iMore) note that the infrared sensor is not constantly active while using Animoji. Instead, it updates the 3D model data every certain amount of time so that the display is accurate. That is, indirectly TrueDepth is still involved – however, this does not mean at all that there is no Animoji without TrueDepth.
According to experts, without this sensor, the mapping of the user's face to an animated model will not be as accurate – but in general it is feasible. Given that the majority of users see Animoji as a purely entertainment option, this would be enough for owners of older models iPhone.
While there is no information on whether Apple plans to implement at least the stripped-down Animoji in its other smartphones, user opinion on the feature is divided. Someone continues to have fun, creating entire karaoke clips, while some are already tired of it.
How do you feel about Animoji? Would you like to see this technology on smartphones besides iPhone X? Write your thoughts on this in the comments!