3 AR Emoji

As we were expecting, Samsung introduced its own 3D emoji animation feature, dubbed AR Emoji, which was created to directly compete with Apple’s Animoji function available to iPhone X users.

Though they seem so ostensibly similar, in concept, AR Emoji and Animoji are actually quite different.

Samsung’s technology is designed to generate 3D models based on real faces, whereas Animoji generates pre-existing emoticon characters such as cat, robot, and unicorn.

According to AppleInsider, AR Emoji relies on advanced machine learning to analyze 2D images of a user’s face, which are used to map out “more than 100 facial features” in order to create a 3D model. “Able to be shown performing a number of emotes, such as winks and nods, it can turn these animations into a video, a GIF, or a sticker that can be used in most third-party messaging platforms.”

Depending on your perspective, it may appear as if Samsung was blatantly attempting to rip-off Animoji — however it’s worth pointing out that Galaxy S9’s front-facing camera hardware is still much, much less advanced than Apple’s TrueDepth camera system — and so you’re getting a much different product in the end.