Image Sensors Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The global image sensors market is expected to register a CAGR of 9.2% over the forecast period 2022 - 2027. The image sensors are used primarily in a large number of imaging devices and digital cameras to enhance the quality of picturization and storage of the image with its applications in industrial, media, medical, and consumer applications. ​The integration of video surveillance in the transportation industry is one of the significant trends observed in this region. For instance, to enhance security for the Canadian Public Transportation System, with the country having 1.7 million daily traffic, the government deployed a unified surveillance System with integrated cameras in it. This is further expected to surge the market across the region.

Key Highlights

• Owing to the growing demand for smartphones, security cameras, high-definition cameras, and camcorders, the image sensors market is expected to record a high growth rate during the forecast period. Manufacturers worldwide have been striving to improve major parameters, such as resolution, performance, and pixel size.
• Furthermore, the companies have been looking for new smartphone camera innovations to enable high-resolution, feature-rich cameras in systems. For example, Samsung's new 5G smartphone consists of five cameras, including a rear-facing, wide-angle camera based on a 108-megapixel image sensor; this equates to over 100 million pixels on small die size. A front-facing camera for selfies incorporates a 48MP image sensor based on the world's smallest pixel pitch-0.7µm. The Galaxy S10 from Samsung introduced recently has four cameras, three rear cameras and one front camera.​
• In February 2022, Realme announced the launch of the 9 Pro Series across Europe, which features a Sony IMX766 image sensor. The sensor enables the smartphone to capture extraordinary images with a super large 1/1.56" sensor size, a large pixel area, and OIS. In addition, the sensor has an f/1.88 aperture that helps the user to capture clear pictures at a distance.
• In March 2020, GalaxyCore Inc. and China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang New Area Management Committee signed a cooperation agreement. It plans to invest in a 12-inch CIS integrated circuit R&D and industrialization project in the Lingang New Area with USD 2.2 billion. It will establish advanced industrial clusters with core technologies as breakthroughs. It will support multinational companies to set up offshore R&D and manufacturing centers and promote the development of critical areas such as core chips, unique processes, essential equipment, and basic materials.
• In September 2021, Teledyne e2V in France launched the smallest 2 MP and 1.5 MP CMOS image sensors in partnership with global shutters. The Topaz series of CMOS sensors have resolutions of 1920x1080 and 1920x800 - 2.5µmx2.5µm low noise international shutter pixels for compact mobile designs.
• Furthermore, according to Sony, the COVID-19 pandemic has very minimal effect on the production of image sensors (particularly CMOS image sensors), including any impact on the procurement of materials. However, owing to the factor mentioned above, the company only expects to take a hit in terms of supply chain issues for smartphone manufacturers. This has been positive news for the end-users that rely on Sony chips, as they need not face any problem in procuring image sensors for their latest products.​
• However, to fight with the COVID-19, companies are actively investing in product developments. For instance, in April 2020, in April 2020, the government of Israel has planned to deploy Vayyar Imaging’s life-saving sensor technology that could provide touchless, remote and confidential monitoring to detect and monitor vital signs such as the pulse, heart rate variability and respiratory rates of the patient remotely, thereby indicating early-stage COVID-19 symptoms.​

Key Market Trends

CMOS Image Sensor in Smartphone Witnesses a Significant Growth

• CMOS image sensor technology, which several vendors are ramping, is sustaining its vigorous move into low-cost camera designs. Although often disparagingly compared to charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors with superior image quality at the same price, CMOS sensors are establishing a foothold at the low-cost end of the consumer market by offering more functions on-chip that simplify camera design.​
• In March 2022, SmartSens, an advanced CMOS image sensor supplier, launched its first 50MP ultra-high-resolution 1.0μm pixel size image sensor product - SC550XS. The new product adopts the advanced 22nm HKMG Stack process and SmartSens' multiple proprietary technologies, including SmartClarity-2 technology, SFCPixel technology, and PixGain HDR technology, to enable excellent imaging performance.
• Many global start-ups also focus on product innovation for the studied market. For instance, in February 2022, Metalenz, a meta-optics lens technology start-up, unveiled a new polarization technology that enables polarization sensing to be integrated into consumer and mobile devices and leads to better healthcare management features on smartphones.
• Furthermore, although specific markets (China, for instance) have reached saturation for new smartphone demand due to a lack of new buyers, smartphone manufacturers like Huawei are rolling out new models with dual-camera systems, thus, boosting CMOS manufacturing.
• ​Also, mobile applications such as WeChat drive the market for cameras in the country; according to Tencent number of active WeChat users during Q2, 2020 revenue stood at USD 17.04 million.​ These factors significantly drive the CMOS image sensors in the smartphone market.

Asia-Pacific to Witness Significant Market Growth

• China is reflecting a significant growth rate, due to its growing economy and significant global electronics market share. China is one of the Significant electronics producers and consumers. According to the National Bureau of Statistics China, the computer, communication equipment, and other electronic equipment manufacturing were increased. It produced around 5.6 million digital cameras in 2020.
• China implemented the Social Credit System that uses extensive facial recognition of its citizen. The facial recognition systems are being implemented across the country, and the requirement for cameras for the project is expected to drive the market. ​
• Further, India is one of the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world; the growing purchasing power and the rising influence of social media are expected to drive the market for electronic goods. According to IBEF, Exports of electronic goods grew by 49% to USD 11 billion from April to December 2021, compared to USD 7.4 billion the previous year.
• The country is also seeing growth in the number of smart cities due to government initiatives. The smart cities are anticipated to incorporate electronic solutions for various purposes, such as monitoring, surveillance, maintenance, etc. Further, according to smartcities.gov.in, the central government allotted USD 977 million into the development of 60 such smart cities. ​
• Further, South Korea has been made secure with a variety of surveillance systems installed. The government of the country has been installing CCTV cameras every year, in public places, for safety purposes. According to Ministry of the Interior and Safety (South Korea), in 2021, there were 187,883 new CCTVs installed in public places in the country. With the growing adoption of surveillance cameras systems, the demand for image sensors is expected to rise.​
• Further, in the smartphone sector, In India, Samsung launched its premium Galaxy S22 smartphone series in March 2022. The Galaxy S22 series includes three phones: the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22. The Samsung Galaxy S22+ has a triple camera system with a 50MP main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture, and a 10MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture on the back.

Competitive Landscape

The Image Sensors Market is fragmented in nature due to intense competitive rivalry. Levels of market penetration are not massive for any of the prevailing players in the market. Due to the high market growth rate, it is being viewed as a significant investment opportunity, and therefore, new entrants are entering the market.​ Key players are Canon Inc.​, Samsung, Sony, etc.

• January 2022 - OmniVision announced the next addition to its pioneering Nyxel® near-infrared (NIR) technology family. The OX05B1S is the first 5 megapixels (MP) RGB-IR BSI global shutter sensor for in-cabin monitoring systems (IMS) in the automotive industry.
• September 2021 - During the SEMI Europe Summit, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd announced that by 2025, it would scale down pixels even more, resulting in a 576-megapixel smartphone sensor. The company strives for a resolution of 600 megapixels to mimic the human eye.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

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