Samsung Ranks 2nd in Smartphone Image Sensor Market... Sony in Hot Pursuit

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] Samsung Electronics is rapidly closing the gap with Sony in the smartphone image sensor market.

On the 7th (local time), GSMArena cited a report from market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA), stating that Sony ranked first and Samsung second in the global smartphone image sensor market last year.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, the market size last year was estimated at $15 billion, a 14% increase compared to the previous year. This contrasts with an 8.8% decline in smartphone shipments.

By company, Sony held a 46% market share, followed by Samsung at 29%, and Omnivision at 10%. The gap between Sony and Samsung narrowed from 58 percentage points in 2018 to 17 percentage points.

In particular, SA expects Samsung Electronics' pursuit in the smartphone image sensor market to intensify. Huawei, one of Sony's key customers, has seen a sharp decline in smartphone shipments due to U.S. government sanctions. GSMArena noted, "Sony has also been affected by the Huawei sanctions," and predicted that "Sony will face increasing threats from competitors."

As the importance of phone cameras grows and multiple cameras are installed in a single smartphone, demand for smartphone image sensors remains strong despite the COVID-19 impact. However, SA warned that the recent global semiconductor shortage could have adverse effects.

Stefan Entwisle, Vice President of SA, stated, "The installation of multiple cameras in smartphones and the advancement of smartphone photography features will drive growth in the image sensor market," but also mentioned, "Semiconductor shortages may cause difficulties in meeting demand."