Counterpoint: Despite supply shortages, smartphone main camera pixels continue to upgrade

    According to research firm Counterpoint Research, despite the tight production capacity and insufficient supply in the semiconductor industry, smartphone rear cameras continue to upgrade and high-end pixel prices continue to fall. IT Home learned that the latest research on Counterpoint smartphone camera tracking shows that in the second quarter of 2021, sales of smartphones equipped with 48MP and above rear cameras accounted for 43% of total smartphone sales, a significant increase from 38.7% in the first quarter of 2021. Among them, 64MP sales increased by 3.5% month-on-month, accounting for 14% of total sales.

　　Senior analyst Ethan Qi commented on this trend: "48MP and 64MP are widely used in models in the $200-400 price range, while flagship phones pursue SLR-like camera performance and mostly use large-bottom, large-pixel sensors, among which 50MP is the most popular. Although the sales share of 108MP fell slightly to 3.1% in the second quarter of 2021, Samsung's 0.7-micron 108MP sensor pushed prices down, and mid-range models from manufacturers such as Redmi and Realme have adopted this sensor."

　　On the other hand, affected by insufficient supply, the prices of low-level pixel sensors have risen sharply. Since the beginning of this year, the price of 5MP has increased by more than 10%. Despite this, the rear main camera pixels of entry-level smartphones (wholesale price below US$100) are still being upgraded from 8MP and below to 12MP or 13MP. As a result, the sales share of 8MP and below sensors fell to 5.9% in the second quarter of 2021. Counterpoint expects that the share of 12MP will increase significantly in the second half of this year after Samsung releases the Z series in August and Apple launches the iPhone 13 series in September.

　　Smartphone rear main camera sales share of each pixel (%):

　　Source: Counterpoint Smartphone Camera Tracker, Q2 2021

　　In terms of front-facing main cameras, the sales share of 20MP and above pixels remained almost flat month-on-month due to the decline in sales of high-end models. However, Counterpoint expects that more high-end models will adopt 32MP or even 48MP front-facing main cameras in the future, so the sales share of 20MP and above pixels will continue to rise.

　　At the same time, due to strong market demand for low-end smartphones, the sales share of 8MP and below pixels increased to 45.2% in the second quarter of 2021, of which 5MP and 8MP accounted for 41.7% of total sales.

　　Smartphone front-facing main camera sales share of each pixel (%):

　　Source: Counterpoint Smartphone Camera Tracker, Q2 2021

　　In September 2021, Samsung launched the new ISOCELL HP1 sensor, further pushing the smartphone industry into the 200MP era. Counterpoint expects to see flagship models equipped with this sensor in the coming quarters. In October, Sony launched the 1-inch 12MP rear main camera Xperia Pro-I, striving to bring consumers a SLR-like photo-taking experience. Although mid- and high-end smartphones (wholesale price above $200) will continue to use large-bottom, large-pixel sensors, supply shortages and price increases may slow this trend.