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Rumor | SK Hynix regroups to take on Samsung and Sony in the high-end mobile image sensor market

SK Hynix has CIS ambitions. (Source: SK Hynix)
SK Hynix has CIS ambitions. (Source: SK Hynix)
SK Hynix might be best known for its RAM or storage modules - however, it also makes the CMOS image sensors (or CIS) found in smartphones. The company is rumored to have ambitions to challenge the dominance of other companies such as Samsung in this arena with new sensors that target the top end of the market.

High-end smartphone cameras are currently dominated by familiar names such as Samsung ISOCELL and Sony IMX in terms of their sensors (even if the latter may be replaced by a new one soon); however, SK Hynix apparently intends to challenge them with a new line.

The South Korea-based semiconductor OEM does have a presence in this market already: for example, it was reportedly this company (and not Samsung) that provided the 50MP sensor found in 2022 devices such as the Galaxy A13.

However, it may now intend to "restructure" its CIS division to move away from those kinds of cameras and toward those such as the latest flagship IMX800 series - or possibly even the ISOCELL HP2 - as opposed to trying to chip away at the up-to-80% share of the market as a whole consistently occupied by Samsung and Sony combined.

Therefore, it may drop support for most of the major resolutions (32MP, 13MP, 64MP and so on) that it covers now in favor of this new rumored strategy.

On the other hand, it may be a risky move as the market for mobile CIS may be at risk of shrinking somewhat as the demand for new smartphones also declines.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 01 > SK Hynix regroups to take on Samsung and Sony in the high-end mobile image sensor market
Deirdre O'Donnell, 2023-01-31 (Update: 2023-04-12)