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Samsung take steps toward mobile camera market throne as Sony hit hard by Huawei sanctions
Recently, the market research firm – Yole Developpement has revealed that Sony is not able to continue the supply of CMOS image sensors to the Chinese tech giant – Huawei and facing major business loss. However, Samsung is taking this situation as an opportunity and wants to lead the sensor market itself.
The reason behind this is the US sanctions on Huawei that banned the use of American technology and components in its devices. Additionally, it restricts US-based companies to do business with Huawei in the same manner.
In the past few years, the demand for smartphones furnished with a multi-camera system and support high-quality pictures has increased. Following this, major smartphone makers started making efforts in order to satisfy the consumers.
So, the requirement for a high-definition smart camera system and CMOS image sensors also seen a big hike. The result of this became a boom in the business of Sony image sensors and shipments as well.
To be mentioned, Huawei was one of the biggest customers of Sony image sensors for a long time. However, almost all Huawei devices equipped with Sony’s high-end mobile image sensors especially flagship Mate and P-series smartphones.
According to the information, Sony’s market shares decreased as compared to last year’s statistics. The US sanctions on Huawei also side by side effects the companies, which had Huawei as a major customer.
Moreover, Huawei has a spends a lot of money to customize special sensors from Sony. After losing large amount image sensor orders from Huawei, the market sales of Sony CMOS image sensors started declining.
Sony Market Share:
According to the Yole Development data report, amid problems in the semiconductor business, Sony still leads the market share in 2020 with 20.7 billion USD accounted for 40% of the total market share. To be mentioned, the share was slightly lower than the share of 2019, which was 42% of the market.
Samsung secured second place in the market, but its share rose from 21% in 2019 to 22% in 2020. Additionally, Sony’s CFO said that it is expected that the sensor business will not recover completely until 2023.
Aside from Yole Developpement market researchers mentioned that there will be a slight rebound in 2021 with an annual growth rate of 12%. It is estimated that the market share in 2021 will reach 21.4 billion USD with an increase of 3.2% over 2020. Also, there will be stronger chances of growth in 2022 and 2023.
Samsung wants to lead the image sensor market share:
It is revealed that Samsung’s global image sensor market shares with 20% less than Sony’s. But Samsung’s sensor market seems to be more stable than Sony because most Samsung products use self-produced image sensors.
Moreover, CMOS image sensors produced by Samsung are more favored by mid-range smartphones and can attract more mid-range customers to stabilize their growth momentum.
On the other hand, it was reported that Samsung is planning to use its 13th DRAM wafer fab in Hwaesong to produce CMOS image sensors. This year, Samsung’s monthly image sensor wafer production capacity may increase by about 20,000 to 30,000 pieces, which will also help Samsung further increase its sensor market share.
Sony reconstructing its business strategy:
To cope up with this situation, Sony Group is now reconstructing its semiconductor business strategy and planning and trying to jump into the automobile sensor business to overcome the losses and avoid the impact of the sharp drop of Huawei image sensor orders.
In this segment, Sony has signed a business agreement (MOU) with South Korea’s Autonomous a2z company in January this year. An Autonomous company representative said: “We will apply Sony’s advanced image sensor to our autonomous driving cognitive system so that we will have world-class autonomous driving technology.”
(Via | zhidx)
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It’s the HarmonyOS upgrade carnival and the 5 years old veteran Kirin devices – Huawei P20 and Mate 10 series, these are now inching closer to a stable HarmonyOS 3 rollout.
According to the information, Huawei has opened HarmonyOS 3 public beta for Huawei P20 and Mate 10 series smartphones. This will allow HarmonyOS 2 to enter the HarmonyOS 3 beta testing pool before it goes public.
Below you can check all of the models participating in the HarmonyOS 3 public beta activity.
- Huawei Mate 10 (ALP-AL00/TL00)
- Huawei Mate 10 Pro (BLA-AL00/TL00)
- Huawei Mate 10 Porsche Design (BLA-AL00)
- Huawei Mate RS Porsche Design (NEO-AL00)
- Huawei P20 (EML-AL00/TL00)
- Huawei P20 Pro (CLT-AL00/AL01/AL00I/TL00/TL01)
These Huawei P10 and Mate 10 devices are now eligible to participate in the new HarmonyOS 3 public beta program.
It’s interesting how Huawei upgrade these 5-year-old Kirin veteran devices with new versions such as HarmonyOS 3. Huawei Mate 10 and P20 series were launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively. These two flagships are equipped with Kirin 970 powerful chipset, which allowed Huawei to deliver premium performance for the customer.
Other devices:
Moreover, Huawei announced HarmonyOS 3 public beta for 9 Honor devices – Honor 30 series and Honor V30 series. On the other hand, there are 7 new devices that made a place in the public beta activity. These are Huawei Nova 7 SE and Nova 8 SE models.
Huawei Mate 10 and P20:
Following the unveiling of the Huawei Mate 10 series, Huawei has greatly improved all aspects of its smartphones and the company began to compete against Apple and Samsung.
HarmonyOS 3 brings a lot of new features for these golden flagships and give them a new birth over HarmonyOS 2 with a brand new set of additions. This software has increased the app response speed by 7%, the app task execution speed has increased by 4.0%, and the file transfer rate is increased by 4.2%.
Important notes:
You should know that the public beta is also a test version of the HarmonyOS 3 development stage. Therefore, it may affect some parts of the user interface due to changes in functions from HarmonyOS 2.
Some third-party apps may not be compatible with HarmonyOS 3, therefore, it’s suggested that you upgrade them via AppGallery.
Following the public beta, Huawei will push a stable build for the corresponding models to conclude the entire upgrade campaign. To be mentioned, after installation, the phone users may face heat and lag issues, which may settle within a few days.
WSJ – Would you buy a premium-priced smartphone that doesn’t have 5G? Huawei Technologies Co. thinks its customers will, at least in China and will bet on another premium 4G phone.
More than two years after U.S. sanctions wrecked the Chinese tech giant’s once-dominant global smartphone business, Huawei has stuck with a regular schedule of new flagship phone launches and is gearing up to debut its latest on Thursday.
Reflecting its reduced ambitions, Huawei will unveil the device in a Chinese-language event in Shanghai rather than with a splashy launch overseas. It will likely feature a top-end camera—a Huawei trademark—but won’t have access to 5G networks, Google’s Android operating system, or a host of Western apps.
That means the new phone, the P60, which Huawei will launch alongside a new foldable phone and other gadgets, isn’t likely to find many users outside of Huawei’s home market. In China, where a separate ecosystem of apps and other software has made the absence of Western apps on Huawei devices less of a liability, the company continues to attract sales from longtime fans.
Huawei was for a few months the world’s largest seller of smartphones globally, surpassing rivals Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Its global market share peaked at 18% in 2019, according to market tracker Canalys.
Then, the Trump administration imposed a series of export controls that choked the company’s access to foreign technologies. Sales crashed as the company carved off part of the business and its devices’ appeal withered in markets around the world.
Huawei’s market share stood at 2% last year, according to Canalys. Most remaining sales are in China, where the company clung to 8% of the market last year and was the country’s sixth-largest smartphone seller, behind the likes of Vivo Mobile Communication Co., the formerly Huawei-owned brand Honor Device Co., and Apple.
Executives have said the company has since replaced thousands of foreign parts. In pitching its smartphones, they have said the 4G connectivity is still powerful.
In China’s high-end phone sector, where Huawei’s rivals have struggled to gain traction, the company is the only serious rival to Apple. Huawei still held 10% of that market last year, according to Canalys.
The company has touted high-end photography and easy connectivity to other internet-connected Huawei gadgets.
Earlier this month, Richard Yu, the head of Huawei’s consumer business, posted on Chinese social media a zoomed-in photo taken at night of the top of a lit-up building which he said was taken on the “P60 Pro.” It showcased the device’s telephoto lens and nighttime photography capabilities. In a speech launching a predecessor to the P60, Mr. Yu said Huawei’s 4G connectivity was still powerful when coupled with artificial intelligence and other technology.
One 38-year-old finance worker in Beijing said he has been using Huawei phones for several years since switching from an iPhone. The user said he transitioned to Huawei because he said the devices are more compatible with external devices like game emulators and run better apps, adding that his current device’s 4G speeds are fast enough.
Ren Zhengfei, Huawei’s founder, said last month that the company has substituted more than 13,000 components with domestic replacements in the last three years.
Still, the new smartphone underlines Huawei’s continued reliance on American technology for key parts.
Suppliers selling less than cutting-edge technology, like 4G, can apply for a license to transact with Huawei from the Commerce Department under rules issued by the agency overseeing export controls. The agency has cleared billions of dollars in such sales from U.S. suppliers including Intel Corp., which sells chips used in Huawei laptops, and Qualcomm Inc., which supplies 4G smartphone chips.
The Biden administration is considering tightening export rules to cut Huawei off from U.S.-sourced technology altogether.
Nicole Peng, a Canalys analyst, said one reason for Huawei’s enduring popularity in China is that for many, 5G simply hasn’t lived up to its billing as being a revolutionary improvement over 4G. Many smartphone users don’t really notice a difference, she said.
Huawei Spring Flagship Launch event will happen on March 23, 2023, and Huawei is ready to deliver various devices and products for consumers with the P60 series in the spotlight.
Ahead of the conference, we are here to give you an insight into what will unveil at Huawei Spring Flagship Launch Event 2023.
Huawei P60 series:
Huawei P60 series will headline the event with its brand-new camera technologies. On the other hand, Huawei confirmed this first for the launch occasion. You can read all of this lineup here.
Huawei Mate X3:
Huawei Mate X3 is the next generation of foldable smartphones. It will pack with a new foldable hinge, satellite connectivity 2.0, lightweight design, strong durability, and new smart features. Check our complete coverage on this device here.
Huawei FreeBuds 5:
After two years of Huawei FreeBuds 4, the company will unveil FreeBuds 5. This a completely new design with a flagship sound listening experience. Other than Hi-Res audio, the FreeBuds 5 will also bring LDAC codec.
Huawei Watch Ultimate:
This watch will equip the world’s first satellite network capability. Huawei Watch Ultimate has a sturdy design, which is confirmed to make a rampage this Spring.
Huawei Enjoy 60:
Aside from the flagship, Huawei will also fetch a new budget segment phone – Huawei Enjoy 60. It is popular ahead and getting praise among Chinese consumers. Despite being a very simplistic design, Huawei Enjoy 60 has all of the odds on its side.
Huawei MatePad 11 2023:
First launched in 2021, Huawei MatePad 11 made its first appearance with HarmonyOS. And a 2023 model is ready to make the grandest intro with an exquisite specialty.
Looking at the teaser, we found that Huawei MatePad 11 2023 will offer a special version with a soft screen. Talking about the specialty, this soft screen will reduce the screen glare to the lowest and provide you anti-reflection view all around the display.
Commercial Brand:
Moving on, Huawei also has announced a new commercial product brand. Also, the first products under this lineup will come as notebooks, designed especially for commercial customers.
Others:
We’re also expecting a new 2-in-1 TalkBand B7. However, Huawei has not confirmed this device for the launch roadmap.
So, the upcoming Huawei Spring New Flagship Launch 2023 conference is packed with a lot of action and there is more that we could witness.
