Sluggish smartphone sales recorded over the past couple of years contributed to a decline in demand for CMOS image sensor (CIS) components. However, as the market recovers for the first time in two years, Samsung, one of the mobile market's major CIS component suppliers, has seen high enough demand to increase prices.
According to Chinese media outlet Money, today, Samsung has issued a CIS component price increase notice to its customers in China. Distributors, including Qingya and Supreme, are said to benefit from this change.
According to the report, the average price of CMOS image sensor components in the first quarter of 2024 will increase by 25%. Some individual CMOS components will cost as much as 30% extra.
CMOS market recovers as phone sales increase
In recent years, demand for CMOS image sensor components reportedly declined, proportional to lagging smartphone sales.
However, for the first time in two years, the smartphone market rebounded in October, and phone sales are increasing (via CNBC).
According to the Chinese media, this increase in smartphone sales has directly improved the demand for CIS components, prompting Samsung to increase prices for 2024.
Nevertheless, the recent report suggests that image sensor component price increases mainly affect units with 32MP and higher resolutions. Whether this change will also affect prices for Samsung's own Galaxy phones rocking 32MP-or-higher cameras is to be determined.
