Optical Sensor Market Size

Optical Sensor Market Analysis

The optical sensors market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.33% over the forecast period. Primarily due to the increasing number of smartphone users and advanced technologies driving the market growth. Furthermore, IoT-connected devices have opened massive opportunities for sensors in several applications like industrial, medical, consumer electronics, automotive, etc. According to Cisco's Annual Internet Report, by 2023, there will be nearly 30 billion network-connected appliances and connections, up from 18.4 billion in 2018.

• Increasing demand for advanced security features in smartphones has led to features such as an on-screen fingerprint scan and an optical sensor that detects and verifies fingerprints, driving the fiber optic sensor market. For instance, in May 2022, Vivo announced its latest flagship phone, the X80 Pro, and its most prominent new hardware feature is a larger in-display fingerprint sensor. The active area is far more significant than the tiny sensors found on most Android phones, meaning it's easier to unlock the phone without looking at the screen to align your thumb.
• Further, Ambient sensors measure the room's light and adjust the screen's brightness accordingly. Thus, the increasing demand for smartphones is expected to drive the demand for these sensors. Countries like India, with a limited market penetration of smartphones, have witnessed double-digit growth in recent years. The same trend is anticipated to continue shortly. Also, the current trend of 4G feature phones is expected to aid the smartphone demand, driving the need for optical sensors.
• Furthermore, the increasing adoption of electric vehicles creates opportunities for printed electronics to be used in battery condition monitoring. For instance, according to the IEA estimates, plug-in electric light vehicle worldwide sales amounted to 6.7 million units recently. Further, the IEA projects that, as a part of the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, 300 million electric cars would be on the road and account for over 60% of new car sales.
• Also, the adoption of these lighting systems in commercial and residential applications is expected to increase the demand for optical sensors. With LEDs and intelligent controls, Chicago planned to replace 270,000 city lights over the next four years till 2022. This initiative is expected to save Chicago USD 10 million in energy costs annually. With other cities following suit, the demand for optical sensors in these intelligent light systems is expected to increase.
• The imbalance between image quality and price has led to increased competition, particularly for the consumer electronics segment, which has some of the most established players facing peer pressure over optimal pricing. Several small players are also facing difficulty with product differentiation, which leads to a potential barrier to their entry into high-volume applications. In this case, product differentiation can move a product from pure pricing to non-pricing factors.
• Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the global supply chain and demand for multiple sensors were majorly disrupted. With the shutdown in production in countries such as China, multiple industries observed a supply shortage of various products. Due to supply chain disruption, the raw material price increased, impacting the overall pricing of the proximity sensor.