Market Trends of Time-of-Flight (TOF) Sensor Industry
Consumer Electronics to be the Largest End User
- The demand for Time-of-Flight sensors is increasing owing to their applications in smartphones, tablets, household robots, digital cameras, smart speakers, and PC projectors. However, devices concerning the gaming and entertainment industry are excluded from the segment. A ToF camera sensor measures the distance and volume and offers object scanning, indoor navigation, obstacle avoidance, gesture recognition, object tracking, and reactive altimeters.
- In smartphones, ToF sensors are used for various purposes, including biometric security (particularly facial recognition, cameras, movement tracking, and others. ToF sensors make the smartphone camera superior. It is used in mobile devices for photography features such as blurring effects and auto-focus and enables the camera to capture objects, background, and movement of human body parts. Moreover, it also provides an eye-catching special effect, particularly in fast-action scenes.
- According to Ericsson, worldwide smartphone subscription is expected to reach 7,516.0 million units by 2026. Thus, the increasing adoption of high-end smartphones led smartphone manufacturers to introduce advanced features to stay ahead of the competitors. It contributed to the TOF sensors market growth and is expected to do so over the study period. In line with this, in August 2022, Samsung announced it is working on its version of the 3D ToF sensor, which may debut with the Galaxy S21 series. The sensor in the smartphone will bring better face recognition and depth sensing capabilities.
- Several leading manufacturers operating in the market studied are focusing on developing new products to meet the growing demand. For instance, in June 2022, STMicroelectronics NV announced its newest FlightSense ToF ranging sensor for smartphone camera management and virtual/augmented reality. It features innovative metasurface lens technology and an energy-efficient architecture that reduces battery drain, extends the camera's autofocus range, and improves scene understanding.
- Furthermore, the rapidly growing smart home concept increased the demand for household/service robots in developed countries. ToF sensors in service robots detect motion to determine the presence of objects and people. The sensor can also work in any lighting conditions, including full sunlight, and provides accurate range measurements independent of the target's color and optical transparency. Moreover, the changing lifestyle, growing urbanization, and increasing penetration of smart consumer products created a favorable scenario for the studied market growth during the forecast period.
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Asia-Pacific is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share
- China is the world's largest producer and exporter of consumer electronics, providing the sector with numerous potential for expansion. Additionally, the region's electronics manufacturing sector continued expanding steadily. According to research by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, major electronics manufacturers' added value increased 12.7% year over year between January and February 2022, as opposed to the country's total industrial sector's 7.5% rise.
- The consumer electronics market in China is expanding rapidly, reflected in the leading electronics companies' rising added value and rising demand for electronics in the nation. By enabling capabilities like facial recognition, gesture control, and depth sensing, ToF sensors significantly improve the usability and functionality of these gadgets. The need for ToF sensors is projected to rise as the consumer electronics market grows.
- Japan includes a robust consumer electronics market. ToF sensors are used in virtual reality (VR) headsets, gaming consoles, smartphones, and tablets. Market expansion was likely encouraged by consumer demand for these products and their integration with ToF sensors.
- In India, the ToF sensors market is fueled by the rising demand for premium and flagship smartphones and the rising demand for enhanced camera features, AR/VR apps, gesture recognition, face unlock, gaming, and AI capabilities. As customers place greater value on these functionalities, manufacturers of smartphones are anticipated to use ToF sensors more frequently. It will increase the size of the ToF sensors market in India.
- The other countries considered in the Asia Pacific region in this study are Australia, and all Southeast Asian Countries, among others. These countries also include a high potential for gaining a considerable market share. Growing demand for high-end smartphones and other consumer electronics products from countries such as the Republic of Korea and Singapore encourages many companies to set up production establishments in the Asia-Pacific region. The abundant availability of raw materials in countries such as Taiwan, the low establishment of facilities, and labor costs also helped the companies launch their regional production centers.
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