Beyond the Digital Camera, There Is a 'Smartphone'

Galaxy S11 Equipped with 108 Million Pixel Camera
20 Times More Than 5 Million Pixels of Galaxy S1 10 Years Ago
Changes in Video and Photo Usage Patterns on YouTube and Others
Digital Camera Shipments Decline Steadily Every Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] As smartphone camera functions continue to evolve, another wave of innovation is expected in 2020, the Year of the Rat. The most anticipated release this year, the Galaxy S11, boasts an impressive 108 million pixels, rivaling many digital cameras. Compared to 5 million pixels from 10 years ago, this represents more than a 20-fold improvement in performance. Smartphones have firmly established themselves as perfect substitutes for digital cameras due to consumer patterns of capturing photos and videos on smartphones and sharing them on social networking services (SNS). Smartphone manufacturers are also stimulating replacement demand by significantly increasing camera pixels and the number of lenses.

◆ Pixels Improved More Than 20 Times Compared to 10 Years Ago

According to industry sources on the 2nd, flagship smartphones released this year such as the Galaxy S11, iPhone 12, and Huawei P40 are expected to be equipped with four or more cameras. This is an increase of one lens compared to the triple cameras implemented on last year’s iPhone 11 Pro and Galaxy S10. In particular, the Galaxy S11 will feature a camera with up to 108 million pixels, and the other cameras will support 48 million pixels, significantly improving camera resolution compared to its predecessor. The rear camera of the Galaxy S1 released 10 years ago had only one lens and 5 million pixels. The Galaxy S11 is expected to surpass high-end cameras by applying telephoto, wide-angle, zoom lenses that maintain pixels up to 5x, and a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor for depth measurement.

Changes in smartphone usage habits also align with improvements in smartphone camera performance. More people are sharing their daily lives through photos, videos, and live broadcasts on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. They prefer smartphone cameras that deliver deep photos and clearer video quality, similar to digital cameras.

As the replacement cycle for smartphones lengthens and growth slows, manufacturers are focusing on improving camera performance. It has become difficult to differentiate smartphones by display size or exterior design. According to global market research firm IDC, global smartphone shipments reached 355.6 million units in the third quarter of 2019, increasing by only 0.8% compared to the previous year.

◆ Digital Cameras Losing Ground to Smartphones

As a result, the digital camera market is rapidly shrinking. According to global market research firm Statista, digital camera shipments peaked at 121.46 million units in 2010, dropped to half that at 62.84 million units in 2013, and further declined to 19.42 million units in 2018, falling year by year.

This trend has continued into 2019. According to the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) in Japan, digital camera shipments recorded 1.47 million units as of October 2019. This is a decrease from 2.25 million units in October 2017 and 1.78 million units in the same month of 2018, declining by 300,000 to 400,000 units annually. The cumulative shipments from January to October 2019 were 12.73 million units, down 22.4% from 16.42 million units during the same period last year.

Some view the growth of smartphone cameras as a new opportunity for camera manufacturers. Improvements in smartphone camera performance require not only pixels and lens count but also advancements in image sensor technology. Established camera manufacturers like Sony and Leica provide smartphone camera modules and image sensors. Sony, which supplies image sensors to Apple and Huawei, holds a 51% share of the global image sensor market.

Researcher Noh Kyungtak of Eugene Investment & Securities said, "The Galaxy new product to be released this year will show significant changes in camera performance compared to the Galaxy S10 and will accelerate the trend of high-performance cameras. As flagship models improve camera performance, mid-range and low-end models will follow suit, which will have a positive impact on the average selling price (ASP) of camera modules in the mid to long term."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.