3D sensing market to grow fast again in 2023

3D image and sensing market will begin growing fast again in 2023 after years of slow growth, according to market research firm Yole Development.

The 3D sensing market was worth US$6.5 billion in 2020, which was only 80% of the research firm’s earlier forecast.

This was due to less use of time of flight (ToF) modules in smartphones last year.

Huawei, which had used ToF sensing in its smartphones, saw its shipment drop steeply from US sanctions last year. Samsung also stopped putting in ToF sensor last year starting with the Galaxy Note 20.

Meanwhile, Apple continues to use ToF for the front camera on its iPhones. For the iPhone 12 that launched last year, the company put in direct ToF for the cameras both in the front and back.

3D sensing market will grow only slightly up to next year but grow at a higher rate in 2023, Yole Development said. The market will be worth US$8 billion in 2023, the firm estimated. There will also be more indirect ToF going forward.

According to Yole Development, 3D sensing market will grow on average 14.5% per year from 2020 to 2026.

The market will be worth US$15 billion in 2026. Mobile application will account for 46% of the market, followed by advanced driver assistance systems, which will take up 22%.

For supplies to Apple, Sony was the most profitable of the 3D sensor vendors, Yole Development said, while also being the only company to offer direct ToF. This was followed by STMicroelectronics, Lumentum, ams, II-VI and LG InnoTek.