The latest research report from CINNO Research shows that the Samsung Galaxy A9s introduced the quad-rear-camera smartphone to the Chinese market in November 2018. However, due to Samsung’s limited market share in China’s rear-camera smartphone segment, its penetration rate was only 0.03% in the fourth quarter of 2018.
In the second quarter of 2019, Huawei entered the quad-camera market in China. Subsequently, brands like OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi joined the quad-rear-camera segment, driving steady growth in market share. According to CINNO Research, quad-rear-camera smartphones accounted for 41% of China’s smartphone market in Q2 2020.
As quad-camera adoption gradually increased in China’s smartphone market from Q1 2018 to Q2 2020, shipment volumes also rose. CINNO Research data indicates a compound growth rate of 7% per quarter. By Q2 2020, the shipment volume of rear cameras in China’s smartphone market reached approximately 290 million units, a 27% year-on-year increase. The rear-camera shipment ratio was around 307%, growing by about 82%, while overall growth was approximately 11%.
CINNO Research also monitored the market penetration and pricing of quad-rear-camera smartphones in China, categorizing them by telephoto, ToF, periscope, and macro lenses. Data shows that ToF lenses in quad-camera setups were primarily adopted by Huawei and Samsung. However, as the overall quad-camera market share grew, ToF lens penetration remained low, causing the proportion of quad-camera phones with ToF lenses to decline—dropping to just 9% in Q2 2020.
According to CINNO Research, rear ToF lenses are mainly featured in high-end models.
CINNO Research states that smartphone homogenization in China is currently quite severe, making rear-camera configurations a key differentiating strategy for brands. As ToF lenses, under-display camera technology, and related innovations mature and costs decrease, they will provide more opportunities for quad-camera combinations. CINNO Research predicts that quad-rear-camera smartphone penetration in China will reach 55% by 2024.
