Market Overview

The best-known MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) applications in smartphones are the accelerometers and gyroscopes. But there is a lot more to MEMS in the new smartphones than motion sensing. A three-axis gyroscope integrated into the camera module detects phone movement and a controller provides feedback to the autofocus mechanism to compensate for the motion.

  • The miniaturization of devices is one of the major factors driving the demand for MEMS in mobile devices. With the size of devices shrinking, the manufacturers are continuously looking for ways to upgrade their technology in order to reap benefits.
  • With the increased competition amongst the players in the market, the manufacturers are in constant need to achieve product differentiation with the adoption of superior technology. Manufacturers are seeing MEMS alternatives for the current product in order to differentiate themselves from other competitors.



Scope of the Report

Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters saved three-quarters of the board space required by the surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters that had been the mainstay of cell phone antenna duplexers before 2005 when Agilent introduced its FBAR devices. The BAW devices differ from most other MEMS chips in that there are no moving parts. However, the devices share many of the manufacturing processes and concepts, and market analysts put them in the MEMS bucket.

Key Market Trends

Gyroscopes to Witness a Considerable Growth

  • The gyroscope helps the accelerometer out with understanding which way your phone is orientated. It adds another level of precision so those 360 degree-photo spheres really look as realistic as possible.
  • The current smartphones manufacturers have recognized the interest of buyers towards gaming. The smartphones are being specially designed to cater to this high demand. Whenever the user tilts the screen of the phone in a game, the gyroscope rather than the accelerometer is sensing what the user is doing, because the user is only applying small turns to the phone and not actually moving through space.
  • The first time MEMS gyroscopes really hit it big was with the iPhone 4 in 2010. In the past, it was incredibly novel to have a phone that could detect orientation with such accuracy. Nowadays every smartphone is packed with gyroscopes. Smartphone sales can be considered directly proportional to the number of gyroscopes adopted in the smartphone industry.



North America is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share

  • A large share of Americans now use smartphones as their primary means of online access at home. Presently, roughly one-in-five American adults are “smartphone-only” internet users meaning they own a smartphone, but do not have traditional home broadband service.
  • The United States is being viewed as one of the regions with a large number of connected devices. The connected scenario is well set up in the region. With the ecosystem flourishing, the MEMS sensor adopted in the smartphones which helps in navigation is going to get a boost in the adoption rate.



Competitive Landscape

The market consists of several major players. In terms of market share, none of the players currently dominate the market. With the increasing penetration of mobile devices, this market is being viewed as a lucrative opportunity and are attracting high investments from new players entering the market. Manufacturers are introducing innovative features to gain a competitive advantage. They are marketing their products with specific features to attract customers.

  • February 2019 - Bosch Sensortec launched ideation community to foster and accelerate innovative IoT applications. Bosch Sensortec further invited anyone interested in learning about the new community to visit the Bosch Booth at embedded world in Nuremberg.
  • January 2019 - At CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bosch Sensortec announced the BMI270, an ultra-low-power smart Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) specifically targeted at wearable applications. It offers a strongly improved accelerometer offset and sensitivity performance, enabled by the newest Bosch MEMS process technology.



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