With the continuous advancement of the global wave of intelligence and AI, the CMOS image sensor (CIS) market is undergoing a new round of industrial changes and technological iterations. From smartphones to AI glasses, from autonomous driving to robot vision, CIS, as the "electronic eye" that perceives the world, is still expanding its technology and application boundaries. Driven by resonance in many fields, the CIS market has shown a significant recovery trend

The penetration rate of AI mobile phones has exceeded 40%, which has greatly driven the demand for high-pixel sensors and pushed the global smartphone CIS market to exceed $22 billion in 2024. BYD lowered the high-end intelligent driving system to a 70,000-yuan model, promoting the "equal rights of intelligent driving" and directly driving the demand for vehicle-grade CIS; In addition, driven by large-scale model technology, the AI glasses market has entered the "100-lens war", and the innovation of lightweight design and multi-modal interaction has further increased the penetration rate of CIS in the AR/VR field. At the same time, the national subsidy policy has increased the trade-in of consumer electronics, which has stimulated terminal demand and provided strong support for the recovery of the CIS market. The outbreak of multi-dimensional demand has formed a joint force to promote the industry to enter a new round of growth cycle.

At the level of technological evolution, the global CIS leaders are staging parallel innovation of "pixel competition" and "scene adaptation". Leading manufacturers continue to pursue higher pixels and larger photosensitive areas, and the in-depth adaptation of differentiated scenes has also become the focus of competition—smartphones pursue computational photography and multi-camera integration, smart cars emphasize high dynamic range and anti-interference capabilities, and AR/VR devices focus on low-power consumption and miniaturized design. In short, "pixel breakthrough" and "scene adaptation innovation" go hand in hand, which is reconstructing the innovation logic and market structure of the CIS industry.

1. Chinese solution for high-pixel CIS

With its self-developed high-pixel single-chip integration technology, Geke Micro is reshaping the pattern of the CMOS image sensor (CIS) industry. Compared with the traditional two-chip stacking solution, this technology not only effectively solves the problem of pixel thermal noise caused by the heating of the underlying logic chip through the innovation of single-chip architecture, but also significantly reduces the production cost, bringing a new technical path for the industry.

Although 2025 has just begun, Geke Micro has taken the lead in announcing a number of important product developments. Relying on its innovative GalaxyCell® 2.0 process, the company has launched two high-performance mobile phone image sensors, the GC50E1 and GC13B0, bringing new breakthroughs in mobile imaging technology.

At the end of January, the GC50E1 was officially unveiled. As the second generation of 0.7 micron 50 million pixel sensor, the GC50E1 is equipped with the GalaxyCell® 2.0 process, achieving a number of key breakthroughs. With FPPI® Plus isolation technology and a deep photodiode design, the quantum efficiency is increased by 20% and the full-well capacity is increased by 30%, while maintaining a stable white point (WP) level. Compared to its predecessor, the GC50E1 performs particularly well in low-light environments. At present, the product has entered the brand sample delivery stage, and is expected to achieve mass production in 2025.

At the same time, the GC13B0 based on the GalaxyCell® 2.0 process has also attracted much attention. As a high-performance 13-million-pixel image sensor, the GC13B0 features a 1.0-micron pixel design that delivers an eight-fold increase in PDAF density compared to conventional 1.12-micron 13-million-pixel sensors, enabling precise focus in low light, sports shooting, and high-speed object capture. The sensor supports 4K 60FPS video output with PDAF, which is suitable for HD video and Vlog recording. It also supports wide-angle and telephoto lens designs, with the telephoto end enabling 2.5-3x optical zoom, and its 1/3.4-inch optical size also meets the design needs of thin and light models. The GC13B0 is suitable for front cameras of foldable phones and telephoto lenses for mainstream phones, and is currently in the sample testing stage, with mass production expected in the third quarter of 2025.

It is particularly noteworthy that recently, the Geke Micro single chip 1.0 micron 50 million pixel product has made significant progress - Transsion Infinix Note 50 super sensitive main camera is equipped with Geke Micro GC50B2. As the first single-chip 1.0 micron 50 million pixel image sensor, the GC50B2 uses a 1.0 micron pixel size and a 1/1.56-inch optical size. Based on Gekewei's single-chip high-pixel integration technology platform, GC50B2 achieves the perfect combination of high pixel and high performance through innovative pixel technology and circuit architecture design.

GC50B2 is equipped with the DAG HDR (Dual Analog Gain) single-frame high dynamic technology developed by Geke Micro, which can use high gain in the dark parts to improve clarity, and at the same time use low gain in the bright parts to avoid overexposure, so as to output high dynamic images with rich light and dark details at low power consumption. In addition, it supports Remosaic mode, which can output 50-megapixel high-resolution images, or 12.5-million-pixel images via binning, which is especially suitable for capturing more detail in low-light environments. The sensor is equipped with PDAF phase focus technology, which can quickly lock the focus on fast-moving scenes or low-light environments, improving the stability and accuracy of shooting. GC50B2 also supports video recording up to 4K 60FPS, which is suitable for the rear main camera of mid-to-high-end smartphones. The GC50B2 has been successfully applied to the rear main camera of Transsion Infinix Note 50, marking that the performance of Geke Micro Outsole 50 million pixels has been recognized by mainstream Android mobile phone manufacturers, and it can be expected to be further applied to the rear main camera of more Android brand mobile phones.

Up to now, through the continuous iteration of the single-chip high-pixel technology platform, Geke Micro has realized the step-by-step improvement of product pixels and performance, successfully completed the leapfrog upgrade from 2 million to 8 million pixels to 32 million to 50 million pixels, and has achieved multi-specification coverage of 50 million pixel products, with the blessing of Fab-lite business model, fully demonstrating efficient research and development capabilities. With the continuous increase in single-chip high-pixel CIS products, Geke Micro will become an important force for domestic manufacturers to further break the monopoly of Sony and Samsung in the high-end market.

2. From mobile phones to multi-scene penetration

In the field of mobile phones, Gekewei's product matrix comprehensively covers the diverse needs from low-end to mid-to-high-end and even flagship models. Among them, the successful application of GC50B2 in the main camera behind the mobile phone of brand customers marks an important step in the strategic layout of Geke Micro in the mid-to-high-end market. Judging from the release of new phones in the fourth quarter of 2024, the configuration of 50 million pixels and 1.0μm pixel size is still the mainstream choice of many main models, including Huawei nova 13 series, Redmi Note 14 Pro+, OPPO Find X8 series, Reno12 Pro, vivo X200 series, Honor S19 Pro/S19, Magic 7 series, etc.

Figure: A mainstream model equipped with a 50-million-pixel CMOS with a pixel size of 1.0 μm

Source: official websites and official accounts of various brands, media platforms such as Sina and NetEase, Adicotton mainstream mobile phone image sensor ladder, China Post Securities

In the field of non-mobile phones, Gekewei's layout is also extensive and in-depth, and it has launched diversified solutions covering 1 million to 8 million pixels, and its products have been widely used in automobiles, smart cities, smart homes, conference systems and other scenarios, showing strong technical adaptability and market expansion capabilities. Among them, the high-end product GC8613 empowers applications such as smart cities, smart homes, and conference systems with its 4K high resolution, wide dynamic range, and low power consumption.

In the field of automotive electronics, Geke Micro's products have been widely used in the aftermarket such as driving recorders, reversing images, 360-degree surround view, etc., and will achieve more than 200 million yuan in the aftermarket revenue in 2023, and in 2024, the company will actively develop front-loading products that meet the automotive specification level certification (AEC-Q100), and it can be expected that Gekewei will further expand the automotive front-loading market and create a new growth space under the general trend of "intelligent driving equality".

In addition, Gekewei's display driver chip business has covered a variety of resolutions from QQVGA to FHD+, and plans to launch AMOLED display driver chips for wearable devices.

With the gradual development and comprehensive application of AI, the value of CMOS image sensor (CIS), as the core component of obtaining external image information, is no longer limited to hardware parameters itself, but extends to a wider range of intelligent applications and ecosystems. For Chinese manufacturers, the real opportunity lies not only in the realization of domestic substitution of technology, but also in the deep participation in the new generation led by AI technology, becoming a key force to promote the visual revolution.