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Galaxy S6 and OIS +3

12:28 03-Apr-15


Some subscribers have asked about an InvenSense win for Optical Image Stabilization in the S6.  The short answer is that the S6 definitely provides OIS, and I continue to think InvenSense benefits from this, but teardowns don't confirm or deny the point.

Although InvenSense does offer two-axis chips specifically for OIS, I don't think OIS needs to be provided by a discrete part.  To my knowledge, teardowns of the iPhone 6-Plus never identified such a part, despite it also providing OIS.  The OIS in the S6 is clearly superior, as demonstrated here.  Not only does it provide a smoother image, but the camera can be activated in under a second, which speaks to InvenSense's always-on technology, versus the dual gyro kludge in the 6-Plus.  In the S6, and other high-end phones that use a robust sensor set anyway, I think the solution can be provided by the MPU-6500 that's already being used in the S6 via the FSync output.  InvenSense might then recognize further revenue for software which integrates this with the camera module to provide stabilization. 

As I mentioned in my third quarter comprehensive analysis, InvenSense has already cited one software win with a Chinese manufacturer (Xiaomi?).  OIS has become an important differentiating factor in the minds of consumers, but that's just a first step.  As mobile devices shift more and more to general purpose computing devices, rather than just phones, cameras, or mobile screens, the flexible integration of sensors and software becomes progressively more important.  That just happens to be the sweet spot of the InvenSense strategy.