SmartSens

SmartSens Technology (思特威), commonly known by its English brand SmartSens, is a Chinese fabless semiconductor company that designs CMOS image sensors (CIS). It was founded in Shanghai in 2011 and has grown into one of China's leading domestic suppliers of image sensors, with a product portfolio spanning security and surveillance cameras, machine vision, automotive cameras, and increasingly smartphone and consumer imaging. The company's core business is the design and sale of CMOS image sensors built on proprietary pixel and circuit technologies. SmartSens is particularly well known for its strength in the security/surveillance sensor market, where it has been a major global supplier, and it has expanded into automotive imaging (ADAS and in-cabin cameras), industrial machine vision, and mobile phone cameras. As a fabless designer, it works with foundry partners for wafer manufacturing and does not operate its own fabs. SmartSens sells primarily to camera module makers, security equipment OEMs, automotive tier-1 suppliers and smartphone manufacturers, with China as its core market and growing international sales. The company is publicly listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market (科创板), which it used to fund capacity, R&D and expansion into higher-value sensor segments. Positioned as a domestic Chinese challenger to established global CIS leaders, SmartSens emphasizes high-performance, cost-competitive sensors and supply-chain localization. Its brand is closely tied to China's semiconductor self-sufficiency push and to the rapid growth of video surveillance and intelligent automotive imaging.

SmartSens Technology was founded in Shanghai in 2011 as a fabless CMOS image sensor design company. It initially focused on image sensors for the security and surveillance market, a segment where Chinese demand was large and where domestic semiconductor supply was limited. Through proprietary pixel designs and cost-competitive products, the company established itself as a significant supplier to Chinese security-camera makers. Over the 2010s SmartSens broadened its portfolio from security sensors into machine vision, industrial and consumer imaging, and began developing automotive-grade sensors for ADAS and in-cabin camera applications. It also invested in advanced pixel technologies, including global shutter and high-dynamic-range designs, to compete with international CIS leaders. The company later listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market (科创板), a listing that provided capital for R&D and capacity expansion and raised its public profile as a domestic semiconductor champion. In the 2020s SmartSens continued to push into smartphone image sensors and higher-resolution automotive sensors, benefiting from China's push for semiconductor localization and the growth of intelligent surveillance and connected vehicles.

• 2011

  SmartSens Technology founded in Shanghai as a fabless CMOS image sensor designer.

• Expanded from security sensors into machine vision, industrial and automotive imaging.

• Listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market (科创板).

Domestic Chinese challenger in CMOS image sensors, strong in security/surveillance and expanding into automotive and mobile imaging.

• Security/surveillance CMOS image sensors

• Automotive image sensors

• Machine vision sensors

• Smartphone image sensors

• Unconfirmed

  SmartSens launches SC5D8XS image sensor[1]思特威推出SC5D8XS图像传感器finance.sina.com.cn

  Reported: 2026-10-30

  SmartSens launched the SC5D8XS, a 50-megapixel smartphone image sensor supporting LOFIC at both 1X and 2X focal lengths. The article says the product has entered mass production.

• Unconfirmed

  SmartSens launches SCC85XS 200MP smartphone CMOS image sensor[2]思特威推出SCC85XS 2亿像素手机CMOS图像传感器163.com

  Reported: 2026-08-27

  SmartSens announced the SCC85XS, a 200-megapixel, 0.61μm-pixel-size ultra-high-definition smartphone CMOS image sensor built on its domestic SmartClarity-SL Pro platform with 22nm Stack process, targeting flagship smartphone main, telephoto and wide-angle cameras. Sampling is scheduled for December 2026 with mass production in Q1 2027.

• Unconfirmed

  SmartSens launches SC185SL ultra-starlight CMOS image sensor[3]思特威推出 SC185SL 超星光级 CMOS 图像传感器163.com

  Reported: 2026-08-18

  CMOS image sensor supplier SmartSens (思特威) launched the SC185SL, a 1/2.8-inch back-illuminated ultra-starlight (SL) series image sensor for intelligent security applications, built on its SmartClarity-3 process with SFCPixel and Micro-Pillar near-infrared enhancement technologies. The 1280H x 960V 4:3 format sensor targets smart doorbells, smart locks and high-end security full-color night vision; samples are available now, with mass production planned for Q4 2026.

• 2019-10-08

  SmartSens announces LED flicker suppression technology[4]思特威宣布推出LED闪烁抑制技术sc.stock.cnfol.com

  SmartSens announced its self-developed LED flicker suppression technology, which it said can help address vehicle-safety risks caused by LED flicker and improve the safety of AI-assisted driving and autonomous-driving applications.

1. 1思特威推出SC5D8XS图像传感器finance.sina.com.cn
2. 2思特威推出SCC85XS 2亿像素手机CMOS图像传感器163.com
3. 3思特威推出 SC185SL 超星光级 CMOS 图像传感器163.com
4. 4思特威宣布推出LED闪烁抑制技术sc.stock.cnfol.com
5. 5首发Lofic HDR 4.0！思特威SC5D8XS发布：5000万像素、1/1.28英寸finance.sina.com.cn
6. 6思特威全新推出12μm超大像素尺寸超大靶面高端智能安防应用CMOS图像传感器finance.sina.com.cn
7. 7思特威推出 13MP 及 5MP 手机 CMOS 新品 SC1325CS 和 SC525CSfinance.sina.com.cn
8. 8思特威推出超星光级 1/2.8 英寸 CMOS 图像传感器，主打高清夜视全彩finance.sina.com.cn