IDC: Global Handheld Smart Camera Shipments to Surge 83% in 2025, with Nearly 20% CAGR Over Next Five Years

CryptoTimes Finance APP has learned that the latest “Global Quarterly Handheld Smart Camera Market Tracking Report, Q4 2025” released by IDC shows that the global handheld smart camera market shipped up to 16.65 million units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 83%. Sales revenue exceeded 46.1 billion RMB, an 86% increase year-on-year. IDC predicts that by 2030, the global handheld smart camera market size may exceed 40 million units, with a five-year compound annual growth rate close to 20%.

Looking at the main competitors in the global handheld smart camera market in 2025, DJI ranks first with a 62% market share in shipments. In the panoramic camera and “thumb camera” (IDC’s term for detachable action cameras) segments, DJI has continuously released competitive new products, achieving rapid growth and accelerating global expansion, which is the main driver of DJI’s significant lead in the global market. Insta360 maintains a leading position in the global panoramic and “thumb camera” markets, with the release of the Go Ultra new product and the Ace series innovative kits that break into new audiences. GoPro has been significantly impacted by DJI and Insta360 in both panoramic and action camera fields, with a noticeable decline in shipments.

Action Camera Market: In 2025, global action camera shipments exceeded 8 million units, a 61% increase year-on-year. DJI and Insta360 have achieved good results with their flagship products, with a clear rise in market share. Traditional brand GoPro faces strong competition. Among these, detachable action cameras (“thumb cameras”) shipped over 1.3 million units in 2025, with significant growth. Insta360 has an early advantage and leading position; DJI entered the market strongly in the second half of the year with the new Osmo nano, achieving impressive performance.

Gimbal Camera Market: In 2025, global gimbal camera shipments grew over 100% year-on-year, with DJI holding a substantial lead. Handheld gimbal cameras are precisely targeted at short video and vlog shooting scenarios, widely praised and sought after by users. Pocket has become a market synonym and has attracted attention from various industry players. 2026 may see a new round of entrants and competition.

Panoramic Camera Market: In 2025, global shipments exceeded 2.5 million units, a growth of over 50% year-on-year. Insta360 has developed in the panoramic camera field for many years and remains a leader. DJI released the Osmo 360 flagship in the second half of the year, entering the panoramic market with a popular product, significantly increasing its market share for the year.

DJI

In 2025, global shipments first surpassed 10 million units, with excellent performance across all product lines and an expanding market lead. The Pocket 3 gimbal camera, with outstanding performance and precise positioning, holds a significant lead in the gimbal camera segment; action camera shipments increased by over 150% year-on-year, with new products, continuous iterations, and effective market strategies creating a clear competitive advantage and maintaining rapid growth. The Action 5 Pro quickly replaced the previous model; the Action 6 was launched with a bang, pushing global shipments, with the action camera market share approaching 50%, surpassing traditional giant GoPro and widening the gap. The “thumb camera” Osmo Nano shipped over 600,000 units within four months of release, with prominent performance advantages; in Q4 2025, its market share exceeded 65%. The company also entered the panoramic camera market with the popular Osmo 360, which accounted for over 35% of shipments in Q4 2025.

Insta360

In 2025, global shipments exceeded 3.4 million units (based on IDC methodology; for final data, please refer to official company disclosures). As a leading manufacturer in the panoramic camera field, Insta360’s panoramic camera shipments grew nearly 60% year-on-year, holding over 65% of the market share, significantly leading in overseas markets. In 2025, Insta360 completed major product updates: flagship X5 launched, X4 optimized with a new pricing strategy to strengthen its mid-to-high-end position; by year-end, the lightweight new Air series targeted the sub-2500 RMB market precisely. The flagship action camera Ace Pro 2, with its flip screen, multi-filter design, and scene-specific innovations with street shooting kits, received positive consumer responses. The wide-angle Ace series shipments increased over 200% year-on-year, steadily improving market competitiveness. In 2025, Insta360 maintained its leading position in the “thumb camera” market with over 50% shipment share; the Go 3S remains a best-seller, and the higher-spec Go Ultra launched in the second half offers consumers a better shooting experience. The company is also actively investing in R&D in new fields such as drones and gimbal cameras to seek new growth points.

GoPro

The global market continues to shrink, facing strong competition from Chinese manufacturers. Product hardware, software, channels, ecosystems, and regional performance have weakened. Although it has slowly released panoramic new Max 2 and lightweight, compact action cameras like Lit Hero, market response has been lukewarm. In China, sales share has shrunk significantly, shifting focus to Europe and America, where it now follows behind leading brands.

Reviewing the 2025 global handheld smart camera market and future outlook, the following features are noted:

1. Market size and penetration still have ample growth potential

Compared to the large sales volume of mature smart device markets, both market scale and user penetration of handheld smart cameras still have significant growth space. As product user experience continues to improve and prices gradually decrease, IDC expects that by 2030, the global handheld smart camera market may exceed 40 million units, with a five-year CAGR close to 20%.

2. Supply chain challenges and short-term performance pressure

Memory prices have surged sharply with no short-term recovery expected. The average price of handheld smart cameras is below 2800 RMB, and the higher memory cost proportion compared to other smart devices may have a greater impact. Major manufacturers have stocked large quantities; larger scale means stronger bargaining power upstream and more resilient supply chains, which can partially absorb cost pressures. However, intense market competition and squeezed profit margins will likely put pressure on performance in 2026.

3. Camera manufacturers’ image quality algorithms are gradually showing dominance, and intelligent editing is increasingly important for consumers

Image quality features such as stabilization, depth-of-field virtual effects, HDR, night scenes, and noise reduction, as well as post-production video editing, rely on in-device algorithms, manufacturer apps, or third-party software. While traditional cameras and smartphones have mature algorithms and vast data, the differences in shooting scenarios mean action and panoramic cameras still need to accumulate large user data sets to optimize algorithms and hardware integration for better imaging. As the market rapidly expands and user numbers grow, leading manufacturers’ advantages in algorithms continue to strengthen, becoming a core competitive edge.

IDC believes that hardware innovation remains the industry’s core. Leading companies collaborate with upstream supply chains to develop custom CMOS chips, achieving breakthroughs in imaging parameters; using main control SoCs combined with independent AI chips effectively enhances image quality, stabilization, noise reduction, and panoramic stitching. Currently, most action cameras use wide-angle fixed aperture solutions, which are reliable but lack depth-of-field and bokeh effects. Industry-developed variable aperture technology effectively addresses this shortcoming, gradually narrowing the gap with traditional imaging equipment. Despite the significant scene differences between handheld smart cameras and traditional imaging devices, consumer demand for higher image quality remains strong, and hardware upgrades will continue to be a key focus in industry competition.