Imaging startup Light is exiting the smartphone business Nokia

Throwing light on smartphones is inevitable. Sure, Startup has turned heads with its more expensive L16 camera, but mobile photography is largely the domain of the handset these days. Early last year, the answer came in the form of a tryptophobia-inducing Nokia 9 PureView.

One segment where manufacturers compete to add more cameras is PureView with five hexagonal rooms. It’s new and innovative and for the most part it’s overkill. However, at least, it gave Nokia / HMD some admirable rights and found the handset to be one of the hottest competitors of the smartphone hardware competition.

But Light is exiting the smartphone game. Ultimately, competition for a small startup can be tough, especially since most manufacturers are working on their own local hardware and software solutions.

In an email to the Android Authority, Light confirmed the move this week, saying, “It no longer works in the smartphone industry.” The surprising news is that mobile partnerships appear to be the most logical way for a company to earn 1 121 million in a SoftBank-led round in 2018. The Series De Palo Alto-based company brought in more than 1 181 million in total funds.

More recently, it has signed deals with Sony and Shiomi. There is no word on what such partnerships mean going forward. It is unclear how life after smartphones is for light. We reached out for more insight into the company’s plans.