The Signify View
In the ultrasound market today, press interest is currently geared toward the handheld market, which is awash with new vendors, innovation and development, or feature-rich premium cart systems, the most lucrative segment of the market for vendors. As such, the compact market can appear at times to get lost in the weeds. However, this is far from the case. Compact systems are also evolving, benefiting from advancements in image quality, AI capabilities and advanced features trickling down from cart systems.

Compact systems are more expensive and less portable than handheld scanners, but provide advanced technical capabilities, as well as other advantages such as increased screen size, extended scanning times and the ability to do scans with one hand more easily than with handhelds. Since the introduction of compact ultrasound systems, the cart and compact markets have developed and evolved. Whilst compact systems are now used in traditional clinical applications, they are typically not directly competing with cart systems and are predominantly for customers looking for a more portable system to complement their cart system. As the ultrasound market develops and expands, vendors are finding distinct market segments for their cart and compact systems. The same is generally true for compact and handheld systems. Whilst the handheld market will take some market share from compacts, particularly the low-end compact market, the differences between them mean that even if they are used within the same clinical applications, such as in emergency medicine and critical care, they will not necessarily be in direct competition with each other. As handheld systems are used in new markets and by less experienced users, this will further drive the distinctions between the uses of handheld and compact systems. This will be further supported by the increasingly available AI features and tele-ultrasound platforms for handheld scanners.
For customers who want a portable ultrasound system that doesn’t take up too much space, has a big screen size and good technical capabilities, they’ll look at one place — compact ultrasound systems.

About the author: Mustafa Hassan joined Signify Research in 2020 as part of the Medical Imaging team which covers areas such as ultrasound, general radiography and machine learning in medical imaging. Signify Research is an independent supplier of market intelligence and consultancy to the global healthcare technology industry. Major coverage areas are Healthcare IT, Medical Imaging and Digital Health. Clients include technology vendors, healthcare providers and payers, management consultants and investors. Signify Research is headquartered in Cranfield, U.K.
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