Is the ICM-45686 Discontinued?

No. It's an active part, and the paperwork says so in three separate places. The status is worth checking properly, because the wrong answer costs a design.

The manufacturer's product page lists the device as Production. There's no NRND wording on it and no end-of-life section, and the only variant offered is the general one.

Then there are the two end-of-life notices. The first, dated 23 September 2025, discontinues nineteen motion devices - the ICM-206xx generation, plus a module. The ICM-45686 is not among them.

The second, dated 15 January 2026, discontinues twenty-two microphones and their evaluation boards. It doesn't come near this part number.

The one lifecycle notice that does name the ICM-45686 is from January 2025, and its subject is the opposite of discontinuation.

That January 2025 notice adds a second assembly supplier so the part has more capacity behind it. It states "no change to form, fit or function", and it puts the implementation date in April 2025.

So Where Does "Discontinued" Come From?

From a suffix that isn't in the datasheet. The ordering information table in the 201-page data sheet has exactly one line: ICM-45686, −40 to +85 °C, 2.5 × 3 mm 14-pin LGA.

Search the whole document for "45686-S" or "45686-B" and you get zero hits. There is no ordering code with a hyphenated suffix anywhere in it.

The suffixes do exist, though - just not there. A 2025 change notice lists ICM-45686, ICM-45686-B and ICM-45686-S as three separate entries in the same affected-products column, which is how the manufacturer's own system tracks them.

And in the company's announcements, the -S version is the one described as carrying on-chip machine-learning capability. It's also the IMU named in a newer evaluation module that replaced an earlier-generation part.

What the letter stands for is never defined. Not in the data sheet, not in the product brief, not on the product page, not in either press release. Treat "S means machine learning" as an inference from how the part is described, not as a definition you can design against.

Now put those two facts side by side. Search an authorized channel for the suffix and you get nothing, because the ordering table doesn't carry it.

A regional listing that once offered the suffix now resolves to a deleted-item page - while the search index still holds the old "discontinued" wording.

Neither of those is a manufacturer's notice. They're one part number behaving oddly in somebody's catalog.

Why Do Stock Numbers for the Same Part Differ That Much?

Because there are two supply pools behind one part number, and the listings don't tell you which one you're looking at. Here is the spread across channel types, read off live pages on a single day.

Two regional sites of the same authorized distributor returned identical figures - zero stock, forty-five weeks. So the authorized data isn't the noisy part.

Authorized distribution sells the manufacturer's new production, which is allocated. Market channels resell industry surplus. The two pools were never going to agree on a quantity.

The market figures also carry their own disclaimers. One listing of 26,300 pieces states the quantity is "subject to confirmation" and that lot and date-code details are available "on request". Two others publish no date code at all.

Packaging decides who gets quoted. The full reel is 5,000 pieces. Market listings will quote a single piece. So a small buyer sees nothing available in authorized distribution and everything available in the market - because the authorized channel was never quoting them.

Why Is the Same Part Priced Twice as High on One Channel?

Because the two price lists don't measure the same thing. Compared on identical quantities in the same currency, a Chinese platform runs about 2.0 to 2.3 times an authorized distributor.

The gap narrows as the quantity rises, which is what you'd expect from a channel selling convenience at small volumes.

Past that comparison, the arithmetic stops working. One of those prices is quoted domestically with tax included; the other is an export-facing figure that excludes it. A third channel quotes in roubles on an order-in basis with a five-to-six week wait.

Divide those against each other and you get a multiple that means nothing. This is how "the market price is four times authorized" stories start, and why we'd rather show the two ladders side by side than a single ratio.

Market channels mostly don't publish prices at all - three of the listings above quote by RFQ only. A number you can't see can't be compared.

How Do You Tell Whether a Market Quote Is Real?

Ask for four things, and treat a refusal on any of them as information. Lifecycle status says nothing about the physical goods behind a quote.

• Date code and lot. Surplus stock can be years old; a listing that won't state an age is a listing you can't plan around.
• Whether the quantity is confirmed or subject to confirmation. A "subject to confirmation" figure is a position, not a stock level.
• Which assembly site the material came from. Since April 2025 there have been two, and the manufacturer distinguishes them through its internal ERP rather than a marking change.
• Whether the reel is full or partial. A partial reel is normal in the market and it's fine - as long as you know that's what you're buying.

That second and third point deserve emphasis. The January 2025 change notice states that second-source parts are "traceable through TDK-InvenSense's ERP system" - internal traceability, not a label you can read in a photograph.

So a market quote can be genuine and still carry material from either site, with no external difference. That's not a counterfeit risk by itself. It's a reason to ask before you assume.

Why Buy ICM-45686 from ICMASS?

This part sits in the gap between the two pools, which is exactly where a distributor earns its place. We quote from what's actually available, state which pool a quantity is coming from, and give you the date code and reel status with the number.

Send us the quantity you need for the build and the schedule it has to meet. If the honest answer is that the market has the pieces and authorized distribution has a forty-five week wait, you'll get that answer, with the data behind it.

We also stock the related TDK InvenSense parts and evaluation modules. If you're comparing the ICM-45686 against another part in the family, tell us which one and we'll put the differences side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions About ICM-45686 Supply

Q1: Is the ICM-45686 discontinued?

A: No. It is in production. The manufacturer's product page lists a Production status, and neither the September 2025 nor the January 2026 end-of-life notice includes it. The January 2025 notice that does name it is about adding a second assembly supplier.

Q2: Why does one listing say the part is discontinued?

A: Because a suffixed version of the part number isn't in the ordering table, and that listing has since been removed. A regional page that once offered the -S suffix now returns a deleted-item message, while search indexes still carry the old discontinued wording. It isn't a manufacturer's notice.

Q3: What does the -S in ICM-45686-S mean?

A: No manufacturer document defines it. The data sheet's ordering table lists only ICM-45686, and a full-text search returns zero hits for any hyphenated suffix. The -S version is described in announcements as carrying on-chip machine-learning capability, but the letter itself is never explained.

Q4: Why do different channels show such different stock numbers?

A: Because they are drawing on two different supply pools. Authorized distribution sells the manufacturer's new, allocated production. Market channels resell industry surplus and excess inventory. A single part number and two sources will never agree on a quantity.

Q5: Why does one channel show zero stock and a 45-week lead time?

A: Because authorized distribution is quoting from allocation, not from a shelf. Two regional sites of the same distributor returned identical figures, so the number is consistent rather than erratic. Forty-five weeks is the current answer from that pool, not a statement about the part's lifecycle.

Q6: Is the market material counterfeit?

A: Not automatically, but you should ask for traceability. Market stock is genuine surplus most of the time. What you cannot assume is a date code or an assembly site, since a second site was added in April 2025 and is distinguished through the manufacturer's internal ERP rather than by a marking.

Q7: Why is the price higher on one platform than another?

A: Partly margin for convenience at small quantities, and partly tax basis. On identical quantities in the same currency the gap is about 2.0 to 2.3 times. Beyond that, one quote includes tax and another excludes it, so direct division produces a meaningless multiple.

Q8: Does the package quantity affect who can buy?

A: Yes, and it's a large part of the confusion. The full reel is 5,000 pieces, while market listings will quote a single piece. Small buyers are effectively outside the authorized channel before lead time even enters the conversation.

Q9: What should I ask for before accepting a market quote?

A: Date code, lot, whether the quantity is confirmed, which assembly site it came from, and whether the reel is full or partial. A quote that won't state an age or a confirmation status is a position rather than an available stock level.

Q10: Is there an official replacement for the ICM-45686?

A: Not publicly. The manufacturer has published no end-of-life notice and no migration guide for this part, and its stated practice on discontinued devices is to direct customers to a local sales representative rather than publish a successor list. The only documented migration is at module level.

Q11: How long has the second assembly site been running?

A: Since April 2025. The qualification completed in November 2024, samples were available from January 2025, and planned implementation was 6 April 2025. The stated reason was additional capacity and assurance of supply, with no form, fit or function change.

Q12: Should I design the ICM-45686 into a new product?

A: The lifecycle status supports it - the part is in production with no end-of-life notice. What you should plan for is supply, not obsolescence: authorized lead time is long and the full reel is 5,000 pieces, so prototype quantities will come from the market pool.