02-06: Xiaomi’s goal is to become the biggest smartphone manufacturer in terms of sales in India within in 3~5 years; Apple is again asking for permission to sell used refurbished iPhones in India; etc.
Processor
Xiaomi has more or less confirmed that their rumored ‘Pinecone’ processor is coming, the company has launched a Weibo (Chinese social network) page for their upcoming processor. Xiaomi Mi 5c is rumored be the first Xiaomi-branded smartphone to ship with the Pinecone SoC. (TechNews, CN Beta, 163, Hindustan Times, Android Headlines)
Touch Display
LG Display (LGD) revenues in 4Q16 reached a new record high. Sharp successfully turns loss in 9 sequential quarters into profit in 4Q16. All these thank to the cost up of panels in the market. Expecting the cost up trend will continue in 1Q17, Innolux, AUO and other panel makers will continue to benefit in 1Q17. (Laoyaoba, UDN)
Using a new technology called blue-phase liquid crystals, the Optical Society reports that pixel per inch density could reach as high as 1500ppi, 3 times the density of Apple’s current retina displays. (TechRadar, OSA, CN Beta, Try Modern)
Battery
The damage to the batteries and safety concerns of fast charging technology remain a concern. With the current implementation of fast charging technology, it would still affect the lifespan of the batteries. Therefore, how to prolong the battery life and ensure safety will still be the focus topics that require special effort in the following years. (Digitimes, press, Laoyaoba)
Connectivity
Planet Labs announces that it has entered into an agreement with Google, wherein Planet will acquire the Terra Bella business including the SkySat constellation of satellites, and Google upon closing, will enter into a multi-year contract to purchase Earth-imaging data from Planet. (Android Authority, Planet Labs, Jiemian, Baijia)
Smartphones
The smartphone market in China saw a 19% on-year growth and 17% quarterly growth in 4Q16, according to IDC. For the full year of 2016, the market grew by 9% with top Chinese smartphone vendors taking up a larger share of the market. The 4 Chinese vendors in the top 5 were the same as those in 2015, and their share grew from 46% in 2015 to 57% in 2016. (IDC, press, Laoyaoba, Digitimes, press, TechCrunch)
Samsung Group will disband its corporate strategy office tasked with managing long-term group-related affairs at the conclusion of the current special prosecution probe. (Android Headlines, Reuters, Indian Express, Daily Mail)
Xiaomi India head Manu Jain said that the company’s goal is to become the biggest smartphone manufacturer in terms of sales in India within in 3~5 years. Xiaomi has doubled its smartphone sales in India last year to surpass INR6,700 crore (USD1B) in revenues. (Android Authority, Economic Times)
Apple is again asking for permission to sell used refurbished iPhones in India. Apple tried asking for this before but was shot down by government officials in the country. Apple is planning to manufacture new iPhones in India as soon as Apr 2017 but is again negotiating to sell refurbished devices as well, assumedly at lower prices than the brand new models. (CN Beta, Bloomberg, 9to5Mac)
BlackBerry has announced its partnership with Optiemus Infracom Ltd for an agreement to license BlackBerry software and services for manufacturing BlackBerry Android handsets in more global markets including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. (Android Headlines, Indian Express, Economic Times, Berry Link)
Gionee F5 is official – 5.3” HD 2.5D curved display, MediaTek MT6750 processor, 13MP + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE (VoLTE), dual-SIM, 4000mAh battery, CNY1799. (Android Headlines, BGR)
Internet of Things
Samsung Electronics will reportedly build a home appliance manufacturing plant with an annual production capacity of 2M units to operate early 2018 in South Carolina of the U.S. (CN Beta, TechNews, Business Korea)
LeEco chairman Jia Yueting, on his Weibo, said the scale of Faraday Future (FF) plant will not shrink, and he will guarantee to deliver FF91, the electric car model, on time. (Jalopink, CN Beta, AA Stocks)
