05-27: JAC Capital, Leadcore Technology, Qualcomm and Wise Road Capital have signed an agreement to form a joint venture – JLQ Technology; TSMC is set to move its 7nm process technology to volume production in 2018; etc.
Chipsets
AMD CEO Lisa Su has confirmed that the company will be taping out 7nm products later in 2017. Succeeding the 14nm Zen x86 CPU micro-architecture will be Zen 2 and Zen 3 7nm / 7nm+ designs. (TechNews, WCCFTech, Hot Hardware)
Apple is reportedly working on a processor devoted specifically to AI-related tasks. The chip, known internally as the Apple Neural Engine, would improve the way the company’s devices handle tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence — such as facial recognition and speech recognition. (Apple Insider, Bloomberg, Sohu, CN Beta)
JAC Capital, Leadcore Technology (a subsidiary of Datang Telecom Technology), Qualcomm and Wise Road Capital have signed an agreement to form a joint venture – JLQ Technology. This joint venture will focus on the design, packaging, testing, customer support and sales related to chipsets for mass-tier smartphones designed and sold into China. (My Drivers, Sina, Mobile World Live, Evertiq)
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is set to move its 7nm process technology to volume production in 2018, an improved version of the 7nm process using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) will be ready for volume production in 2018, according to company co-CEO CC Wei. (Digitimes, press, Laoyaoba, CN Beta)
Touch Display
Samsung’s new patent describes an electronic device with a rollable display. It features what appears to be a tablet with a roll on one side. A flexible display is wrapped around said roll, and when the opposite side of the device is pulled outwards, the display rolls out. (Gizmo China, Phone Arena, CN Beta, Softpedia)
Camera
Samsung’s patent describes a wearable device, portrayed with a circular display featuring a camera lens in the middle. (Gizmo China, Phone Arena, CN Beta, Softpedia)
Memory
Global shipments of enterprise-grade SSDs for 1Q17 grew against seasonal headwinds by 3~4% compared with the prior quarter to reach around 6M units, says TrendForce. For the same quarter, enterprise-grade SSDs also represented more than 10% of the total SSD product shipments worldwide. Currently, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent all have voracious appetite for server systems as they are providing their services via their growing network of data centers. (TrendForce, press, TrendForce[cn], press)
Biometrics
Apple has reportedly moved the fingerprint sensor to underneath the screen, and not in a penetration on the back of the case. Additionally, the same TSMC source cited in the report claims that screen ratio on the new device is 18.5:9, instead of the 16:9 on the iPhone 5 through iPhone 7 families. (Apple Insider, Digitimes, press, CN Beta)
Smartphones
Lenovo Group chairman and chief executive Yang Yuanqing indicates that the company’s China business reorganization will not affect its mobile business on the mainland. The company will keep its Lenovo-Motorola dual-brand strategy for its mobile business despite a widening loss. (Reuters, Android Authority)
Lenovo Group has swung to a net profit for the year ended Mar 2017 on the back of the absence of one-off charges. The Chinese PC maker said that its full-year net profit was USD535M, compared with a net loss of USD128M a year earlier when it recorded restructuring costs of USD596M and onetime charges of USD327M. Its full-year revenue fell 4% to USD43.04B from USD44.91B a year ago. (CN Beta, CN Beta, C114, Market Watch, Reuters, Bloomberg)
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has announced that more than 3M Xiaomi Mi Max had been sold worldwide since its unveiling back in May 2016. (Android Authority, GSM Arena, Playful Droid, PC Online, TechWeb)
Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun indicates that in past 3 years Xiaomi has invested in 77 companies, and in 2016 the company’s smart hardware eco-system has achieved CNY15B revenues. (Laoyaoba, Tencent, Qianjia)
According to analyst Pan Jiutang, OnePlus 3 and 3T global sales have exceeded 2.5M units, which are at CNY2500 price segment. (My Drivers, Sohu, GizChina)
Samsung Electronics said it would set up a KRW500B (USD445M) fund to help small suppliers, the highest-profile South Korean firm to unveil steps in the wake of new President Moon Jae-in’s call to protect small businesses. (VentureBeat, Android Headlines, Sina)
Kodak Ektra is announced – 5” FHD display, MediaTek Helio X20 processor, 21MP OIS + 13MP cameras, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0, USB Type-C, 3000mAh battery, USD400. (CN Beta, The Verge, Kodak, Liliputing)
Gionee S10 with 4 cameras is announced – 5.5” FHD display, MediaTek Helio P25 processor, dual rear 16MP-8MP + dual front 20MP-8MP cameras, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, Android 7.0, 3450mAh battery, CNY2599. (Android Authority, Gionee, Sohu, CN Beta)
Huawei nova 2 Plus and nova 2 are announced featuring HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor, dual rear 12MP-8MP + front 20MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, Android 7.0 (EMUI 5.1), AK4376A Hi-Fi audio chip, fingerprint sensor: nova 2 Plus – 5.5” FHD 2.5D curved display, 3340mAh battery, CNY2899. nova 2 – 5” FHD 2.5D curved display, 2950mAh battery, CNY2499. (Android Authority, Huawei, Fone Arena, Sina, Sohu)
Samsung Galaxy Feel is announced in Japan – 4.7” HD Super AMOLED display, octa-core processor, 16MP + 5MP cameras,3GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 7.0, 3000mAh battery. (GSM Arena, Liliputing)
Wearables
HTC has revealed a new VR headset intended for use with its latest flagship smartphone, the HTC U11. Titled the HTC Link, the VR headset will include six degrees of freedom (6DOF) motion tracking — seemingly becoming the first smartphone-based device to do so. (Android Authority, VR Source, 163, Sohu)
According to a recent study published by Stanford University, wearables do well in measuring heart rate but all perform in an inaccurate manner when counting burned calories. The study focused on 7 wearables that claim they can measure both heart rate and calories burned – the Apple Watch, Samsung Gear S2, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, and the PulseOn. (Android Headlines, CNBC, Stanford Medicine, TechCrunch, 91.com)
Internet of Things
Electric vehicle maker Faraday Future is reportedly planning to raise USD1B as it seeks to protect itself from the financial woes of its main backer, China’s LeEco. (Laoyaoba, Business Insider, Bloomberg)
Goldman indicates that the ride-hailing industry ballooning to USD285B by 2030. Uber, alongside companies like Lyft and China’s Didi Chuxing, are part of a new “pay-as-you-go” car era, Goldman said. The investment bank predicts that the number of cars on the road will peak in 2030. Ride-hailing will grow 8-fold by then and could be 5 times the size of the taxi market, justifying the giant valuations. (CNBC, Market Watch, CN Beta)