08-28: Huawei has confirmed that it is looking into switching to the open RISC-V instruction set architecture; Qualcomm has announced FastConnect; etc.
Chipsets
Huawei has confirmed that it is looking into switching to the open RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) if the US continues to block its access to technologies and suppliers, though denies it has begun any active development work towards that goal. (CN Beta, Bit-Tech, Tom’s Hardware)
Globalfoundries has filed multiple suits in US and German courts, alleging that Apple and TSMC are infringing 16 patents —and iPhone imports into the US could be impacted in the future as a result. (Apple Insider, Globe Newswire, CN Beta)
Habo Technology Investment, a newly established subsidiary of Huawei, has recently invested in Shandong Tianyue Advanced Materials Technology (SICC), a leading producer of silicon carbide (SiC) in China, by acquiring a 10% stake in the company. SiC is one of the most important third-generation semiconductor materials. (CN Beta, Asian Metal)
Qualcomm has announced FastConnect, the sub-system of wireless (i.e. non-cellular) technology in its Snapdragon. FastConnect 6200 platform delivers several Wi-Fi 6 technologies, such as target wake time, 8×8 MU-MIMO, and WPA3. New FastConnect 6800 subsystem will bring even more advanced Wi-Fi 6 capabilities to phones and PCs. (Android Central, Qualcomm, Android Authority, AnandTech, CN Beta)
Touch Display
LG Display (LGD) has decided to invest an additional KRW3T in Gen-10.5 OLED production lines at Paju P10 Plant. It looks to strengthen its supremacy in this market by increasing the supply of OLED panels for 55” TVs to 10M units per month. At the end of Aug 2019, it will put into operation an Gen-8.5 plant in Guangzhou, China which has a maximum capacity of 90,000 sheets per month. (CN Beta, Business Korea)
AU Optronics (AUO) unveils 17.3” OLED display with UHD 4K image quality, with high pixel density of 255PPI and 120Hz refresh rate applied by ink jet printing technology. IHS expects a 65” 4K OLED TV to cost approximately USD585 (the OLEDs produced by LG’s Gen-10 line); however, if an inkjet printing process is used, the overall cost will drop to USD441 (reduced by nearly 25%). (CN Beta, PR Newswire, Android Community)
Material
The world’s second largest copper foil substrate (CCL) factory in the mainland since Sept 2019, increase the cost of different materials by 5%. CCL is a key raw material for printed circuit boards (PCBs) and cannot be replaced by other materials. Leading the price increase and revealing strong market demand, Taiwan CCL main vendors, EMC, ITEQ, and Formosa Lab would have a long-term effect and affect the PCB market status. (CN Beta, Sohu, UDN, Digitimes, Digitimes)
Phone
OnePlus has announced bigger plans for India. Besides investing INR1,000 crore in a new research and development (R&D) centre in Hyderabad, the company is expanding its Noida plant to export its current models to the United States and European Union markets from India. (CN Beta, Business Line)
Apple may be able to help offset the impact of Dec 2019 tariffs on Apple iPhone due to alterations in its production cost, with the bill of materials per iPhone said to be lower for the upcoming 2019 models than for previous versions. JP Morgan believes the bill of materials has been reduced by USD30~50 per 2019 iPhone, which will enable Apple to absorb a large portion of the tariffs without affecting its US retail prices. (CN Beta, Apple Insider)
Meitu’s founder and CEO Wu Xinhong has revealed that Xiaomi and Meitu are working on a new product line, which will be launched in 2020. Wu has also indicated that in the future Meitu products will be developed and sold by Xiaomi. (Gizmo China, My Drivers)
Meizu 16s Pro is announced in China – 6.2” 2232×1080 FHD+ Super AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, rear tri 48MP OIS-20MP telephoto-16MP ultrawide + front 20MP, 6+128 / 8+128 / 8+256GB, Android 9.0, under display fingerprint, 3600mAh 24W, CNY2,699 / 2,999 / 3,299 (USD376 / 418 / 460). (Gizmo China, 163)
Huawei nova 5T is launched in Malaysia – 6.26” 1080×2340 FHD+ IPS, HiSilicon Kirin 980, rear tri 48MP-16MP ultrawide-2MP macro + front 32MP hole in display, 8+128GB, Android 9.0, side mounted fingerprint, 3750mAh 22.5W, MYR1,599 (USD379). (Gizmo China, Huawei, The Star)
