IF / News

Chipsets

MediaTek has unveiled a new processor MT5670 for smart TVs. It has four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz and an ARM Mali-G51 GPU. MediaTek says the new processor will “deliver true studio-quality video”, and automatically adjust sharpness and quality using facial and scene recognition with its AI picture quality (AI PQ) technology. (Gizmo China, MediaTek, Sohu, GizChina)

GlobalFoundries (GF) has introduced its 12LP+ fabrication process that relies on the groundwork set by its 14LPP and 12LP technologies and provides significant improvements when it comes to performance, power, and area (PPA) scaling. The foundry says that its 12LP+ uses a mature design and production ecosystem and provides advantages comparable to those of 7nm-class fabrication process. (CN Beta, AnandTech, GlobalFoundaries)

vivo executive vice-president Hu Boshan has indicated that vivo has begun thinking about chip SoC design 1.5 years ago. To achieve this requirement, relevant professionals are needed. Therefore, vivo recruits a large number of talents in the field of chips. He has revealed that vivo will build a chip team of 300-500 people, but this chip team is not pure chip development. (Laoyaoba, Sohu, Sina)

Touch Display

Samsung is reportedly working on a more affordable Galaxy Fold for global release. That phone – bearing a model number SM-F700F – will come with 256GB storage and may feature other cost-saving measures like cutting back on the RAM (from 12GB). (GSM Arena, Sam Mobile, Phone Arena, IT Home, Sina)

Samsung applied for 2 design patents in South Korea at the end of 2018. Samsung’s patents envision 2 separate implementations of this layout. One would involve placing the notch on the left side of the display while the other envisions it being placed on the right. (CN Beta, LetsGoDigital, Phone Arena)

Japan Display Inc (JDI) is allegedly once again searching for a lifeline after a Chinese investment fund pulled the plug on a bailout deal. The Chinese group has informed the display maker that it would shelve its plan to contribute JPY63B (USD557M) to an JPY80B rescue package. (CN Beta, Asia Nikkei, NHK)

Xiaomi is reportedly developing a new phone with the ability to support 8K videos at 30fps. An APK teardown of the MIUI camera app, after updating to the MIUI 11 beta, revealed strings mentioning support for 7,680×4,320 resolution or 8K videos at 30fps. (GSM Arena, XDA-Developers, Android Authority, My Drivers)

Sensory

Oculus Quest will support hand tracking in 2020. The system will apparently use the Quest’s built-in cameras to track hand motion at a fine-grained level. This new feature will improve how players can interact with virtual reality. (Android Central, Oculus, Variety, The Verge)

Biometrics

Samsung Galaxy S11 (to be launched in Feb 2020) will allegedly come with a better on-screen fingerprint sensor and the sensing area will also be larger. The on-screen fingerprint detection area of ​​the Samsung Galaxy S10 series and Note 10 series is 36mm² (6 x 6). Samsung Galaxy S11 will increase the detection area to 64mm² (8 x 8). The vertical and horizontal directions are extended by 2mm. (Laoyaoba, GizChina, IT Home)

Material

TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that Apple’s 2020 iPhone would adopt new design for 5G connectivity. The design will include a metal frame with a “more complex segmentation design, new trenching and injection molding procedures, and sapphire or glass cover assembly to protect the trench injection molding structure”. Kuo believes the cost of the metal frame and glass case will rise significantly, with a maximum increase of 50-60% and 40-50%, respectively. He believes that suppliers FII, Catcher and Jabil would be most beneficial from this. (CN Beta, TF Securities, Apple Insider, Mac Rumors)

Battery

LG Chem has reportedly begun to mass produce batteries for Tesla’s Model 3 electric vehicles from its Nanjing plant in China. Tesla will be using LG Chem’ 21700 type batteries using NCM811 that boast a nickel proportion of 80% or more. The LG company previously supplied the NCM811 to electric buses. (CN Beta, Teslarati, Elektrek, The Elec)

ETH Zurich has developed a prototype of a battery, which can be bent, folded, or stretched, without interrupting the power supply. There is a cathode, a hydrogel electrolyte, a PDMS frame and sealing, as well as an anode sandwiched between two stretchable current collectors. (Android Authority, Pocket Now, ETH Zurich, CN Beta)

Connectivity

Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, has revealed that the company is willing to license its 5G technology to one company and it should be an American company. The license will include chip designs, hardware, and source code. He said a US company is preferable because Huawei already has competitors like Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB from Europe. (GizChina, Bloomberg, DW, Reuters)

Phone

China Post and Xiaomi have reached a strategic cooperation and will carry out in-depth cooperation in financial business, express logistics, postal services, and e-commerce distribution. (CN Beta, Sina, IT Home)

Tecno Spark 4 is announced in India – 6.52” 20:9 HD+ IPS, MediaTek Helio A22, rear tril 13MP-2MP depth-low light + front 8MP, 3+32 / 4+64GB, Android 9.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 4000mAh, INR7,999 (USD112) / INR8,999 (USD126). (Gizmo China, NDTV)

OnePlus 7T is announced in India – 6.55” 1080×2400 FHD+ Fluid AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, rear tri 48MP OIS-12MP telephoto-16MP ultrawide + front 16MP, 8+128/256GB, Android 10, under display fingerprint, 3800mAh 38W, INR38,000 (USD534) / INR40,000 (USD563). (Android Authority, GSM Arena, Liliputing)

Wearables

Amazon is launching wireless audio accessories Echo Buds, which supports Amazon Alexa and able to summon Apple Siri and Google Assistant with a tap. Amazon has also included Bose Active Noise Cancellation in the Echo Buds, which can be turned on and off with a double tap. (CN Beta, Apple Insider)

Amazon is announcing Echo Loop, which has a titanium frame, with two microphones activated by a press of a button on the bottom. The ring will notify users of a notification with a small motor in the device. The ring will notify users of a notification with a small motor in the device. (CN Beta, Apple Insider)

Xiaomi launches Hey Plus 1S, featuring 0.95” AMOLED, 50ATM water resistance, NFC, supports Alipay offline payment, running heyOS, 120mAh battery, priced at CNY179. (Gizmo China, My Drivers)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

Facebook has announced that it is working on AR glasses that will bring people closer together. The glasses will rely on virtual live maps that allow real-world objects to be inside of augmented reality with objects and people in the real world. It has announced a project called “Live Maps” that will create 3D maps of the world.  (Android Central, The Verge, Market Watch)

Facebook has announced Oculus Link, which allows VR users to connect their Oculus Quest to their PC with a USB-C cable and use it like a Rift. Oculus Link will be available sometime in Nov 2019. (Android Central, The Verge, TechCrunch, Yivian)

Facebook has unveiled Facebook Horizon, a new social VR world coming to Oculus Quest and the Rift Platform in 2020. Facebook Horizon will allow users to design their own diverse avatars and hop between virtual locales through portals called Telepods, watch movies and consume other media with friends and play multiplayer games together. (Sina, Engadget, Oculus, TechCrunch)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company has surpassed USD100M in revenue in the Oculus store. This figure spans several different virtual reality headsets, but Zuckerberg noted than 20% of that revenue was for Quest titles sold in the past 4 months. (TechCrunch, CNET, Android Central, Moore)

Amazon’s new Echo Frames smart glasses are equipped with Alexa, priced at USD180. The glasses use directional microphones and speakers that focus the audio input and output toward the user. The software for the frames will have a “VIP filter” to keep notifications to a bare minimum while you’re wearing the glasses. (Apple Insider, CNET, The Verge, CN Beta)

Huawei is launching a new VR product—VR Glass. It comes with a configuration with double speaker and Smart PA support and is composed of an elastic (and magnetic) body designed to fit ergonomically. Huawei VR Glass is able to support the maximum resolution of 2K (3200×1600 pixels), with a density of 1058 PPI. It is priced at cNY2,999. (CN Beta, IT Home, Huawei Central, Techgenyz)

Home

Amazon is launching a new version of its Echo Dot, with an LED display at the front. Amazon has added an LED display that will show the clock, timers, alarms, and even the outside temperature. (Android Authority, CNET, TechCrunch, The Verge, Business Insider)

Amazon has announced the Echo Flex that plugs directly into the wall and priced at USD25. It is a tiny speaker that can be plugged into a wall outlet to get Alexa in every room of the house more easily. (Engadget, Amazon, The Verge, TechCrunch, iFeng)

Amazon has introduced a new model in its line of touchscreen-equipped smart speakers: the Echo Show 8, which is priced at USD130. The new Echo Show 8 features an 8” HD display and a privacy shutter that’s designed to cover the camera when it is not in use. (Amazon, Engadget, The Verge, CNET)

Amazon Smart Oven is announced, which is a combination of a microwave, convection oven, air fryer, and food warmer. It supports Amazon Alexa, and has 30+ built-in presets. It is priced at USD250. (Digital Trends, Amazon, CN Beta)

Xiaomi has announced the new lineup of their Mi TVs—Mi Full Screen TV Pro and comes in three sizes: 43” (CNY1,499), 55” (CNY2,399) and 65” (CNY3,399). The Full Screen TV Pro uses a 4K UHD panel and supports up to 8K playback. It is powered by the 9th generation Amlogic T972 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage. (CN Beta, Gizmo China, TechRadar)

OnePlus TV is announced, which has a 55” 4K QLED panel with 120% NTSC color gamut and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. It also has 95.7% screen-to-body ratio. There are two models, the TV Q1 and TV Q1 Pro, which are priced at INR69,900 (USD987) and INR99,900 (USD1,411), respectively. (GSM Arena, OnePlus, GizChina, CN Beta)

Automotive

General Motors (GM) has announced its plan to integrate Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant into millions of its vehicles starting in 2020. Any 2018 Cadillac, GMC, and Chevrolet vehicle or newer will be eligible for the upgrade. (The Verge, TechCrunch, CNBC, General Motors, Sina)

Payment

OnePlus has announced it is working on its own payment service named OnePlus Pay. It is set to be released in 2020. (Android Authority, Pocket-Lint, IT Home)