IF / News

Huawei, through its HiSilicon subsidiary, has a line of promising 7nm ARM v8-based Kunpeng processors that stretch up to 64 cores for the data center and support leading tech, like PCIe 4.0. It now appears Huawei is using at least one model of its Kunpeng processor to power a desktop PC it is selling in China. It features a variant of HiSilicon’s 7nm Kunpeng 920 ARM v8 processor.  (Tom’s Hardware, Android Authority)

Qualcomm is announcing an update to Snapdragon 865: the new Snapdragon 865+. The new Snapdragon 865+ is a new binned variant of the same chipset with higher peak frequencies on the part of the “prime” CPU as well as the GPU, promising +10% performance on both aspects. (AnandTech, GSM Arena, CN Beta, Gizmo China)

Huawei has patented a foldable phone that has a clamshell design with the Chinese patent authority CNIPA. The patents reveal a foldable flip phone designed handset with a vertically stacked camera module on the rear. A secondary display can also be found on the back, while the front has a notch display, which should house all the necessary sensors. (GizChina, Gizmo China, CN Beta)

Huawei has allegedly placed a huge order with Visionox for its OLED display panel. Huawei’s order for Visionox display is to the tune of CNY2.5B (USD350M). the company’s display orders for Huawei alone will exceed CNY6B (USD855M) in 2021. In 2H19, Xiaomi’s orders to Visionox is reportedly more than CNY1B (USD142.5M). (GizChina, IT Home)

TCL’s CSOT has developed a new display technology that will be capable of dynamic frame rate switching. The new display technology can switch between the traditional 60Hz refresh rate to 30Hz or even 120Hz. Similarly, the 144Hz technology has also entered mass production and will also be available by 2H20. The display uses a 30Hz refresh rate when in reading more or viewing static images, which can save up to 18% of power consumption. (CN Beta, Gizmo China, IT Home)

LG Display (LGD) has allegedly delayed the starting of operations at its Gen-10.5 (2940×3370mm) organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel line at Paju indefinitely. The company has initially planned to begin production in 2022-2023 but this has been delayed by 3 years to 2025-2026. Though nominally 3 years, it is in fact an indefinite delay. (CN Beta, Laoyaoba, OLED-Info, The Elec)

Samsung is updating its Galaxy A51 and A71 with a collection of new features from its flagship Galaxy S20 series. These include new camera functionality like Single Take and Night Hyperlapse, along with new sharing, search, and translation features. (The Verge, Samsung, GSM Arena, Sina)

Samsung is reportedly discussing the possibility of removing the charger from the retail packaging of its smartphones. The argument for not including the power adapter is similar to that of Apple: most users already have access to multiple chargers and that it will reduce the overall component cost for the company which in turns means more profit. (Neowin, ET News, Sam Mobile)

Samsung has announced the joint discovery of a new material called amorphous boron nitride (a-BN). Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) has worked with the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and the University of Cambridge to make the discovery. It consists of boron and nitrogen atoms with an amorphous molecule structure. Samsung has said that a-BN is expected to be widely used in DRAM and NAND solutions because it is able to minimize electrical interference and can be grown on a wafer-scale at a relatively low temperature of 400°C. (Neowin, CN Beta, Samsung)

Alphabet’s Loon division, which uses floating balloons to provide internet, has launched its first commercial service in Kenya. Loon’s 4G LTE service will be provided to Telkom Kenya subscribers via a fleet of around 35 balloons, covering an area of around 50,000 square kilometers across western and central areas of the country, including its capital, Nairobi. (CN Beta, Medium, TheVerge)

Samsung has introduced new 5G RAN equipment products that, the company claims, are both fully open and fully virtualized. That means the products could potentially be mixed and matched with equipment from other vendors, and run on any x86 hardware. (CN Beta, Samsung, Light Reading)

LG has reportedly trademarked 13 different monikers under the Q-series in May 2020. A number of the models are 5G-enabled phones. The LG Q92 5G (LM-Q920N) is among the 5G phones and it is believed to be a cheaper alternative of LG Velvet 5G. (Gizmo China, Naver, GSM Arena)

Microsoft has acquired the local operations of Movial, a Finnish software engineering and design services firm that specializes in mobile and embedded devices. Movial is providing third-party services to Microsoft for the development of Android OS for the Surface Duo smartphone. (Neowin, Windows Central, Sohu)

Huawei Technologies have apparently filed for a large number of trademark applications. These new trademarks are all related to its proprietary HarmonyOS. The list of trademark applications includes HarmonyOS, HarmonyOS Connected, HarmonyOS Linked, and more (Gizmo China, NBD)

Moto G 5G Plus is announced in Europe – 6.7” 1080×2520 FHD+ 2xHiD LCD, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, rear quad 48MP-8MP ultrawide-5MP macro-2MP depth + front dual 16MP-8MP ultrawide, 4+64 / 6+128GB, Android 10.0, side fingerprint, 5000mAh 20W, EUR349 / EUR399. (GSM Arena, Phone Arena)

Xiaomi POCO M2 Pro is announced in India – 6.67” 1080×2400 FHD+ HiD IPS LCD, Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G, rear quad 48MP-8MP ultrawide-5MP macro-2MP depth + front 16MP, 4+64 / 6+64 / 6+128GB, Android 10.0, side fingerprint, 5000mAh 33W, INR13,999 (USD185) / INR14,999 (USD200) / INR16,999 (USD225).  (The Verge, CN Beta, 91Mobiles, Indian Express)

Chinese EV startups Byton, Nio, and Karma Automotive are among the companies that have received the loans from the government’s COVID-19-related Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in Apr 2020, with each receiving loans of between USD5M and USD10M, according to new data released by the Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration (SBA). (The Verge, Forbes, SBA)

Exchange giant Binance has acquired crypto wallet app Swipe.io that allows users to purchase items via a Visa debit card. Swipe users can purchase cryptocurrencies from within the app and the debit cards automatically convert stored cryptocurrency into fiat currency, using the Visa payment network. Binance, which has been adding fiat gateways for users all around the world, has said the acquisition could help boost crypto adoption. (CN Beta, Binance, Coin Desk)