IF / News

Samsung Electronics has reportedly secured a deal to manufacture Qualcomm’s new mobile application processors for 5G smartphones, the latest in a series of high-profile deals for its chip-making business. The deal, estimated at close to KRW1T (USD844M), marks the first time Samsung has clinched an order to produce all of Qualcomm’s newest chips. (UDN, Zaobao, Sohu, Sam Mobile, Korea JoongAng Daily)

IBM has published its road map for the future of its quantum computing hardware. The company believes it is on its way to building a quantum processor with more than 1,000 qubits — and somewhere between 10 and 50 logical qubits — by the end of 2023. Currently, the company’s quantum processors top out at 65 qubits. It plans to launch a 127-qubit processor in 2021 and a 433-qubit machine in 2022.  (CN Beta, TechCrunch, IBM)

China-based panel makers are shifting more of their capacities for production of IT panels amid a ramp-up in demand for notebooks and tablets supporting stay-at-home economy, according to Digitimes. (Digitimes, press)

Samsung Display has announced that it is the first in the industry to successfully commercialize a foldable display panel having a 1.4R rating for its curvature, representing the smallest degree of curving among commercialized foldable smartphones to date ― an advancement first applied to the recently-released Galaxy Z Fold2 5G. (Gizmo China, CN Beta, Business Wire)

Samsung Electronics plans to put in two telephoto cameras on the top model of the Galaxy S21 smartphones series launching in 2021. The additional telephoto camera will be replacing 3D Time of Flight (ToF) module. They will be a 12MP ultrawide, 108MP wide-angle, 10MP 3x optical zoom telephoto and a folded zoom telephoto. The folded zoom telephoto camera will support over 5x zoom. (Gizmo China, The Elec)

Samsung has introduced 4 new Samsung ISOCELL image sensors for its 0.7μm-pixel product lineup; 108MP ISOCELL HM2, 64Mp ISOCELL GW3, 48Mp ISOCELL GM5 and 32Mp ISOCELL JD1. With the new 0.7μm ISOCELL technology, Samsung plans to expand the ultra-high-resolution offerings to mainstream smartphones. (Phone Arena, Samsung, CN Beta)

Huawei has filed a patent detailing a laser technology that can achieve fully wireless battery-charging process for phones and other devices. The patent is the first to include a safety mechanism that detects eyes in the laser’s path and prompts the devices to shut off to protect the individuals and pets in the area. (GizChina, Pocket-Now, Gizmo China)

Verizon has announced that it has entered into an agreement with America Movil to acquire Tracfone, the leading pre-paid and value mobile provider in the U.S, for a transaction of USD6.25B. The acquisition expands Verizon’s portfolio into the value segment. (Verizon, Apple Insider, Sina)

realme CEO Madhav Sheth has revealed that the company has a more concentrated push toward the premium market segment. He has also indicated that the company is not only a smartphone company, but also launching wearables, IoT products that cover audio and TVs. By mid of 2021, the company will have more than 100 IoT product categories. He has mentioned that realme might start looking into a US move as early as 2021.  (Android Headlines, TechRadar)

YouTube has announced the launch of a new short-form video experience, Shorts. The feature will allow users, initially in India, to upload 15-second or less short-form videos using a new set of creator tools, including a multi-segment camera, similar to TikTok, speed controls and a timer and a countdown feature.  (CN Beta, YouTube, The Verge, TechCrunch)

Samsung is to expand its footprint in India’s mid-range with the launch of a new series, called Galaxy F. The first phone Galaxy F4 will be launched by the end of Sept 2020. The Galaxy F series smartphones will be priced INR15,000~20,000 and will be camera-centric. (Android Authority, GSM Arena, Samsung, 91Mobiles)

Samsung Electronics has allegedly recently substantially adjusted its stocking volume of mobile phone parts and components. In 3Q20 alone, it has increased the demand to 85M units. Samsung’s increase in this round of orders is mainly for some low-end and mid-range models. (Sohu, Laoyaoba)

Apple has announced its all-in-one plan that includes multiple streaming and cloud services. Apple One provides Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and 50GB of iCloud storage for just GBP14.95/USD14.95 per month. (Pocket-Lint, CN Beta, Apple, TechRadar)

Spotify has introduced brand-new feature that will make it easier to share favorite music and podcasts. Dubbed My Forever Favorites, the new in-app feature lets Spotify users create a playlist with their top five songs and/or podcast episodes, which can be shared on social channels. (Phone Arena, Fast Company, Spotify)

Waze has confirmed that Amazon Music will join its audio player partner program, so that Waze users can listen to Amazon Music in the app’s audio player without having to switch between apps. Waze has also introduced Lane Guidance, with which drivers will receive information in real-time about which lane to be when merging or exiting a stretch of freeway or highway.  (Phone Arena, TechCrunch, 9to5Google, Pocket-Lint)

LG Wing 5G is official in US – 6.8” 1080×2460 FHD+ Rotating P-OLED + 3.9” 1080×1240 FHD+ G-OLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, rear tri 64MP-13MP ultrawide-12MP ultrawide + front motorized pop-up 32MP, 8+128 / 8+256GB, Android 10.0, fingerprint on display, 4000mAh QC+, wireless charging, about USD1,000. (Android Authority, GSM Arena, Liliputing)

Redmi 9i is launched in India – 6.528” 720×1600 HD+ v-notch, MediaTek Helio G25, rear 13MP + front 5MP, 4+64 / 4+128GB, Android 10.0, no fingerprint scanner, 5000mAh 10W, INR8,299 (USD110) / INR9,299 (USD124).  (GSM Arena, Android Central)

vivo Y51 (2020) is launched in Pakistan – 6.38” 1080×2340 FHD+ AMOLED u-notch, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, rear quad 48MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP macro-2MP depth + front 16MP, 4+128GB, Android 10.0, fingerprint on display, 4500mAh 18W, PKR36,999 (USD220). (GSM Arena, vivo)

Apple has announced the company has already managed to sell more than 500M iPads, ever since the first iPad arrived on the scene back in 2010. (GSM Arena, The Verge, Apple Insider)

Apple iPad Air (2020) is official – 10.9” 1640×2360 Liquid Retina Display, Apple A14 Bionic, rear 12MP + front 7MP, 64 / 256GB storage, iPadOS 14, Touch ID on power button, 28.6Wh battery, USB Type-C, priced from USD599. (CN Beta, GSM Arena, GSM Arena, Apple Insider)

Apple iPad 8^th-Gen (2020) is official – 10.2” 2160×1620 Liquid Retina Display, Apple A12 Bionic, rear 8MP + front 1.2MP, 32 / 128GB storage, iPadOS 14, Touch ID, USB Type-C, 32.4Wh battery, priced from USD329. (CN Beta, GSM Arena, Toms’ Hardware, The Verge)

Huawei MatePad 5G is unveiled – 10.4” 2000×1600 2K IPS LCD, HiSilicon Kirin 820, rear 8MP + front 8MP, 6+128GB, Android 10.0 (no GMS), 7250mAh 22.5W, support hardware keyboard and M-Pencil stylus, equipped with HUAWEI Histen 6.1 stereo audio technology and quad speakers, CNY3,199 (USD473). (My Drivers, Huawei, GSM Arena, Gizmo China)

Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE are official: Series 6 – Always-on OLED Retina Display, S6 dual core processor, W3 wireless chip, U1 chip with Ultra Wideband support, built-in / always-on altimeter, second-gen optical heart sensor, blood oxygen saturation monitoring, faster charging, improved battery life, priced from USD399. SE – OLED Retina Display, S5 dual core processor and W3 wireless chip, optical heart sensor, international emergency calling, noise app and real-time elevation to Series 3 features, priced from USD279.  (GSM Arena, CN Beta, Apple Insider, Apple Insider, The Verge, Phone Arena)

Apple has introduced Fitness+, a workout app that combines videos with Apple Watch data to get users healthy. It allows customers equipped with an Apple Watch and another Apple device with a screen to perform guided workouts. Displaying a workout on an iPhone, iPad, or via the Apple TV, the app will monitor the user’s workout via sensors on the Apple Watch. (Apple Insider, CN Beta, The Verge)

Huawei is allegedly interested in taking a stake in Chinese new energy vehicle company Changan NIO. Huawei may not necessarily fund it directly, but may invest through its funds. Huawei said it had “not heard” about the investment, while Changan Automobile did not respond. (CN Beta, OfWeek, My Drivers, CN Techpost, Auto Home)

Volanis, which provides vertical takeoff and landing drone delivery services for commercial and defense customers, has announced a USD50M round. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate its go-to-market efforts as it expands into new territories globally. The VOLY C10 (codenamed Gemini), which Volansi claims has completed operations in the U.S., Africa, and the Caribbean, can carry payloads of up to 10 pounds and fly for 60 minutes (about 50 miles) at 60 miles per hour. (CN Beta, VentureBeat)