12-25 #MerryXmas : Tianma is aiming to ship 40M OLED panels (20M flexible OLED) in 2021; BOE has reportedly officially passed Apple’s certification; LG and Magna have announced a joint venture (JV) to manufacture e-motors; etc.
SMIC has since issued a statement declaring that after being included in the “Entity List” by the United States, suppliers must first obtain an export license from the US Department of Commerce before they can supply products or technologies that are applicable to the US Export Control Regulations. For the 10nm process and below, SMIC needs American technology. The US Department of Commerce will most-likely use a “constructive refusal” policy. In the short term, both SMIC and financial institutions believe the chipmaker will be stable over the next 3-6 months. (GizChina, My Drivers)
On 18 Dec 2020, the US Department of Commerce announced that SMIC was included in the entity list. Digitimes believes that the US Department of Commerce’s upgrade of the SMIC ban has had a substantial impact on SMIC. The development of advanced processes may stop at 12nm, the production of 14nm and above will also affect the process of production, which will further hinder the autonomy of Chinese semiconductors. Digitimes believes that under SMIC’s sanctions against the US Entity List, the development of advanced processes below 14nm may be suspended due to the lack of US advanced equipment and materials. (Digitimes, Digitimes, Digitimes)
MediaTek became the biggest smartphone chipset vendor with 31% market share in 3Q20 as smartphone sales rebounded in the quarter, according to Counterpoint estimates. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is the biggest 5G chipset vendor in 3Q20. It has powered 39% of the 5G phones sold worldwide. (GizChina, CN Beta, Counterpoint Research)
Tianma is aiming to ship 40M OLED panels (20M flexible OLED) in 2021. The goal is half of BOE’s aim of shipping 40M flexible OLED panels. According to Stone Partners, Tianma shipped around 1M OLED panels in 2020. Stone Partners expect Tianma to ship around 7.5M OLED panels in 2021, only around 20% of the company’s own goal. (Gizmo China, The Elec)
According to Counterpoint Research, a total of 2.8M foldable smartphone is shipped in 2020. Samsung has accounted for 73%. Europe has accounted for 29% of foldable smartphone shipment, followed by South Korea’s 26%. China accounted for 25% of the shipment. (Sam Mobile, Business Korea, The Elec, Android Headlines)
BOE has reportedly officially passed Apple’s certification and will start supplying OLED panels to iPhone 12 products in Dec 2020. According to Runto Technology, BOE enters the iPhone flexible AMOLED supply chain, plus Samsung Display (entered in 2017) and LG Display (entered in 2019), the number of suppliers has reached three, and there is almost no possibility that Apple will continue to search for suppliers. Judging the share of iPhone OLED panel supply to BOE in 2021 is very different. According to industry chain information, Samsung Display will supply 130M units in 2021, and BOE and LG Display will supply 10M and 40M units, respectively. (GSM Arena, OfWeek)
MicroLED manufacturer PlayNitride has signed a 4-year long-term cooperation plan with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) , and promotes cooperation between industry, government and academia to jointly create a trillion-dollar MicroLED new product for Taiwan. (Laoyaoba, ETToday, LTN)
Google is granted a series 4 design patents covering a possible future Pixel smartphone that will have no face side camera hole. Under the display there is a microphone slot presented, but there is no camera hole of any kind. None of the 4 design patents illustrate a face side camera hole. (Phone Arena, Patently Apple, TechRadar, USPTO)
LG and Magna have announced a joint venture (JV) to manufacture e-motors, inverters and on board chargers and, for certain automakers, related e-drive systems to support the growing global shift toward vehicle electrification. The new company, tentatively called LG Magna e-Powertrain, marries Magna’s strength in electric powertrain systems and world class automotive manufacturing with LG’s expertise in component development for e-motors and inverters. (Neowin, LG)
Apple Car is likely to be loaded with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries made by China’s CATL, but local lithium-ion batteries manufacturers, namely LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI, will benefit from the US firm’s entry into the field in the long term. LFP batteries, though cheaper and more stable than NCM batteries, are bulkier and lower in energy density, inadequate for third-generation EVs that need to travel more than 500km. (Laoyaoba, Korea Herald, Business Korea)
Amid deteriorating relations with China, Sweden has decided to build its own 5G Network without Huawei. The decision to exclude Huawei was taken in the line of the latest public opinion polls in Sweden, which called for advancing human rights and democratic reform in China as the highest policy priority. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) has said it would resume its next-generation telecoms auctions in Jan 2021 after an appeals court upheld an Oct 2020 decision to ban Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from its networks on security grounds. (Laoyaoba, Reuters, Taiwan News, Business World)
Reliance launched its first feature phone JioPhone with 4G VoLTE connectivity in 2018. The device’s latest pricing is INR699 (USD9). Reliance is allegedly planning to relaunch this device in 1Q21. The new JioPhone is being made by contract manufacturer Flex. (India Times, Gizmo China)
OPPO Reno5 Pro+ is launched in China – 6.55” 1080×2400 FHD+ AMOLED 90Hz HiD, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, rear quad 50MP OIS-13MP telephoto-16MP ultrawide-2MP macro + front 32MP, 8+128 / 12+256GB, Android 11.0, fingerprint on display, 4500mAh 65W, reverse charging, CNY3,999 (USD612) / CNY4,499 (USD689). (Android Authority, GSM Arena)
vivo V20 (2021) is launched in India – 6.44” 1080×2400 FHD+ u-notch AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, rear tri 64MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP mono + front 44MP AF, 8+128GB, Android 11.0, fingerprint on display, 4000mAh 33W, INR24,990 (USD339). (GSM Arena, Gizmo China, Amazon, NDTV)
Nuro has received the first-ever permit allowing it to commercially operate self-driving delivery vehicles in California. The service will begin with Nuro’s fleet of Prius vehicles in fully autonomous mode, followed by its custom-designed electric R2 vehicles. (Digital Trends, Medium)
Toyota Motor is aiming to commercialize an autonomous shipping-container-like vehicle within a few years that it says could double as a mobile store or roving office. Toyota’s e-Palette is a largely transparent, driverless oblong carriage on wheels that’s powered by a battery. It can accommodate up to 20 passengers, with seats that fold up and allow the space to be repurposed. (CN Beta, Toyota, Toyota, Auto News)
