IF / News

Chipsets

Changsha-based Jing Jia Microelectronics is one of the China companies that develop GPU. The company previous product JM5400 has been used on military flights to replace ATI M9 chipset, and new product JM7200 is going to be used for military mainstream. (EX Preview, CN Beta)

Renesas is considering an approximately USD6B buyout of Integrated Device Techology Inc (IDT). Renesas is the second largest manufacturer of chips for the automotive industry, and with the ramping up of every major player wanting to build a self-driving car in this sector. (Laoyaoba, WCCFTech, Seeking Alpha, Reuters, Bloomberg)

Camera

LG V40 is allegedly equipped with rear tri-cam and front dual cam: rear tri 12MP (1.4µm) + 16MP (1µm) + 12MP zoom lens (1µm) and front dual 8MP + 5MP. (Pocket-Lint, Android Authority)

Nokia reportedly is developing a phone with rear 5 cameras, which follow a hexagonal-like layout, and another one that sits in the center. It is reportedly to be mass produced in mid-2018, and launched in 2H18. (CN Beta, My Drivers, Sina, Phone Arena, Slash Leaks)

Sensory

According to Yole Development, VCSEL market volume is expected to grow from 652M units in 2017 to more than 3.3B units in 2023 with a 31% CAGR between 2017 and 2023. This explosion is changing the future of all players of the VCSELs supply chain including: OEMs, integrators, device manufacturers, epi houses, foundries, equipment and material suppliers.  (Yole Development, press, Laoyaoba)

Suzhou-based Everbright Photonics the country’s first VCSEL production line is entering operation. The company’s 6” production line will begin operation in 3Q18. At the same time, the company has completed CNY150M Series B funding. (Laoyaoba, OfWeek)

Biometrics

According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will not be bringing back Touch ID in any form on any iPhone in 2019. In 2018 there will be 26M phone shipped equipped with “fingerprint on display” (FOD), and the number will increase to 170M units in 2019, a 550% growth on year. (CN Beta, Business Insider, Pocket Now, Mac Rumors)

According to Sunrise Big Data, in 2017 Q-Tech’s fingerprint scanner module shipment reaches 83.48M units, exceeding Primax Electronics, falls behind O-Film. Sunrise Big Data shows that in 1H18 Q-Tech’s fingerprint module is growing fast. In 1H18, the shipment has reached about 45.37M units. (Reuters CN, Sina, Biometrics)

According to Sunrise Big Data, in Jan-Jun 2018, O-Film has shipped 90.51M units of fingerprint scanner modules. According to IHS Markit, the shipment of smartphone equipped with under / in-display fingerprint scanner will reach 100M units, and with each module USD10, the market size will reach near USD1B. (OfWeek, East Money, P5W, JRJ)

Connectivity

Huawei’s Chairman, Liang Hua reveals that Huawei’s 5G network will be matured in 18 months. This implies that all 5G devices from the company should be expected from the end of 2019. According to Liang Hua, the digital transformation of 5G tech takes at least 18 months to achieve initial results. (GizChina, CN Beta)

NXP Semiconductors has disclosed it has acquired OmniPHY, a provider of automotive Ethernet subsystem technology. OmniPHY’s expertise includes automotive Ethernet, a technology that enables the rapid data transfer required for autonomous driving. NXP said OmniPHY’s advanced high-speed technology, combined with NXP’s portfolio and heritage in vehicle networks, positions NXP to deliver the next-generation of data transfer solutions to carmakers. (Digitimes, press, Globe Newswire, Huanqiu)

Phone

OnePlus founder Carl Pei reveals that the company is planning to open a brick-and-mortar store in Paris, France. The proposed retail shop would sell OnePlus smartphones and accessories. (Android Authority, Lesechos, GSM Arena, Android Headlines, Gizmo China, Huanqiu)

vivo V11 is launched – 6.41” 2340×1080 FHD+ Super AMOLED “Halo FullView”, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, rear dual 12MP-5MP + front 25MP, 6GB+128GB, Android 8.1, in-display fingerprint, 3400mAh. (Android Authority, Android Headlines, CN Beta, GSM Arena)

Huawei Honor 8X and 8X Max are announced: 8X – 6.5” 2340×1080 FHD+ “Pearl” display, Huawei Kirin 710, GPU Turbo, rear dual 20MP-2MP + front 16MP, 4GB+64GB / 6GB+64/128GB, Android 8.1, rear fingerprint scanner, 3750mAh, from CNY1399. 8X Max – 7.12” 2244×1080 FHD+ “Pearl” display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 / 636, GPU Turbo, rear 16MP-2MP + front 16MP, 4GB+64GB / 4GB+128GB, Android 8.1, rear fingerprint scanner, 5000mAh, from CNY1499. (CN Beta, 91Mobiles, Sina)

Xiaomi is launching Redmi 6 series in India: Redmi 6A – 5.45” 720×1440 HD+, MediaTek Helio A22, rear 13MP + front 5MP, 2+16GB / 3+32GB, Android 8.0, 3000mAh, from INR5,999. Redmi 6 – 5.45” 720×1440 HD+, MediaTek Helio A22, rear dual 12MP-5MP + front 5MP, 3+32GB / 4+64GB, Android 8.1, 3000mAh, from INR7,999. Redmi 6 Pro – 5.84” 1080×2280 FHD+, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, rear dual 12MP-5MP + front 5MP, 3+32GB / 4+64GB, Android 8.1, 4000mAh, from INR10,999. (Gizmo China, GSM Arena)

ZTE nubia Z18 is announced – 6” 2180×1080 FHD+ “Infinite Waterdrop” display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, rear dual 16MP-24MP – OIS + front 8MP,  6+64GB / 8+128GB, Android 8.0, 3450mAh, from CNY2,799. (CN Beta, My Drivers, CNMO, NDTV, nubia)

Wearables

Growth continued in the global wearables market during 2Q18 as shipment volume reached 27.9M units, up 5.5% from the previous year according to IDC. The market experienced similar gains in dollar value, growing 8.3% year-over-year to USD4.8B in 2Q18 fueled by the continued popularity of smartwatches with their high price tags. (IDC, press, CN Beta)

Huawei Honor Band 4 series is launched, equipped with 0.95” AMOLED colour display, support continuous heart rate monitoring, with AI algorithm model, priced from CNY99. (GSM Arena, Anzhuo, CN Beta, My Drivers, Vmall)

Automotive

Mercedes is showing off the production-ready version of its first all-electric car, the Mercedes-Benz EQC, an all-wheel drive electric SUV. Mercedes-Benz parent company, Daimler, estimated it will get about 280 miles per charge.  (Pocket-Lint, Daimler, XCAR, Sina)

Baidu president Zhang Yaqin and BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu have jointly announced that car version of Baidu Map will cover all BYD’s cars. Baidu will provide L3 level of smart self-driving technology to BYD, and both companies will mass produce self-driving cars in 3 years. (CN Beta, Sina, Tencent)

Artificial Intelligence

Samsung president and CEO Kim Hyun-suk indicates that Samsung is open to an artificial intelligence partnership (AI) with Google.  Samsung can leverage its position as the leading device manufacturer in the world to negotiate a collaboration with Google on AI. (Android Headlines, Android Community, The Inquirer, Korea Herald, Sina, China Byte)

E-Commerce

Instagram is allegedly working on a new standalone app dedicated to shopping, “IG Shopping”. It will let users browse collections of goods from merchants that they follow and purchase them directly within the app. (CN Beta, The Verge, USA Today)

Fintech

Chinese authorities have stepped up their pressure on domestic cryptocurrency activity. While Beijing supports the development of the underlying blockchain technology, it is still trying to limit speculation in digital currencies roughly 1 year since banning their sales in “initial coin offerings” (ICO). Blockchain technology creates a secure, basically permanent record of transactions between two parties, eliminating the need for a third-party intermediary such as a bank. (CN Beta, CNBC)

SynapseFi, a startup that helps banks and fintech companies work together to develop technology, has announced that it raised a USD17M Series A funding round.  The investment was led by Trinity Ventures and Core Innovation Capital, with participation from other unnamed backers. (TechCrunch)