IF / News

Chipsets

TSMC shows that the utilization rate of its 28nm chips is down by over 90%. This implies that there is an oversupply of these chips, which has a significant impact on its revenue. Its revenue may fall by 10%~11% in the 4Q18 to USD9.35B~9.45B. However, TSMC will strengthen its 22nm process to close up the lapses of the 28nm process. (GizChina, Yahoo, UDN, Sina, Semi Insights)

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 675, which shares a lot of the same hardware as the Snapdragon 670, but Qualcomm says it optimized the platform to facilitate smoother game play, prioritized connectivity, improved AI capabilities, better throughput and latency, all the while eliminating stutter by up to 90%. (Android Authority, Android Central, Leiphone, iFanr, Xinhuanet)

Qualcomm says at least 2 Android flagships slated to launch in 2019 will feature the 5G modem. The first device will be unveiled in the early half of 2019, with the second device coming in the latter half of 2019.  A total of 19 OEMs will launch phones featuring the modem in 2019, including LG, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, and others. (Android Central, CN Beta)

Qualcomm has announced a major update to its QTM052 family of 5G antennas, the components required a handset to connect to 5G NR mmWave networks. In just 3 months, Qualcomm is able to reduce the size of these antenna modules by 25%.  (CN Beta, Android Authority, Qualcomm, Mobile Syrup, VentureBeat)

Samsung and Qualcomm have announced a new partnership in 5G small cell development, opening the door for massive 5G network speed, capacity, coverage and ultra-low latency. Qualcomm FSM 100xx 10nm 5G Solution is capable of enabling the Samsung 5G Small Cell solution to utilize both the sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum, helping provide a next-generation wireless experience, and further establishing Qualcomm Technologies as a leader in the industry transition towards 5G.  (Android Authority, Qualcomm, ZDNet, Samsung, Xinhuanet)

Qualcomm has announced the industry’s first qualified end-to-end Bluetooth Smart Headset reference design featuring push-button activation support for Alexa for users of Android phones with the Alexa app. Based on Qualcomm’s most advanced family of Bluetooth audio chips (QCC5100-series), the reference design includes virtually all the key hardware and software required for manufacturers to help them develop advanced Bluetooth headsets more efficiently and cost-effectively.  (CN Beta, Engadget, Market Watch, Qualcomm)

Touch Display

Samsung has teased a big reveal of the foldable device, or at least a prototype version of it, describing its upcoming developer conference as “the crossroads between the present and the future” and showing a subtle graphic of 2 lines unfolding into a right-facing arrow. (The Verge, Android Authority, Twitter, CN Beta)

Battery

Huawei engineer reveals that to achieve 15W wireless charging, a 40W charger is needed. This is mainly because this wireless charging disk requires 12V voltage input. Huawei currently has no other charger that is lower power 12V, thus must rely on this 40W. (CN Beta, OfWeek)

Qualcomm has announced that the Quick Charge (QC) tech is available on more than 1,000 devices, including smartphones, accessories and more.  Quick Charge 4+ (QC4+), includes improved Dual Charge, intelligent thermal balancing and additional layers of advanced safety features. Quick Charge 4 is designed to provide a superior charging solution by delivering up to 50% power charge in roughly 15 minutes or less. (CN Beta, 91Mobiles, Cool3C, Qualcomm)

Samsung is reportedly working on graphene batteries which is said to be much better than the lithium ion batteries. The Advanced Institute of Technology has tested graphene batteries and found that these batteries can be charged in 12 minutes. Samsung graphene batteries can hold 45% more charge than the current lithium-ion batteries. Graphene battery cells can be charged 5 times faster than the present technology. (GizChina, Gizmo China, Sam Mobile, Sina, EDN China, EE World)

Phone

Apple iPhone XR will fare far better than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in terms of shipments, Robert Cihra of Guggenheim Securities predicts, but while the low cost could hurt the overall iPhone average selling price (ASP), the release will probably help drive demand and 4Q18 revenue. The XR will outpace shipments of iPhone 8 range of 2017 by about 50%. The analyst estimates the iPhone XR will make up 40% of Apple’s unit mix for the Dec 2018 quarter, rising to more than 50% in the Mar 2019 quarter.  (GizChina, 199IT, Apple Insider, CCIDNet, Phone Arena)

TF Securities Ming-Chi Kuo said that although pre-order demand immediately after launch has been lower for Apple iPhone XR versus the flagship iPhone XS models, overall iPhone XR shipment momentum is “more stable” because it will drive more customers to upgrade than the iPhone 8 series over time. (Mac Rumors, Phone Arena, CN Beta)

India-based telecom operator Reliance Jio is expected to become the world’s 10th largest handset brand in 2018 with its shipments totaling 25M~30M units in 2018, according to an estimate of Digitimes Research. The strong sales of the Jio Phones have also helped boost the share of KaiOS in the mobile operation system market. The KaiOS is expected to continue to gain growth momentum in emerging markets, with prospects to ramp up its share in the global mobile OS market to 3% in 2019. (Digitimes, press, GSM Arena, UDN, UDN)

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has confirmed that OnePlus will be one of the first, if not the first smartphone maker to incorporate 5G in its smartphones. OnePlus has already conducted a 5G test at Qualcomm’s headquarters in San Diego back in Aug 2018. (CN Beta, Fonearena, Gizmo China, First Post)

Samsung is said to be working on a gaming smartphone. There is even a claim that Samsung might test its S-GPU for this device. S-GPU is what Samsung reportedly calls its in-house GPU. (Neowin, Twitter, Sam Mobile, Sohu, Sina, Mash Digi)

OPPO R15X with in-display fingerprint is announced in China – 6.4” 2340×1080 FHD+ AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, rear 16MP-2MP + front 25MP, 6+128GB, Android 8.1, in-display fingerprint scanner, 3600mAh, CNY2,499. (GizChina, Gizmo China, Sohu)

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro under-display fingerprint version is launched in Taiwan – 6.21” 1080×2248 FHD+ Super AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, rear dual 12MP-12MP + front 20MP, under-display fingerprint scanner, 3000mAh, NTD15,999 (USD516). (CN Beta, Sina, China Times, TechNews, GSM Arena, Mi.com)

HTC Exodus 1 blockchain smartphone is launched – 6.0” QHD+ 18:9, rear dual 12MP-16MP + front dual 8MP-8MP, 6+128GB, Android 8.0, HTC BoomSound, HTC USonic, IP68 rated, 3500mAh, 0.15BTC or 4.78ETH (about USD970). (CN Beta, HTC, Sohu, CNBC, Wired, Trusted Review, CNET)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

Samsung has announced a new advanced display technology for the HMD Odyssey+, bringing true-to-life visuals to its entry into the Windows mixed reality space through the Windows Mixed Reality Platform that delivers an improved life-like and immersive experiences. (Sammy Hub, Ubergizmo, Samsung, Sohu, Baijiahao)

Home

According to Strategy Analytics, the most popular smart speaker model in the US is the Amazon Echo, which accounts for 23% of all smart speakers in use. Including all its models, Amazon accounts for 63% of smart speakers in use, while Google accounts for 17% and Apple 4%.  The research also found that there is plenty of opportunity for other smart speaker brands: when asked to name one brand they would choose for their next smart speaker, 54% of users chose either Amazon, Google or Apple, leaving nearly half the market open to competitors. (VentureBeat, Ubergizmo, Apple World, Strategy Analytics)

Automotive

British company Dyson is moving ahead with its plans to build an electric car. Dyson has announced that board members have approved the construction of its first car manufacturing plant in Singapore, due for completion in 2020. Dyson first announced it would be entering the automotive business in 2017.  (CN Beta, The Verge)

Addison Lee Group, the global ground transportation business, and Oxbotica, the British leader in self-driving vehicle software, will collaborate on the development, deployment and operation of autonomous vehicles with a view to providing customers self-driving services in London by 2021. (Engadget, BBC, Addison Lee, Baijiahao, Zhidx)

Ford and its partner Argo AI have unveiled plans to test their autonomous vehicles in the US capital Washington, DC with an eye toward commercial service in 2021. (Engadget, Medium, Neowin, Ford, Sina, CN Beta)