IF / News

Chipsets

Huawei will allegedly start mass produce Kirin 980 in 3Q19, which will be equipped with 5G capability. Kirin 980 will be manufactured using the FC-PoP method (FlipChip Package-on-Package), which allows vertical stacking of transistors. Combined with the Extreme UltraViolet(EUV)  process, the transistor density will be increased by 20%. (GSM Arena, CNMO)

Tsinghua Unigroup’s chipmaking arm Unisoc has recently released a new generation chipset platform, Tiger 310 mobile SoC, for 4G smartphones, seeking to better cash in on pre-5G replacement demand. The T310 chipset, to be fabricated on TSMC’s 12nm process, supports six mobile communication modes. Unisoc has also newly launched its first 5G modem chip solution, dubbed Ivy 510.  (Digitimes, press, Digitimes, Demo96, Cinic)

Touch Display

The Foxconn Group has continued to deepen its deployments in micro LED technology through a multi-pronged approach in order to win micro LED-backlit display orders from Apple for its next-generation iPhone devices. Foxconn has had 3 of its subsidiaries – Advanced Optoelectronic Technology (AOT), Epileds Technologies, and Marketech International – develop and build up their capacities related to the production of micro LED chips and production equipment. (CN Beta, Digitimes press, WongCW, Sina)

Battery

Electric vehicle (EV) battery maker LG Chem said it has sued its South Korean peer SK Innovation in the United States for alleged theft of trade secrets. LG Chem and its American unit have filed a lawsuit against SK Innovation in the U.S.  (My Drivers, Sina, Electrek, Reuters)

Phone

Meizu is reportedly bringing 5G capabilities for the successor of Meizu 16s, which is dubbed “Meizu 17”. The new phone will allegedly adopt the portless design from the Meizu Zero concept phone. (GSM Arena, Weibo, Sohu, IT Home)

Spotify has announced that it now has over 100M premium subscribers to its service. Spotify said it has 217M monthly global users, a leap of 26% year-over-year. (Pocket-Lint, Forbes, CNN, The Verge, IT Home, Huanqiu)

HTC plans to launch its second-generation blockchain-focused smartphone before year-end 2019 in an effort to boost its smartphone sales while continuing to expand its blockchain ecosystem, according to the company’s chief decentralized officer Phil Chen. (Digitimes, press, TechNews, HKET)

OPPO touts that the Reno 5G will be the “first commercial 5G smartphone available on market in Europe”. The device will make its retail debut in Switzerland in partnership with wireless carrier Swisscom, with a price of CHF999 (USD980).  (Android Headlines, Neowin, Pocket Now)

Samsung has filed a trademark application for a new gaming service to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the South Korean tech giant will likely call this gaming platform the “PlayGalaxy Link”. (Android Headlines, LetsGoDigital, TechNode)

Lynx Equity Strategies sees Apple selling 173M iPhones for the year of 2019, an 8% cut from its previous estimate of 188M units. The firm also cuts its forecast of 2019 iPhone revenue by 10.1% from USD143.5B to USD129B. Lynx does not expect a 5G iPhone launch before 2021 and sees that device launching only in China. (My Drivers, Phone Arena, Seeking Alpha)

nubia Red Magic 3 is announced – 6.65” 2340×1080 FHD+ AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, rear 48MP + front 16MP, 6+64 / 6+128 / 8+128 / 12+256GB, Android 9.0,2^nd-Gen ICE liquid cooling, stereo speakers, 5000mAh 27W fast charging, from CNY2,899. (Android Authority, Red Magic, Android Headlines, GSM Arena, CN Beta)

vivo Z3x is launched in China – 6.26” 2280×1080 FHD+ TFT, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, rear dual 13MP-2MP + front 16MP, 4+64GB, Android 9.0, 3260mAh, CNY1,198. (GSM Arena, vivo, Mobilecryptotech)

Wearables

Garmin has  announced a new Forerunner lineup that brings integrated music capabilities, full-color mapping, and advanced training, safety and tracking features to its popular GPS running smartwatches. Designed with the runner in mind, the new Forerunners – Forerunner 45 , Forerunner 45S , Forerunner 245 , Forerunner 245 Music and Forerunner 945 – will not only track a run, but will monitor stats, crunch the numbers and get to know all about an athlete’s performance, training history, goals and more. (GSM Arena, Garmin, Android Authority, Digital Trends)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

NexTech AR Solutions has announced the launch of sentiment analysis capabilities within its ‘Try-It-On’ augmented reality (AR) experience for online retail, the second in a series of sentiment-based technology solutions being developed for its patent pending web-enabled AR e-Commerce platform and site optimization. (VentureBeat, Streetwise Reports, Yahoo)

Home

Samsung has announced a new smartTV dubbed the Sero, which is a 43” TV designed for Millennials. The TV is designed in such a way as to be used in the vertical orientation and horizontally. The Sero comes with 4.1-channel, 60W speakers along with an integrated navy stand and a minimalist rear design.  (Gizmo China, Samsung, CN Beta, EXPreview)

Huawei allegedly plans to launch the world’s first 5G smart TV in 2019. The company may have a 55” (display from BOE) and 65” (display from CSOT) TV. Huawei aims to have 10M units shipment of TV annually. The TV might feature dual camera, and supports gaming and social functions. (GizChina, CN Beta, IT Home)

Robotics

Anki, the San Francisco startup behind AI-imbued robotics toys like Overdrive, Cozmo, and Vector, has shuttered its doors after raising close to USD200M in venture capital from Index Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, J.P. Morgan, Andreessen Horowitz, and other investors. (VentureBeat, Recode, iFanr, OfWeek)