06-17: Huawei Technologies is reportedly preparing for a 40%~60% drop in international smartphone shipments; HuaweiHuawei Technologies is reportedly preparing for a 40%~60% drop in international smartphone shipments; etc.
Chipsets
Nvidia will make its chips work with processors from ARM Holdings to build supercomputers, deepening Nvidia’s push into systems that are used for modeling both climate change predictions and nuclear weapons. The move to work with Arm on supercomputers follows Nvidia’s USD6.8B deal to buy Israeli firm Mellanox, wihich makes high-speed networking chips that help stitch together many smaller computers into a larger one and is found in some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. (CN Beta, Reuters)
Qualcomm next-gen SoC SDM8250 allegedly will be Snapdragon 865, which will have 2 variants, namely Kona and Huracan. One of which allegedly will have an integrated 5G modem dubbed Snapdragon X55. Snapdragon 865 would support LPDDR5X. Devices with this SoC are believed to launch in 1Q20. (Hot Hardware, GizChina, CN Beta)
Touch Display
Huawei’s new “foldable mobile device” patent describes 3 form factors. One of the patent images shows that when folded into a phone, one of the flanks overlaps the other on the back of the foldable. When open, those left and right screens take their place to form a big tablet display. Another form factor can morph into because of the strong hinges. (CN Beta, Gizmo China, LetsGoDigital, GizChina)
The combined capacity of flexible OLED panels of 6G and below processes of Samsung Display and LG Display is expected to expand 22.2% on year in 4Q19 thanks to the capacity ramps by both Korea makers at their Tangjing A4 and Paju P9-6E lines, respectively, according to Digitimes Research. (Digitimes, press, Digitimes)
Japan Display Inc (JDI) has indicated that Taiwanese touch-screen maker TPK is pulling out of a plan to inject capital. It would have provided USD230M to JDI. Sharp Chairman and CEO Tai Jeng-wu has revealed that his company would be amenable to a tie-up with JDI. (CN Beta, Sina, LTN, Sohu, Asia Nikkei, FT, NHK)
Camera
OmniVision has announced the launch of the first 0.8um 48MP image sensor OV48B, to achieve 1/2” optical size high resolution. the product uses Howe Technology’s PureCel Plus chip stacking technology to provide state-of-the-art still image and video capture for mainstream smartphones. (CN Beta, OVT, IT Xinwen, Gearbest)
Connectivity
China Telecom Guangdong Company and Huawei have signed a 5G strategic cooperation agreement. Both parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in 5G network construction, industry application development and business model innovation to further accelerate 5G commercialization. (CN Beta, Sina)
China Mobile has awarded half of its 5G network equipment contracts to Huawei Technologies. Huawei will provide 49% of the MME/SGSN equipment and 54% of the SAE-GW/GGSN equipment. Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia bagged 34% and 12% of the MME/SGSN equipment orders, as well as 34% and 9% of the SAE-GW/GGSN orders respectively. (China.org.cn, SCMP, Sina, EEO)
Samsung Electronics VP Jay Y. Lee has revealed that the company will pursue investment in future businesses including sixth-generation (6G) mobile networks and system semiconductors. (Phone Arena, CN Beta, Bloomberg)
Phone
Huawei Technologies is reportedly preparing for a 40%~60% drop in international smartphone shipments as the Trump administration’s blacklisting hammers one of the Huawei’s most important businesses. The internal estimates are that there will be a sales drop of roughly 40M~60M devices in 2019. (Android Authority, Bloomberg, Android Central, CNMO)
Huawei CEO and founder Ren Zhengfei has revealed that the company’s revenue will be about USD100B for 2019 and 2020. Ren has said that Huawei will reduce its production capacity which will equate to a USD30B hit to revenue versus its forecasts. He has also said that over the next 2 years, Huawei will “do a lot of switch over of different product versions,” but did not specify if it meant finding replacements for American components. (Engadget, CNBC, Bloomberg, CN Beta)
Huawei Honor has revealed that it has sold over 1M units of the Honor 20 smartphone within just 14 days of its launch in China. (Gizmo China, Weibo, PC Pop, Sina)
Since announcing Apple TV+ in Mar 2019, Apple has been busy with a new project: financing 6 small-budget movies a year with an eye toward stories that could win Academy Awards. Apple is looking to spend USD5M~30M per project. (CN Beta, Apple Insider, NY Post)
A recent investigation by Nomu found that over 10M bacteria could be found on a phone with nearly a quarter of phones carrying 10 times as much as the acceptable number of bacteria. Nomu has built a phone M8 that is both rugged and offers antibacterial protection by implanting bi-ions on the surface of the glass the phone is encased in. (Pocket-Lint, Nomu)
Germany may soon be added to a short list of countries looking to allow users to use Apple iPhone in place of physical identification cards and passports. The federal government’s AusweisApp2 will be made available for free in the fall of 2019, allowing German citizens and visitors to use their iPhone as a digital ID card, an electronic visa, and a digital copy of their passport. (Apple Insider, Der Personalausweis, CN Beta)