IF / News

Touch Display

LG patents a phone with rollable display. The patent shows the phone can roll around its housing, which makes it larger than a tablet. The display mechanism may be a magnetic design. (GizChina, LetsGoDigital, Sina)

Memory

China-based DRAM chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT, formerly Innotron) and GigaDevice has begun jointly developing 19nm DRAM, and already launched samples of 8Gb DDR4 end of 2018, samples of 8Gb LPDDR4 in 3Q19 and will enter mass production by end of 2019 with monthly capacity of 20K units of wafer. The companies aim to increase production to 125K. (CN Beta, Shoujibao)

Connectivity

SK Telecom has announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Samsung Electronics to jointly develop and commercialize the world’s first 5G-8K TV. The 5G-8K TV will revolutionize users’ television-watching experience by directly receiving 8K video over SK Telecom’s ultra-low latency and ultra-wideband 5G network. (Engadget, SK Telecom, Digitimes)

Phone

Apple could sell as many as 200M of its latest iPhones from existing users upgrading their older devices and much of that demand will come from China despite an ongoing trade war. According to Wedbush, the upgrade cycle could translate into roughly 180M iPhone units sold in the next 12 months with roughly 60M~70M consumers due for an upgrade in China. Apple currently has about 900M active iPhones globally. (NY Times, First Post, CN Beta)

A forecast from IDC shows signs of market recovery in the second half of 2019 and into 2020, pushing smartphone shipment growth back into positive territory. IDC expects shipment volumes to be nearly flat (-0.4%) in 2H19 while the market declines 2.2% year over year for the full year, making 2019 the third straight year of global contraction. IDC expects shipment growth to reach 1.6% in 2020. (IDC, press, data, CN Beta)

OPPO Reno 2 is announced – 6.5” 1080×2400 FHD+ AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 730, rear quad 48MP-13MP telephoto-8MP ultrawide-2MP monochrome + front motorized pop-up 16MP, 8+256GB, Android 9.0, under display fingerprint, 4000mAh 20W, CNY2,999 (USD420). (GizChina, Gizmo China, OPPO, CN Beta)

OPPO A9 (2020) is announced – 6.5” 1600×720 HD+ IPS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, rear quad 48MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP depth-2MP macro + front 16MP, 4/8+128GB, Android 9.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 4000mAh, INR16,990  (USD237) / INR19,990 (USD279). (GSM Arena, OPPO, GizChina, Fonearena)

OPPO A5 (2020) is announced – 6.2” 1600×720 HD+ IPS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, rear quad 12MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP depth-2MP macro + front 8MP, 3+64 / 4+128GB, Android 9.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 5000mAh, INR12,490 (USD174) / INR13,990 (USD195). (Gizmo China, OPPO)

Apple new iPhone series is announced, powered by Apple A13 Bionic, features front 12MP + 3D ToF, iOS 13, IP68 rated, 18W fast charging, Qi wireless charging: iPhone 11 – 6.1” 828×1792 IPS, rear dual 12MP wide OIS-12MP ultrawide, 4+64 / 4+128 / 4+256GB, 3110mAh, from USD699. iPhone 11 Pro – 5.8” 1125×2346 OLED Retina, rear tri 12MP wide OIS-12MP 2x telephoto OIS-12MP ultrawide, 6+64 / 6+256 / 6+512GB, 3190mAh, from USD999. iPhone 11 Pro Max – 6.5” 1242×2688 OLED Retina, rear tri 12MP wide OIS-12MP 2x telephoto OIS-12MP ultrawide, 6+64 / 6+256 / 6+512GB, 3500mAh, from USD1,099. (GSM Arena, Apple Insider, Apple Insider)

PC Tablet

Apple launches new iPad – 10.2” 2160×1620 IPS LCD Retinal Display, Apple A10, rear 8MP + front 1.2MP, 32GB / 128GB, iPadOS, stereo speakers, 32.4Wh, accessories include Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard, from USD329. (Phone Arena, Apple Insider, Apple)

Wearables

Apple Watch Series 5 is announced – Always-On OLED Retina display with Force Touch, Apple S5 processor, Apple W3 wireless chip, optical / electric heart rate, altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, 50m water resistant, 32GB storage, WatchOS 6, USD399 (GPS) / USD499 (cellular). (GSM Arena, Apple Insider, The Verge)

Apple is launching a new Research app for Apple Watch owners that will allow people to opt to privately contribute to health research by sharing the data collected from the smartwatch and its many sensors, as well as the Apple Health app. (TechCrunch, CN Beta)

According to Digitimes, Apple’s suppliers are gearing up for assembling for the next-generation AirPods as early as Oct 2019. (CN Beta, Mac Rumors, Digitimes)

Apple has announced the launch of Apple Watch Studio, which will allow consumers to create the Apple Watch case and band pairing that they want, instead of having to choose one designed by Apple. (CN Beta, The Verge, TechCrunch, Apple)

Home

Global shipments of smart speakers have continued growing in 2019, albeit at a slower-than-expected pace, but US vendors are already turning their focus to other applications for voice recognition technology, according to Digitimes. In terms of unit shipments, the global smart speaker shipments are expected to record double-digit growth in 2019, but the growth rate will be modest if the shipments to China are excluded. (Digitimes, press)

Automotive

Microsoft has announced new partners for Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform (MCVP) and also announced Microsoft for Startups: Autonomous Driving program. Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform is a cloud framework through which car manufacturers can deliver the following services to car owners. (CN Beta, Microsoft Azure, MS Poweruser)

Uber has laid off 435 employees across its product and engineering teams, the company announced today. Combined, the layoffs represent about 8% of the organization, with 170 people leaving the product team and 265 people leaving the engineering team. (CN Beta, TechCrunch, CNBC)

E-Commerce

Alibaba Group has acquired NetEase Kaola for USD2B, and will integrate it into Tmall, creating the largest cross-border e-commerce platform in China. The transaction paves the way for the two internet companies with deep roots in Hangzhou to further identify and explore business collaborations. (CN Beta, TechCrunch, CNN, PR Newswire)

Shopify has announced it is acquiring 6 River Systems, a startup focused on fulfillment automation for e-commerce and retail operations. The deal is valued at approximately USD450M. Shopify has announced the Shopify Fulfillment Network, which uses machine learning to ensure timely deliveries and lower shipping costs. (VentureBeat, Shopify, Now.com)