IF / News

Chipsets

MediaTek has introduced the Dimensity 800 chipset, aimed to power mid-range smartphones in 2020. It has an integrated 5G modem. The smartphone with Dimensity 800 is expected to launch in 2Q20, and the chipset will be launched in 1Q20. (GSM Arena, Liliputing, IT Home)

Qualcomm is reportedly planning to produce its flagship processor Snapdragon 865 via TSMC and less expensive Snapdragon 765 and 765G via Samsung Electronics although Samsung Electronics’ foundry process roadmap is months ahead of TSMC’s. The decision of Qualcomm, the global AP market leader, is to keep Samsung Electronics at bay by not sharing its intellectual properties related to flagship APs. (Business Korea, Android Headlines)

Intel is closing two German locations at the end 2019 as a consequence of Intel exiting the 5G smartphone modem space, causing 450 employees to lose their job. (CN Beta, Tom’s Hardware, GizChina)

Touch Display

E Ink has announced Print-Color E Ink. E Ink intends to introduce this technology into the following two application sectors: smart education and new retail. E Ink plans to finalize its Print-Color screens by 2Q20. (Liliputing, CTimes, 36Kr, Sina, MoneyBar)

Samsung has created an “ultra-thin glass cover” for its next foldable phone, pointing to a flatter screen and fewer wrinkles as proof. (Engadget, The Verge, CN Beta)

Global sales of smartphones with AMOLED panels are set to surpass 600M units by the end of 2020 with a YoY growth of 46%, according to Counterpoint Research. The growth will be coming from the diffusion of AMOLED into mid-tier price bands, driven by Chinese brands like Huawei, Vivo, OPPO, realme, and Xiaomi, as they seek to differentiate their offerings. (Gizmo China, Counterpoint Research, CNMO)

LG’s dual-screen strategy will remain an integral part of LG’s flagship smartphones. LG is expected to showcase an accompanying second-screen accessory for V60 ThinQ that offers a dual-screen experience when combined with the main phone. (GizChina, YNA)

Camera

Huawei has filed a patent for a device with a flip triple camera design. The triple camera setup will be able to flip 180° to double as the front-facing cameras. If the setup includes an ultrawide angle camera, owners will be able to take wide-angle selfies. (Android Headlines, LetsGoDigital, Gizmo China, IT Home)

Apple’s high-end 2020 iPhones will reportedly replace the optical image stabilization used in iPhone 11 cameras with sensor-shift technology, which will apply the stabilization to the camera module itself, expanding the feature to the ultra-wide lens. (Apple Insider, Digitimes, Digital Trends, Tencent, CN Beta)

According TF Securities, Huawei’s smartphone with periscope telephoto lens will increase significantly by about 310% to 37M units in 2020 (vs. 9M units in 2019). They predict: (1) P40 Pro will use a newly designed periscope telephoto lens, the first mobile phone to support 10x optical zoom; (2) The existing P30 Pro’s periscope telephoto lens will be adopted for more lower-priced models in 2020; and (3) Optical zoom is the key to the specification upgrade of high-end smartphones in 2020. (TF Securities, Mac Rumors)

Battery

Samsung is working on a power bank with 25W wired fast charging support. The power bank will also feature wireless charging which will likely max out at 15W. (Neowin, Sam Mobile, Romz)

Connectivity

Apple has reportedly hired a secret team to work toward using satellite technology to beam data to the company’s devices. Apple’s plan to use satellites in beaming data to its devices may help it reduce its reliance on wireless carriers. The technology may also be used to link devices without the need for a traditional network, or for more precise location tracking that will lead to improved navigation apps and new features. (Digital Trends, Bloomberg, Fortune China, Sina, IT Home)

Phone

According to Counterpoint Research, overall global handset profits declined 11% YoY to USD12B in 3Q19 due to an increased mix of entry to mid-tier products and a fall in revenues for key smartphone OEMs. Within the top 10 brands, only Samsung and Huawei manage to increase their revenue on an annual basis. Apple dominates the global handset market by capturing 66% of industry profits and 32% of the overall handset revenue. (Apple Insider, Counterpoint Research)

OPPO’s VP and global sales president Wu Qiang has indicated that the top smartphone OEMs are unlikely to die out soon or go out of business but the rankings are expected to change soon. In other words, the current leader, Samsung, might be dethroned while other companies may also rise higher. (Gizmo China, IT Home)

OPPO’s VP and global sales president Wu Qiang has revealed that the new products above CNY3,000 released by 1H20 will be 5G phones; by summer 2020 5G phones launched will be CNY2,000-3,000 price range; and by the end of 2020, 5G phones will be at CNY1,000-2,000 price range. (Gizmo China, IT Home)

Meizu’s CTO, Liang Dongming, has revealed that the company will release about 4 high-end 5G mobile phones in 2020. The company will fully invest in 5G by 2020. In addition, its 5G program will not prioritize any region. (GizChina, IT Home)

Huawei consumer business CEO Richard Yu has announced that Huawei smartphone shipments in 2019 will hit 230M units total. (Android Authority, GSM Arena, Sina)

According to Counterpoint Research, Apple iPhone XR is the top-selling model globally in 3Q19, capturing 3% market share. In fact, except for the launch quarter in Sept 2018, iPhone XR has been the top-selling model globally in every quarter since 4Q18. Samsung has 3 models in the top 10, all from the Galaxy A series. (GSM Arena, Counterpoint Research)

OPPO Reno 3 5G series is launched: Reno 3 – 6.4” 1080×2400 FHD+ AMOLED, MediaTek Dimensity 1000L, rear quad 64MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP monochrome-2MP depth + front 32MP, 8+128 / 12+128GB, Android 10, fingerprint on display, 4025mAh 30W, CNY3,399 (USD485) / CNY3,699 (USD530). Reno 3 Pro – 6.5” 1080×2400 FHD+ AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, rear quad 48MP-13MP telephoto-8MP ultrawide-2MP monochrome + front 32MP, 8+128GB, Android 10, fingerprint on display, 4025mAh 30W, CNY4,199 (USD600). (GSM Arena, Android Central, Android Authority, OPPO, OPPO)

OPPO A91 is launched – 6.4” 1080×2400 FHD+ AMOLED, MediaTek Helio P60 MT6771V, rear quad 48MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP macro-2MP depth + front 16MP, 8+128GB, Android 9, fingerprint on display, 4025mAh 30W, CNY1,999 (USD285). (GSM Arena, The Mobile Indian, BGR)

OPPO A8 is launched – 6.5” 720×1260 HD+ IPS, MediaTek Helio P35 MT6765, rear tri 12MP-2MP macro-2MP depth + front 8MP, 4+128GB, Android 9, rear fingerprint, 4230mAh, CNY1,199 (USD170). (GSM Arena, The Mobile Indian, BGR)

vivo Y11 (2019) is launched in India – 6.35” 720×1544 HD+ IPS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, rear dual 13MP-2MP depth + front 8MP, 3+32GB, Android 9, rear fingerprint, 5000mAh 10W, INR8,990 (USD126). (Gizmo China, 91Mobiles, Fonearena, NDTV)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

Facebook is allegedly developing its own operating system that could one day reduce the company’s reliance on Google’s Android. Both Facebook’s Oculus and Portal devices currently run on a modified version of Android. (The Verge, The Information, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Back China, Kejilie)

Tesla Studios — known for its full-body haptic feedback suit Teslasuit — is introducing a glove that can let users feel virtual textures and gather biometric data. The device is called simply the “Teslasuit Glove”. It combines several different technologies to simultaneously create the impression of touching and holding objects, capture the motion of users’ hands, and record pulse and other biometric information. (The Verge, Techeblog, CN Beta)

Fintech

Goldman Sachs invests USD15M in Bangalore-based ZestMoney. ZestMoney employs its own credit scoring algorithms to do risk profiling of e-commerce consumers who opt for equated monthly installment (EMI) payment option and works with financial institutions to give loans to such consumers. (TechCrunch, TechCrunch, Live Mint)

Ripple, a blockchain technology company, has announced USD200M in investment funding. The startup has been focused on improving cross-border payments and other money-transmitting activities using XRP, a cryptocurrency that has its own blockchain, the XRP Ledger. (CN Beta, Paypers,  TechCrunch)