IF / News

Chipsets

Samsung Electronics has begun mass production of 6nm semiconductors based on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology. The company rolls out 6nm products in only 8 months since it started mass production of 7nm products. Samsung’s cycle of upgrading microfabrication process technology is being shortened. In particular, the transition to a 6nm EUV process is expected to narrow Samsung’s gap with Taiwan’s TSMC. (CN Beta, Business Korea)

[CES2020] Ambarella, an AI vision silicon company, today announced the CV22FS and CV2FS automotive camera system on chips (SoCs) with Cvflow AI processing and ASIL B compliance to enable safety-critical applications. Both chips target forward-facing monocular and stereovision ADAS cameras, as well as computer vision ECUs for L2+ and higher levels of autonomy. (VentureBeat, Financial Post)

Touch Display

LG Display (LGD) will reportedly upgrade its production facility by deploying new equipment to to provide Apple with touch-integrated panels with low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) backplane technology. LTPO backplane technology is currently used in the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5, making them less power-hungry and up to 15% more efficient that the previous-generation low-temperature polysilicon technology (LTPS) that Apple currently uses in its iPhone models. (Phone Arena, WCCFTech, The Elec, IT Home, Sohu, Moore)

Samsung has patented a new smartphone with a Dual Display feature, built on an innovative Magnetic Hinge system. From the design render, it can also be seen that the new hinge mechanics is primarily hidden from view, allowing for both displays to be in close proximity allowing for a more uninterrupted viewing experience.。(Gizmo China, Patently Mobile, C114)

Camera

[CES2020] Bosch showcases Virtual Visor, which features a transparent LCD screen paired with a small in-cabin RGB camera used to track the sun shining on the driver’s face. The system employs artificial intelligence (AI) to locate facial features (including eyes, mouth and nose) in order to track shadows as they move across the driver’s face. (Pocket-Lint, Auto Car, CNET, Inside)

Brian Shen, vice president of OPPO, has revealed that due to the process of mass production, the upcoming OPPO Find X2 will not have an in display camera like earlier rumors hinted at. (My Drivers, Gizmo China)

Phone

Huawei Y6s is launched in Philippines – 6.09” 1560×720 HD+ IPS, MediaTek Helio P35, rear 13MP + front 8MP, 3+32GB, Android 9.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 3020mAh, PHP6,999 (USD137). (Gizmo China, Mobile Indian, Huawei, Gadgets Now, 91Mobiles)

realme 5i is launched in Vietnam and soon in India – 6.52” 720×1600 HD+ IPS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, rear quad 12MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP macro-2MP depth + front 8MP, 4+64GB, Android 9.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 5000mAh 10W, VND3.690M (USD160). (Gizmo China, NDTV, GSM Arena)

Wearables

[CES2020] Withings has announced the ScanWatch — a watch with Withings’ familiar watch face but with more health tracking capabilities. Utilizing a Sp02 sensor, the ScanWatch can monitor blood oxygen saturation levels to help detect may be suffering from inadequate breathing while sleep. It is priced at USD249 (38mm) and USD299 (42mm). (Android Central, Digital Trends, Android Authority)

[CES2020] Jabra Elite Active 75t is announced, which features “a durable coating for dust and sweat resistance” and bump up the water / sweat resistance to IP57. Battery life is identical to the standard model: 7.5 hours on a single charge and a total of 28 hours when you factor in the case. It is priced at USD199. (Android Headlines, The Verge, Android Central)

[CES2020] Suunto 7 is announced, features OLED touchscreen, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100, 1+4.5GB, equipped with barometric altimeter and optical heart rate sensor, built-in GPS, 50m water resistence, priced at USD499. (Android Authority, 9to5Google, Suunto)

[CES2020] Nuheara has announced IQbuds2 MAX, which still uses EarID technology to automatically calibrate the sound to fit user’s hearing, but they now have larger 9.2mm drivers that improve sound quality, particularly bass. It is priced at USD399. (Engadget, Nuheara)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

[CES2020] Pico has announced two separate Neo 2 family headsets: Pico Neo 2 Standard and Neo 2 Eye, the latter incorporating Tobii’s eye tracking technology. Designed primarily for enterprise customers, both of the headsets are based on the same basic platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, coupled with Wi-Fi 5. (VentureBeat, Upload VR, Auganix)

Home

[CES2020] Vizio has unveiled a massive upgrade to its television lineup for 2020, with its V, M and P series televisions. It now has an array of P-Series Quantum X televisions, in 65”, 75” and 85”. Vizio says that supporting many TVs is a new 64-bit 1GHz ARM processor for 4K stretching and precise color optimization. (CN Beta, Android Central, The Verge)

[CES2020] Samsung Electronics is launching a bezel-less QLED 8K TV, Samsung Q950TS with upgraded artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. It adopts the Infinity design concept and has an up to 99% screen ratio with only 15mm thick. (GizChina, CN Beta)

[CES2020] L’Oréal has unveiled Perso, an AI-powered at-home system for beauty personalization. Developed by the L’Oréal Technology Incubator, Perso features a streamlined 4-step process to deliver on-the-spot skincare and cosmetic formulas that optimize for increasing levels of personalization over time. (VentureBeat, PR Newswire, Fashion Network, CN Beta)

[CES2020] Oral-B and Colgate are launching new smart toothbrushes: Oral-B iO and Colgate Plaqless Pro Toothbrush. Oral-B iO claims it has artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms to “facilitate achieving perfect brushing results in all 16 zones for superior oral health”. Colgate Plaqless Pro claims it will help improve user brushing by “providing precise information in real time that is specific to each mouth”. (CN Beta, The Verge, Hindustan Times)

Automotive

NIO delivered 3,170 vehicles in Dec 2019, representing a robust 25.4% month-over-month growth contributed by strong sales of both the ES6 and ES8. The deliveries consisted of 2,537 ES6s and 633 ES8s, an increase of 22.7% and 37.3% respectively, compared with November 2019. As of 31 Dec 2019, aggregate deliveries of the ES6 and the ES8 reached 31,913 vehicles, of which 20,565 were delivered in 2019. (CN Beta, Sina, Globe Newswire)