IF / News

Chipsets

TSMC is slated to start trial phases of the production for its latest 3nm fabrication process by the end of 2020. However, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the semiconductor giant has had to delay its plans until early 2021. The company is currently focusing on its 7nm and 5nm processes.  (Gizmo China, UDN)

TSMC plans to build a new high-end IC packaging and testing plant in Miaoli County, Taiwan Province, in the bamboo south section of the Hsinchu Science Park, which will be completed in May 2021 and will be operational in a few month. TSMC board of directors have approved NTD168.2B (about CNY40B) spending plan as part of its investment in the plant.  (CN Beta, UDN, China Times, Small Tech News)

Huawei is rumored preparing for the prolonged disputes between the US and China and is currently in works to replace US equipment. Huawei is checking to confirm whether US technology was actually used in their semiconductor equipment. Furthermore, Huawei is also visiting various semiconductor based companies in South Korea.  (Gizmo China, ET News, China Times, CNYES)

Huawei is rumored preparing for the prolonged disputes between the US and China and is currently in works to replace US equipment. Huawei is checking to confirm whether US technology was actually used in their semiconductor equipment. Furthermore, Huawei is also visiting various semiconductor based companies in South Korea. (Gizmo China, ET News, China Times, CNYES)

Touch Display

Apple is reportedly investing USD330M in a new factory in Taiwan where it will build MicroLED displays for future MacBook laptops. That screens are for future iPhones, iPads, and other devices will be built in the same facility. Apple’s partners in the new factory will be Epistar and LCD maker AU Optronics (AUO). (CN Beta, My Drivers, Mac Rumors, Tweak Town, CENS)

Memory

Samsung Electronics has announced plans to expand its NAND flash production capacity in Pyeongtaek, Korea. Construction, which began this May, will pave the way for mass production of Samsung’s cutting-edge V-NAND memory in 2H21. Samsung did not disclose the cost of the expansion, but local news outlets have indicated the figure may be around KRW8T (USD6.5B). (CN Beta, Digitimes, Korea Herald, Korea Joongang Daily, Samsung)

Nanya Technology expects DRAM contract prices to continue rising in 3Q20, as demand arising from stay-at-home economy remains robust. It is expected that the contract price of DRAM will continue to rise, which means that the revenue of DRAM manufacturers will continue to increase, and the market size of DRAM will continue to expand. (CN Beta, UDN, LTN, Digitimes, Taipei Times)

Camera

Huawei has filed 2 patents with China National Intellectual Property Office (CNIPA) showing a smartphone feature displays that curve over the phones’ sides. The front of the devices is shown to be bezelless and with no notches of any kind, to hold the selfie camera, nor is there a visible mechanism for a pop-up camera. This strongly suggests that Huawei is planning to design this device with an under-screen camera. (Phone Arena, LetsGoDigital, Gizmo China, CN Beta)

Connectivity

With more than 3,000 patent applications filed and more than 1,200 of these granted, Huawei has taken first place in a ranking complied by IPlytics and the Technical University of Berlin. Huawei has filed a total of 3,147 5G standard-essential patents (SEPs) of which over 2,000 has been granted. (Gizmo China, Statista, NBD)

Phone

Samsung has launched a new upgrade program called Samsung Access for consumers in the U.S. The program allows users to upgrade to a new Galaxy phone with no fee after 9 months. Some of the other perks offered by the Samsung Access program include Samsung Premium Care and a Microsoft 365 subscription with 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage. (Android Central, XDA-Developers)

Indian IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has revealed that India will initially aim to attract top 5 global mobile manufacturing companies and also promote 5 local firms that will be identified through a screening process. There is a total incentive of Rs 50,000 crore (USD6.6B). There are 5-6 large companies that control 80% of the global mobile market. Initially, they will pick up five global champions who under the PLI scheme shall be permitted to participate. (CN Beta, The Telegraph, Hindustan Times, The Tribune)

ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G is announced in China – 6.53” 1080×2340 FHD+ LTPS HiD, MediaTek Dimensity 800 MT6873, rear quad 48MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP macro-2MP depth + front 16MP, 6+128 / 8+128 / 8+256GB, Android 10.0, rear fingerprint scanner, CNY1,998 (USD280) / CNY2,298 (USD322) / CNY2,598 (USD364).  (GSM Arena, GizChina, ZTE, IT Home)

vivo X50 series is announced in China: X50 – 6.56” 1080×2376 FHD+ AMOLED HiD 90Hz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, rear quad 48MP OIS-13MP portrait 2x optical zoom-8MP ultrawide-5MP macro + front 32MP, 8+128 / 8+256GB, Android 10.0, under display fingerprint, 4200mAh 33W, CNY3,498 (USD490) / CNY3,898 (USD550). X50 Pro – 6.56” 1080×2376 FHD+ AMOLED HiD 90Hz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, rear quad 48MP-8MP periscope telephoto 5x optical zoom OIS-13MP portrait 2x optical zoom-8MP ultrawide + front 32MP, 8+128 / 8+256GB, Android 10.0, under display fingerprint, 4315mAh 33W, CNY4,298 (USD600) / CNY4,698 (USD660). X50 Pro+ – 6.56” 1080×2376 FHD+ AMOLED HiD 120Hz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, rear quad 50MP-8MP periscope telephoto 5x optical zoom OIS-13MP portrait 2x optical zoom-8MP ultrawide + front 32MP, 8+128 / 8+256 / 12+256GB, Android 10.0, under display fingerprint, 4315mAh 44W, CNY4,998 (USD700) / CNY5,498 (USD770) / CNY5,998 (USD840). (GizChina, GSM Arena, CN Beta)

Samsung unveils Galaxy M01 and M11 in India: M01 – 5.7” 720×1520 HD+ PLS TFT v-notch, Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, rear dual 13MP-2MP depth + front 5MP, 3+32GB, Android 10.0, no fingerprint scanner, 4000mAh, INR8,999 (USD120). M11 – 6.39” 720×1560 HD+ PLS TFT HiD, Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, rear tri 13MP-5MP ultrawide-2MP depth + front 8MP, 3+32 / 4+64GB, Android 10.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 5000mAh 15W, INR10,999 (USD145) / INR12,999 (USD170). (GSM Arena, Android Central)

Honor Play4 5G series is announced in China: Play4 – 6.81” 1080×2400 FHD+ IPS HiD, MediaTek Dimensity 800 MT6873, rear quad 64MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP macro-2MP depth + front 16MP, 8+128GB, Android 10.0, side fingerprint, 4300mAh 22.5W, CNY2,000 (USD280). Play4 Pro – 6.57” 1080×2400 FHD+ IPS 2xHiD, HiSilicon Kirin 990, rear dual 40MP-8MP telephoto 3x optical zoom OIS + front dual 32MP-8MP ultrawide, 8+128GB, Android 10.0, side fingerprint, 4200mAh 40W, CNY2,900 (USD410). (GSM Arena, CN Beta)

PC Tablets

Canalys forecasts that global PC and tablet shipments will fall 7% from 395.6M units in 2019 to 367.8M units in 2020. Canalys expects the global PC market will stay flat in 2021 and return to growth of 2% in 2022. Though the PC market has been rattled by the impact of COVID-19, the worst is behind us as 2Q20, 3Q20 and 4Q20 are all expected to post smaller year-on-year shipment declines than 1Q20. This is mainly due to a return to a healthy supply chain and manufacturing base in China, which will serve pent-up demand in segments such as remote working and education. (CN Beta, GizChina, Canalys, press)

Wearables

West Virginia University Medicine and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) claim that wearable Oura rings can detect Covid-19 symptoms before they are present. The research group claims that their digital platform can predict symptoms with 90% accuracy up to 3 days early. (Android Headlines, Engadget, Sohu, TechCrunch)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

Lenovo is announcing an all-in-one headset for enterprise Mirage VR S3, which is developed in conjunction with Pico Interactive, a global technology company that develops innovative VR and enterprise solutions. The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 features a 4K display for clearer visuals, hands-free control for utilization with or without the provided controller, and an easy to clean, hygienic face plate suitable for mass use.  (VentureBeat, Phone Arena, Business Wire)

Surgical training platform Osso VR has announced the rollout of a new experience to further increase the visual quality of its product, achieving lifelike detail in the process. To improve the visual fidelity of not only anatomical details of patients but also medical tools and the operating environment, Osso VR has assembled a team from the videogame and film industries. (VentureBeat, VR Focus)