IF / News

Kai’an Zheng, a senior industry analyst and product manager at the Institute of Information Technology (MIC), has pointed out that before the latest US ban on Huawei took effect, Huawei had been actively stocking up and its mobile phone chip inventory is expected to fulfil the market demand till 1Q21; and its 5G base station chips can meet the market demand throughout 2021. (UDN, TechNews, MIC, Laoyaoba, Gizmo China)

TSMC is on track to enter 3nm chip production with monthly output set to reach 55,000 wafers in 2H22, according to Digitimes. The 3nm process output will climb further to 100,000 units in 2023. (Digitimes, Laoyaoba)

The Center for Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET) has found that TSMC’s 5nm node requires exceptionally expensive wafers that are not cheaper on a per-chip basis than 7nm chips. However, they still believe that 5nm chips are a popular purchase. According to CSET’s model, a single 300 mm wafer built on the 5nm node costs approximately USD16,988. A similar wafer built on the 7nm node reportedly costs USD9,346. (Techspot, My Drivers, CSET, Laoyaoba)

Globalfoundries has announced the next generation of its FDX platform, 22FDX+. Its 22FDX (namely 22nm FD-SOI) platform has realized USD4.5B in design wins with more than 350M chips shipped to customers around the world. The new 22FDX+ builds on the 22FDX platform, the foundry continued, offering a broader set of features that provide high performance, ultra-low power, and specialty features and capabilities for new-generation designs. (Digitimes, Globalfoundries)

BOE aims to secure 40% market share in flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels by 2025. The company has revealed it has secured 20.3% market share in flexible OLED panels in 2020. The flexible OLED market will be worth USD49.7B in 2024. The company’s flexible OLED output from its factories in Sichuan and Chongqing will account for at least 1/3 of the world’s or over half at most within the next 3-5 years. (The Elec, Gizmo China, Sina, CLS)

LG has filed a patent describing a rollable OLED display with rectangular housing. The rectangular housing of this electronic device has a rotating inner frame that stores a wide roll-up display. It is an OLED panel, although LG keeps the option open to use other types of display panels, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), or FED (Field Emission Display). (GizChina, LetsGoDigital)

According to Omdia, as of 2Q20, the number of global LTE users reached 5.55B. Among them, nearly 800M LTE users have increased in the past 12 months. The number of LTE users now accounts for 60.4% of all mobile users in the world. In addition, the number of 5G users doubled in 2Q20. And the number of 5G smartphone users worldwide reached at least 137.7M (accounting for 1.5% of the overall global mobile market). (GizChina, IT Home, GSA)

Samsung has unveiled a new integrated 5G mmWave small cell for indoor use as part of the company’s full suite of 5G in-building products, Samsung Link. Samsung’s new 5G indoor small cell–Link Cell–will help provide seamless and enhanced 5G experiences to users in indoor environments. It delivers 5G-powered applications within enterprises. (Neowin, Samsung)

The global smartphone market wholesale average selling price (ASP) increased 10% YoY in 2Q20 even as the shipments declined the highest ever at 23% YoY. Overall, the smartphone industry revenue declined 15% YoY during the quarter. The ASPs for all the regions increased except Latin America. While the COVID-19 pandemic had its effect on the overall smartphone market, the premium segment was much resilient, declining at a modest 8% YoY during the quarter as compared to the highest ever global smartphone market decline.  (GizChina, Counterpoint Research)

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is announced – 6.5” 1080×2400 FHD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED HiD, Samsung Exynos 990 (4G) / Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (5G), rear 12MP-8MP telephoto 3x optical zoom OIS-12MP ultrawide + front 32MP, 6+128 (4G) / 6+256 (4G) / 6+128GB (5G), Android 10.0, fingerprint on display, 4500mAh 15W, wireless charging 15W, reverse charging 4.5W, EUR633 / EUR719 / EUR730.  (GSM Arena, Android Headlines, Engadget, GizChina)

vivo V20 SE is announced in Malaysia – 6.44” 1080×2400 FHD+ AMOLED u-notch, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, rear tri 48MP-8MP ultrawide-2MP depth + front 32MP, 8+128GB, Android 10.0, fingerprint on display, 4100mAh 33W, MYR1,199 (USD288).  (Gizmo China, GSM Arena)

TCL SIGNA is announced for Verizon – 5.5” 720×1440 HD+ 18:9, Qualcomm Snapdragon 429, rear 8MP + front 5MP, 2+16GB, Android 10.0, no fingerprint scanner, 3000mAh, USD79.99. (Phone Arena, TCL, Android Headlines, Gizmo China, Verizon)

TECNO Spark 6 is announced in Pakistan – 6.8” 720×1640 HD+ IPS HiD, MediaTek Helio G70, rear quad 16MP-2MP macro-2MP depth-QVGA + front 8MP, 4+64GB, Android 10.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 5000mAh 18W, PKR20,599 (USD125). (GSM Arena, TECNO)

Households are more crowded than ever at all times of the day with work, learning, and entertainment all occurring in the home as a result of COVID-19 counter-measures. To meet these needs consumers have been buying tablets at the fastest rate in 6 years, and as a result global sales are expected to increase 1% year-on-year to 160.8M units in 2020, according to Strategy Analytics. The analysis also shows that consumers are switching to larger displays, with a majority now larger than 10” for the first time. (GizChina, Strategy Analytics)

vivo Watch is announced – 1.19” 390×390 AMOLED (42mm) / 1.39” 454×454 AMOLED (46mm), 2GB built-in storage, GPS, capable to support heart rate and blood oxygen tracking, 5ATM water resistance, up to 9-18 days battery life, CNY1,299 (USD191) for both 42mm and 46mm.  (GSM Arena, vivo, Android Authority)

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 is announced – 1.45” 454×454 Retina AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100, 1+8GB, sleep tracking, ambient noise detection, blood-oxygen detection, 24-hour heart rate and stress monitoring, IP68 rated, 577mAh battery, USD300.  (GSM Arena, GizChina, CN Beta)

Ring unveils Always Home Cam, which is an autonomous drone camera that can be programmed to follow a pre-set path inside the house to monitor sections of the house. The company says that the camera helps check for an unlocked door, an open stove, and so on when they are not at home. It is priced at USD249. (Pocket-Lint, Neowin, Engadget)

Ring has introduced Mailbox Sensor Ring, which is priced at USD30. It is a little sensor that relies on Amazon’s Sidewalk technology to extend the range of your Wi-Fi network. It is designed to send an alert to your phone when the door is opened and is supposed to work with other Ring products, such as using Ring doorbells and outdoor cameras to record footage when the mailbox is opened.  (CN Beta, Ring, CNET)

Amazon announces new Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show 10: New Echo – It is powered by Amazon 1^st Gen AZ1 Neural Edge processor. It features an upgraded speaker system, with a single 3” woofer and dual tweeters, along with Dolby audio processing. It also includes a built-in smart home hub with support for Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Amazon Sidewalk. It is priced at USD100. New Echo Dot – It has 3 different versions. It has a new 1.6” full-range speaker. One Echo Dot version comes with an LED display that can show the time, temperature, timers, and alarms. Another version is Echo Dot Kids Edition, comes in two color prints — Panda and Tiger — along with features designed for children. It is priced from USD50. Echo Show 10 – A 10.1” display and triple speaker assembly is placed on a rotating body that can spin 360º using a brushless motor. It has a 13MP camera on the front to keep track of user’s movement and moves the display to face direction. It is priced at USD250. (GSM Arena, The Verge, CNBC, CNET)

OPPO and Midea have reached a strategic cooperation. Both parties will further cooperate in joint operations and channel cooperation. Among them, both parties will establish a cross-border joint laboratory, based on the in-depth connection of ColorOS and Midea products, to create a better interactive experience and differentiated scene experience. Based on the operating resources of the two parties, OPPO will also carry out joint operations with Midea to continuously expand the user coverage of both parties and continue to broaden the online and offline channels of both parties globally. (CN Beta, China Daily)

Mobileye’s computer vision technology will be used in a new premium electric vehicle called Zero Concept from Geely Auto Group. Intel has also announced that Mobileye and Geely Auto have signed a long-term, high-volume agreement for advanced driver-assistance systems that means more Geely Auto vehicles will be equipped with Mobileye’s computer vision technology. (TechCrunch, Intel, CN Beta)

Autonomous truck startup TuSimple has announced a strategic agreement with the Traton Group, a Munich, Germany-based Volkswagen Group subsidiary. As a part of the deal, TuSimple plans to launch a development program to operate an autonomous hub-to-hub route between Södertälje and Jönköping in Sweden using Scania trucks manufactured by Traton.  (VentureBeat, Transport Topics, VW, Traton)

Ring announces security solutions for automobiles, including Ring Car Alarm, Car Cam, and Car Connect: Car Alarm – It is a simple wireless device that connects to a car’s OBD-II port and notifies users on the Ring app of any break-ins, tows, or bumps. It can also allow users to trigger a siren remotely and connects to other Echo devices to send audible notifications or alerts. Priced at USD60. Car Cam – It is a small, dash cam-like device with cameras on both ends that monitors for break-ins or bumps and alerts users via the app with a live feed. Priced at USD200 with Car Connect. Car Connect – It is a platform of sorts that provides APIs for manufacturers to build features such as mobile alerts and live video feed in the event of an incident. (Pocket-Lint, Engadget, Neowin)