IF / News

Samsung has announced the Exynos 1580 processor for mid-range phones. Samsung  is manufacturing the latest chipset on its third-generation 4nm EUV FinFET process. Samsung has embedded the new ARMv9 CPU cores and doubled the GPU performance. The Exynos 1580 features a 1+3+4 CPU cluster design. There is a single prime Cortex-A720 core clocked at 2.9GHz, which is coupled with three big A720 cores running at 2.6GHz. Lastly, there are four efficiency A520 cores clocked at 1.95GHz. The GPU inside the Exynos 1580 is based on AMD’s RDNA3 architecture. It features two Work Group Processors and an enhanced GL2 cache. Samsung claims the peak GPU performance of the Exynos 1580 SoC is up by 37%. The GPU performance of the chipset at the same power level as the Exynos 1480, is up by 20%.(Android Authority, Android Headlines, Samsung)

Arm is reportedly cancelling an architectural license agreement that allows Qualcomm to use its intellectual property to design chips amid an ongoing legal battle between the two companies. Arm has given Qualcomm a mandated 60-day notice of the cancellation of a license that allows Qualcomm to design its own chips based on Arm’s computing architecture. Arm sued Qualcomm in 2022 for failing to negotiate a new license after it acquired Nuvia. Arm had previously said the design that Qualcomm was planning for Microsoft’s Copilot+ laptops was a direct technical descendant of Nuvia’s chip and it had cancelled the license for these chips. An Arm victory in the litigation could force Qualcomm and its roughly 20 partners, including Microsoft, to halt shipments of the new laptops. It would also essentially unwind one of Qualcomm’s biggest strategic acquisitions in recent years. (Android Central, Bloomberg, Reuters)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has informed the United States of a potential attempt by Huawei to circumvent U.S. export controls prohibiting the chipmaker from producing AI chips for the Chinese company. The U.S. government restricted the export of high-end AI chips to China 2 years ago, citing the need to limit the Chinese military’s capabilities. TSMC has informed the U.S. Commerce Department after a customer placed orders for a chip similar to Huawei’s Ascend 910B, a processor designed for large language model training.(Apple Insider, Reuters, Asia Times, CCP)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has suspended shipments to China-based chip designer Sophgo after a chip it made was found on a Huawei AI processor. Sophgo had ordered chips from TSMC that matched the one found on Huawei’s Ascend 910B. Huawei is restricted from buying the technology to protect U.S. national security. Sophgo has said that it was in compliance with all laws and had never engaged in any business relationship with Huawei. Sophgo, which is affiliated with cryptocurrency mining equipment company Bitmain, said it had provided a detailed investigation report to TSMC to prove that it was not related to Huawei. (Reuters, Bloomberg, UDN)

Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, which is built using TSMC’s 3nm process node. This platform debuts industry leading technologies such as the second generation custom-built Qualcomm Oryon CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU and enhanced Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, all of which deliver game changing performance improvements. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a powerhouse when it comes to camera capabilities, with 4.3 Gigapixels/sec support and a 33% throughput improvement. It features Limitless Segmentation, AI Relighting, an AI Pet Suite, a Video Magic Eraser, and more. In terms of connectivity, the Snapdragon 8 Elite comes with the Snapdragon X80 modem, Qualcomm FastConnect 7900, and support for Wi-Fi 7. (Neowin, Android Headlines, Qualcomm)

Qualcomm has announced that Snapdragon 8 Elite will offer support to phones for a whopping total of 8 years. The extended support comes in the form of Board Support Packages, or BSP. The BSP includes the low-level binary drivers, integrated development environments (IDEs), and application programming interfaces (APIs) needed for an Android device’s customized software build to function on the underlying processor hardware. (Neowin, Twitter, Twitter)

Qualcomm has introduced Snapdragon Game Super Resolution 2 (GSR2), a temporal upscaling solution for Adreno GPUs with several significant improvements over its predecessor. GSR2 can convert 1080p games into 4K visuals with impressive detail. As a temporal solution, the aggregation of samples over time delivers increased definition. Also, because GSR2 uses colour samples from previously rendered frames, it can deliver a much higher quality final image than GSR1, which was solely dependent on the current frame buffer. In addition to increasing a game’s visual resolution, GSR2 can increase frame rates for smoother gameplay. If a game is already running at its target framerate, developers can use the additional frames to improve their rendering pipeline or add higher-resolution textures, more geometry, LODs (levels of detail), etc. GSR2 also improves gaming battery life by optimizing performance. (Neowin, Qualcomm)

Samsung Display’s partners have reportedly completed the development of parts for the trifold model and are already ready for commercialization. Samsung may release a tri-foldable phone in 2025. Samsung has sold nearly 8M units of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 models. It was short of the forecasted sales of 10M units. Samsung’s foldable OLED displays will be 12M units in 2024. It is a 40% decrease from 29M shipments from 2023. The sales are declining year over year. Samsung will try to combat the decline in sales by introducing more innovative products like a tri-fold smartphone. (Android Authority, ZDNet, SammyGuru)

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will allegedly come equipped with the in-house ISOCELL HR1 sensor that yields a 324Mp sensor output. The 324Mp camera will reportedly feature a 1/1.2” sensor. The company is reportedly also working on an even larger 432Mp camera sensor. Large camera sensors rely on a process called pixel binning that combines adjacent pixels (in formats like 2×2, 3×3, and 4×4) to create a larger super-pixel capable of collecting more light data in order to produce more detailed shots. In some cases, the process happens twice. (Digital Trends, Twitter)

Nissan has launched a charging network that gives owners of its EVs access to 90,000 charging stations on the Electrify America, Shell Recharge, ChargePoint and EVgo networks, all via the MyNissan app. Nissan Ariya vehicles will be getting a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter, also known as the Tesla plug. And in 2025, Nissan will be offering electric vehicles (EVs) with a NACS port, giving access to Tesla’s SuperCharger network in the U.S. and Canada. Nissan EV drivers can use their MyNissan app to find charging stations, see charger availability in real time, and pay for charging with a payment method set up in the app. (Digital Trends, Nissan)

T-Mobile is going to support autonomous shuttles with 5G network connectivity. According to the telecom service provider, “T-Mobile will deliver highly secure, reliable two-way communications between the shuttles and the command center”. T-Mobile will also share real-time telemetry data from onboard sensors as well as audio and video feeds to connect employees with passengers. T-Mobile is offering a dedicated, private 5G network to a fleet of self-driving cars. Miller Electric Company is reportedly bringing fully autonomous shuttles to a three-mile strip in Jacksonville. Self-driving shuttles will connect the EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville to the new waterfront project. The fleet should start operations in 2025. (Android Headlines, T-Mobile, Fierce Network, Business Wire)

OnePlus unveils AI-filled OxygenOS 15, which is based on Android 15. OxygenOS 15 has refined animation interactions made possible by Parallel Processing. This promises to deliver a smooth experience even during heavy usage. OnePlus is highlighting its AI Detail Boost, which “can transform low-resolution or cropped images into stunning 4K visuals in seconds”. This feature is integrated into the built-in photo album. Intelligent Search improves on-device searching with AI, and OxygenOS 15 also has Circle to Search (and Google’s Gemini will replace Google Assistant on the OnePlus 13). Pass Scan quickly scans paper or digital boarding passes. AI Notes can do things like formatting, expanding or reducing content, adjusting formality, and ensuring that the notes are well-structured and nicely polished, and AI Notes are also voice-powered. (GSM Arena, OnePlus, OnePlus)

Apple has been investing more in gaming, it seems that the company is now working on a new App Store-like app dedicated to games. The new app combines functionality from the App Store and Game Center in one place. The gaming app is not expected to replace Game Center. In fact, it will integrate with the user’s Game Center profile. The app will have multiple tabs, including a “Play Now” tab, a tab for the user’s games, friends, and more.(Neowin, 9to5Mac)

The shipment share of GenAI smartphones is forecast to reach 19% in 2024. By 2028, this share is expected to reach 54% with shipments surpassing 730M units, more than 3x the projected levels in 2024, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung and Apple are set to capture over 75% of the global GenAI smartphone market, mainly driven by their strong presence in developed markets and dominance within the premium smartphone segment. Both brands are leveraging their premium positioning to capture early adopters, particularly in developed regions where high disposable income and interest in new technologies drive demand for top-tier smartphones. Over the short-term, GenAI will rule the premium smartphone category while through the medium-term we expect it to expand in segments past mid-end devices. (Patently Apple, Softonic, Counterpoint Research)

Apple has introduced some new tools to its Apple Business Connect program that could be useful for the everyday consumer. The most notable update is the introduction of Business Caller ID. When this feature rolls out next year, companies of any size can register to have their name, logo and department appear when they contact customers. In practice, that can help people distinguish between a phone call from a legitimate business and spam. Apple Business Connect allows companies to have more control over how they appear within different apps across the Apple ecosystem.(Engadget, Apple)

Apple has ventured into the health and wellness space with the Apple Watch and its other devices, and  the company is readying a new feature for prediabetics. After the ECG and the irregular heart rhythm, Apple introduced sleep apnea tracking in 2024 and Hearing Aid for AirPods Pro 2. Apparently, Apple is now trying to come up with a non-invasive way to track blood glucose. Reportedly, Apple has been working on sensors capable of tracking blood glucose non-invasively and has already tested an app internally. (GSM Arena, Bloomberg, The Verge)

Samsung has partnered with b.well Connected Health, a platform that consolidates the largest electronic medical record (EMR) systems in the United States. including athenahealth, Cerner Health, Epic Systems and Veradigm. The Health Records feature guides users toward preventative care by offering meaningful insights and alerts that suggest next steps, such as recommending medical tests or actions. By offering a holistic view of their health history — including vaccination and prescription records, past hospital visits and even specific test results — users can more effectively communicate with their healthcare providers by having their important medical details at their fingertips. (Android Headlines, Samsung)

Apple has allegedly sharply scaled back its Vision Pro production since early summer 2024 and could stop making the existing version of the mixed reality headset by year-end 2024. Three Vision Pro suppliers have so far built enough components to make 500K – 600K headsets. One of the employees said their factory suspended production of Vision Pro components in May. Apple in recent weeks has also told the device’s assembler, Luxshare, that it might need to wind down its manufacturing in Nov 2024. Estimates over summer 2024 suggested that Apple will not hit 500K sales in 2024. Sales for the device have been waning after initial enthusiasm following its launch in Feb 2024, due to the headset’s hefty price tag and competition from cheaper options including Meta Platforms’ Quest. The company is planning to release a less expensive model in 2025. (Android Headlines, The Information, TechCrunch, Reuters)

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s own studies suggest its upcoming AI features lack the “wow factor” of rival technologies currently offered by the likes of Google, OpenAI, and Meta. Internal studies at Apple reportedly show that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is 25% more accurate than the new Siri and can answer 30% more questions. Despite the setback, Gurman notes that Apple is in the unique position of presiding over a vast ecosystem of tightly integrated devices, which gives it the advantage of being able to quickly deploy new technologies across its product line. This could prove advantageous as the company works to close the AI gap with competitors, and its history of successfully entering new markets suggests it shouldn’t be counted out. (MacRumors, Bloomberg, Patently Apple)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against Apple and Goldman Sachs for customer service breakdowns and misrepresentations that impacted hundreds of thousands of Apple Card users. The CFPB is ordering Goldman Sachs to pay at least USD19.8M in redress and a USD45M civil money penalty, and Apple to pay a USD25M civil money penalty. The CFPB is also banning Goldman Sachs from launching a new credit card unless it can provide a credible plan that the product will actually comply with the law. (Apple Insider, CFBP)