The smartphone industry is bearing the brunt of rising memory prices, and the impact is most evident in mid- to low-end models. Transsion, the Chinese smartphone maker regarded as a leading brand in emerging markets, has become one of the first handset vendors to be clearly hit by this wave of memory price increases. On the evening of January 29, 2025, Transsion announced its earnings forecast for full-year 2025, estimating annual revenue of CNY65.568 billion (US$9.4 billion), down about 4.6% year over year. Net profit is estimated at about CNY2.546 billion, plunging 54.11% year over year, nearly half of the previous year. This marks the first significant profit decline since Transsion went public.
Taiwan's monthly smartphone shipments surpassed 500,000 units in October and November 2025, largely driven by strong sales of Apple's iPhone 17 series. However, shipments declined to about 400,000 units in December, with Apple maintaining close to 50% market share despite a slight dip.
Enterprise investments in 5G private networks are expected to significantly increase following amendments to the "Regulations Governing the Establishment and Use of Mobile Broadband Dedicated Telecommunications Networks" under the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA), and revisions to the Industrial Innovation Statute that will increase tax credit incentives, according to Yu-hsin Tsou, deputy director general of the Industrial Development Administration (IDA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).
Global technology companies, including Google, are increasingly shifting new product introduction (NPI) stages away from China to reduce geopolitical risks, with recent reports indicating Google has begun relocating NPI for its premium smartphones to Vietnam. Industry insiders note initial progress but emphasize significant structural hurdles in this complex transition.
Apple is set to report fiscal first-quarter 2026 earnings on January 29, with strong sales of the iPhone 17 expected to drive record operating performance and solid smartphone shipments. The iPhone 17 lineup, which offers added features without price increases, has seen particularly strong demand in China and the US.
Samsung Electronics said on January 26, 2025, that it will launch its new Galaxy A07 5G smartphone in Taiwan, aiming to lift shipment momentum in the mass-market segment.
As the global surge in artificial intelligence continues to drive up memory chip prices, pressure is mounting across the electronics supply chain—and display panel makers are increasingly feeling the strain.
Beyond the closely watched rivalry between Samsung Electronics and Huawei in foldable smartphones—and the shifting balance of market share—another question drawing market attention is whether Apple will launch its first foldable iPhone, tentatively dubbed the iPhone Fold, on schedule in 2026.
The iPhone 17 series has been on the market for over a quarter, yet Taiwan's telecom channels still face significant shortages of high-end models. A check on local carrier websites shows that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is nearly sold out across all storage capacities, while the iPhone 17 Pro and new iPhone Air models with 512GB or higher storage remain extremely hard to find.
Lite-On Technology's board has approved a public cash tender offer at NT$54 (US$1.71) per share to acquire common shares of U-Media. The minimum acquisition target is 20% of U-Media's issued shares, with a maximum of 100%. A full takeover would cost approximately NT$2.03 billion.
China's major panel maker BOE continues to struggle with OLED production for Apple's iPhones, with the problem unresolved since late 2025. During this period, Samsung Display (SDC) has taken over millions of iPhone OLED orders originally assigned to BOE.
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