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Friday 6 June 2025
Oppo strikes first SEP licensing pact with Volkswagen, unlocking 5G tech for global lineup of connected cars
Oppo announced on June 5 that it has signed a global licensing deal with Volkswagen Group, giving the German automaker access to its standard essential patents (SEPs) for cellular technologies, including 5G. The agreement covers Volkswagen's global lineup of connected vehicles and marks Oppo's first bilateral patent licensing agreement with a carmaker, highlighting the company's strategic move from smartphones into the smart vehicle space.
Friday 6 June 2025
Largan cautious on 2H25 outlook, highlights developments on robots, foldable phones, and smart glasses
Largan Precision held its annual shareholders' meeting on June 6, with chairman Enping Lin offering a candid view of the global economic outlook and updates on the company's progress in smartphone lenses, smart glasses, and emerging sectors such as humanoid robots.
Friday 6 June 2025
Largan clarifies software licensing dispute with German firm
Taiwan-based optical lens maker Largan Precision has clarified media reports about a legal dispute over the licensing of certain software from a German company, saying the matter has not affected its sales or finances.
Tuesday 3 June 2025
Modem independence proves elusive as Apple and Xiaomi grapple with custom designs
Apple's first real effort to cut ties with Qualcomm's modem dominance appears to have stumbled out of the gate. Qualcomm commissioned Cellular Insights to run real-world 5G tests on T-Mobile's sub-6GHz standalone network in New York City. The results, reported by Bloomberg, MacRumors, TrendForce, and Mobile World Live, showed Android devices with Qualcomm modems consistently outperforming Apple's iPhone 16e—Apple's first handset powered by its self-developed C1 modem.
Monday 2 June 2025
Apple's stable foundation and diversified supply reduce tariff impact, but industry experts remain cautious
The US Court of International Trade ruled on May 28, 2025, that US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs are invalid. Yuan-Kai Chung, chairman and president of Audix, commented that Trump may find other ways to pressure specific companies. However, the tariff impact on Apple is relatively limited. The real focus remains on overall market innovation momentum and consumer willingness to upgrade devices.
Wednesday 28 May 2025
Qualcomm throws cold data on Apple’s C1 modem debut
A study commissioned by Qualcomm Inc. found that its modem chips worked better than a rival component developed by Apple Inc., especially for cellular customers in dense urban areas.
Tuesday 27 May 2025
Samsung's impossible choice: absorb 25% tariff hit or price out US customers
US President Donald Trump's announced 25% tariff on smartphones manufactured outside the US has once again ruffled the feathers of markets, especially for Apple and Samsung Electronics, which will be caught in its direct crosshairs. The move, set to be enforced from late June 2025, is intended to pressure companies to shift their production to American soil, another attempt to fulfill Trump's long-standing campaign promise.
Tuesday 27 May 2025
Trump threatens Apple tariffs but Taiwan optical firms remain calm
US President Donald Trump's threat to slap at least 25% tariffs on Apple if it doesn't manufacture iPhones domestically has failed to rattle Taiwan's optical component makers, who are taking a wait-and-see approach to the volatile policy rhetoric.
Tuesday 27 May 2025
Samsung falls to fourth in global CIS market with China’s rise

Samsung Electronics has slipped out of the top three in the global CMOS image sensor (CIS) market for the first time in years, according to newly released data from market research firms. Once the second-largest supplier by shipment volume in 2023, Samsung now ranks fourth, underscoring the growing pressure it faces from China's rapidly evolving semiconductor ecosystem.

Monday 26 May 2025
Xiaomi takes aim at MediaTek with 3nm XRing O1 breakthrough

Xiaomi's launch of the XRing O1 at its "New Starting Point" event in Beijing marked more than just a new chip release—it was a direct challenge to industry giants Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. Backed by over CNY13.5 billion (approx. US$1.87 billion) in R&D across four years, the XRing O1 is Xiaomi's first successful flagship SoC since the ill-fated Surge S1, signaling a serious shift in the company's silicon ambitions, as ICsmart and Reuters report.

Wednesday 21 May 2025
Apple desperately needs the AI help it's seeking: Dave Lee
If you read Bloomberg Businessweek's deep dive into Apple's blundering work with artificial intelligence, a consistent theme is the lack of any clear idea within the company as to what good AI on an Apple device should actually do. On Tuesday, with the company looking no closer to have come up with the answer internally, we learned it would soon open things up so others could have a go at figuring it out.
Tuesday 20 May 2025
Tariffs cloud notebook outlook, but mobile chip demand stays hot
Following the significant impact of reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US, the chip inventory status for two major consumer electronics products—notebooks (NBs) and mobile phones—has shown distinctly different trends.
Friday 16 May 2025
iPhone supplier TDK readies batteries geared for thin AI gadgets
TDK Corp. is readying a new generation of batteries to power smartphones through AI tasks at a time that major client Apple is also preparing to launch a slimmer handset.
Friday 16 May 2025
Foldable iPhone components reportedly sent for testing; could reshape market dynamics in 2026
According to data from Counterpoint, global foldable phone shipments grew by just 2.9% year-over-year in 2024, with warnings that the market may see negative growth for the first time in 2025. However, this is not a sign of market saturation but rather a buildup toward a breakout in 2026. With Apple entering the foldable segment, the market is projected to achieve double-digit growth in 2026.
Thursday 15 May 2025
MediaTek expands flagship smartphone chip line with Dimensity 9400e
MediaTek introduced the newest member of its Dimensity flagship smartphone chip series on May 14, 2025, named the Dimensity 9400e. This chip features MediaTek's advanced All Big Core architecture, which provides outstanding performance and energy efficiency for gaming, artificial intelligence, imaging, and connectivity for smartphone users. The first smartphones powered by the Dimensity 9400e are expected to launch later in May.
Tuesday 13 May 2025
Apple to lean on AI tool to help iPhone battery life for devices in iOS 19
Apple Inc. is planning to use artificial intelligence technology to address a frequent source of customer frustration: the iPhone's battery life.
Tuesday 13 May 2025
Trump talks with Apple's Cook as iPhone price hikes loom
US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook earlier on Monday, just as the iPhone maker was reported to be considering price increases later this year.
Monday 12 May 2025
Planet Technology faces currency headwinds but posts strong revenue, boosts R&D to drive growth
Taipei-headquartered networking equipment manufacturer Planet Technology is experiencing financial challenges due to recent fluctuations in the New Taiwan Dollar (US Dollar equivalent missing). The company reported that significant changes in the exchange rate against the US dollar have adversely affected its cost structure and profitability. With most of its global transactions settled in US dollars, the currency turbulence has added an extra layer of uncertainty to Planet's financial outlook.
Friday 9 May 2025
Apple developing specialized chips for glasses, new Macs, and AI servers
Apple Inc.'s silicon design group is working on new chips that will serve as the brains for future devices, including its first smart glasses, more powerful Macs, and artificial intelligence (AI) servers.
Thursday 8 May 2025
Pegatron sharpens 5G vision with Batam smart factory
Pegatron Corporation has inaugurated a new factory in Batam, Indonesia, marking a significant milestone as the world's largest 5G smart factory. This facility is notable for being Pegatron's most advanced manufacturing base in Southeast Asia, operating fully on a standalone 5G network architecture.
Wednesday 7 May 2025
As Qualcomm stalls in China, MediaTek powers up
Recently, the two major Android SoC brands, MediaTek and Qualcomm, have shared their market outlooks. Both companies maintain a positive view of their non-smartphone business performance and future growth potential. Regarding financial forecasts for the next quarter, MediaTek expresses more optimism than Qualcomm, anticipating possible growth quarter over quarter.
Monday 5 May 2025
PC pioneer FICG retools for the AI age with optical module surge
Once Taiwan's second-largest PC maker, First International Computer (FIC), has reinvented itself as a top-three global supplier of optical modules. Leo Chien, Chairman of parent firm FIC Global, Inc. (FICG), said the company plans to double its optical communications capacity within three years by expanding a new facility in Malaysia. "Customer orders suggest the AI boom is absolutely insane," Chien told DIGITIMES.
Saturday 3 May 2025
Primax powers ahead on AIoT tailwinds and PC rebound, but tariff turbulence persists
Primax Electronics Ltd. delivered strong first quarter 2025 results, driven by early PC order pull-ins and rising shipments of AIoT and professional acoustic products. Despite the upbeat quarter, the company warned of limited visibility in the second half due to unresolved tariff uncertainties. The growing contribution of new AIoT projects is helping strengthen its long-term growth outlook and improving margins.
Saturday 3 May 2025
Murata braces for 8-year profit nadir as smartphone, auto headwinds mount
Murata Manufacturing anticipates its profit for fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026) to hit an eight-year low, citing stagnant demand for smartphones and automotive components, along with currency headwinds from a stronger yen.
Tuesday 29 April 2025
Xiaomi's 'Xring' chip reportedly set for late May release, taking aim at Snapdragon's crown
Xiaomi is expected to launch its in-house smartphone SoC in 2025, with the latest reports pointing to a potential debut in late May. According to Wccftech, the Chinese tech blog "Fixed focus digital" reported on Weibo that Xiaomi's internally codenamed "Xring" chip—officially named "Xuanjie"—is tentatively set for release around May 2X, though the timeline remains subject to change.
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