In late March, Google announced its lightweight Pixel 9a model, but reports suggest that some component issues have delayed its release schedule. Google has confirmed that one of the "passive components" did not meet its quality standards, causing the delay. It is understood that the new device has yet to reach consumers, and units from various warehouses must be sent back to the factory. An estimated 400,000 to 500,000 Pixel 9a units will require rework.
Following the Lunar New Year holidays, the mobile panel market has officially entered its traditional off-season. While China's subsidy policies have sustained demand for end-user devices, elevated channel inventory has prevented a noticeable surge in first-quarter demand for mobile panels. Consequently, panel prices have remained stable throughout March.
Samsung Electronics is considering a major overhaul of its semiconductor division as Exynos chip losses mount. Reports suggest the company may transfer its Exynos application processor (AP) division from System LSI, under the Device Solutions (DS) unit, to the Mobile eXperience (MX) division within Device eXperience (DX). This shift would follow Apple's model, giving Samsung's mobile division full control over chip development to enhance integration and performance.
Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), a global leader in electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and original design manufacturing (ODM), has published its February 2025 revenue report. With a strong presence in consumer electronics, automotive technology, industrial applications, and telecommunications, USI leverages technological innovation and advanced manufacturing to strengthen its position in the competitive global electronics market.
Samsung Electronics is reportedly stabilizing yields in its advanced chipmaking process, fueling optimism over its next-generation Exynos 2600 SoC. The development raises the prospect of breaking Qualcomm's grip on Galaxy S-series devices and reshaping the supply landscape. A strong showing from Exynos 2600 could also complicate MediaTek's efforts to gain a foothold in Samsung's flagship smartphone lineup.
Genius Electronic Optical (GSEO) reported NT$23.187 billion (approx. US$706 million) in revenue for 2024, marking a 6.98% increase from the previous year. Net profit attributable to the parent company jumped 40.7% to NT$4.323 billion, with earnings per share (EPS) at NT$38.35.
MediaTek sees AI innovation as a key driver for mobile applications over the next two years. Its upcoming Dimensity 9500 already generates stronger customer traction than its predecessor. Set for a second-half 2025 launch, the chipmaker is poised to expand its share in the flagship smartphone market segment.
Despite the first quarter of 2025 being a traditionally slow season for consumer markets and the overall PCB order momentum weakening, the demand for AI servers and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite applications is expected to continue heating up, providing a moderate growth boost for Taiwan's PCB industry.
Lens Technology is expanding beyond smartphones, strengthening its position in automotive glass manufacturing. While still a key Apple supplier, the company is accelerating its shift into new-energy vehicle (NEV) components, positioning itself for long-term growth despite short-term market headwinds.
India reportedly begins exporting mechanical components for Apple products to Vietnam and China, potentially signaling an increasing development of India's manufacturing ecosystem thanks to Apple suppliers.
Chinese smartphone application processors (APs) shipments are expected to remain stable in the first quarter of 2025 despite the traditional off-season, supported by China's handset subsidy policy. Mid-to-high-end 5G models will likely appeal more to consumers within the subsidy-eligible price range, according to DIGITIMES' latest report covering Chinese smartphone AP market.
MediaTek will unveil its 5G-Advanced M90 modem at MWC 2025 Barcelona, offering peak download speeds of up to 12Gbps. Built on 3GPP Release 17 and Release 18 standards, the M90 also boosts uplink speeds by 20% with advanced 2Tx-2Tx uplink switching technology.
Fueled by the surging demand for CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) components in intelligent driving systems and consumer electronics, Will Semiconductor (WillSemi), the company behind OmniVision, has in recent years eclipsed its American and Japanese rivals to emerge as China's dominant supplier of sensor components. Orchestrating this remarkable ascent is the low-profile yet formidable Renrong Yu.
Dixon Technologies, India's largest electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, has experienced rapid annual growth and is looking to double revenue, demonstrating that "Make in India" is on the rise.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) has officially shut down its smartphone motherboard (HDI) factory in Kunshan, China, as part of a broader strategy to pivot toward higher-value business segments. The company confirmed that it completed the liquidation of the Kunshan facility by the end of 2024, effectively ending its presence in the smartphone HDI market.
Smartphone development has trended toward increasing camera pixel counts while shaving off device weight. Under these design considerations, industry sources have reported that Apple may adopt metalenses in the iPhone 17 Pro Max this year, which will help reduce lens thickness and device weight, improve scanning precision, and possibly even shrink the size of the phone's Dynamic Island.
Win Semiconductors (WIN), a GaAs foundry, is reportedly one of the beneficiaries of Apple's in-house RF component initiative. Although the Taiwan-based company has declined to provide any information regarding customer status or orders, it stated that the demand for RF chips is expected to be strong.
The sales performance of the new iPhone series in the Greater China region has not shown improvement from 2024, seemingly confirming many market forecasts that suggest iPhone growth has hit a bottleneck in this region. The overall slowdown in China's consumer market and intensified competition from local brands are key factors contributing to this outcome.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and data center demand are emerging as key performance drivers for Japanese electronic component makers such as Murata Manufacturing, while performance in areas such as automotive and smartphones remains mixed.
Largan Precision chairman Adam Lin has emphasized that specifications for robotic vision applications are not necessarily higher than those of smartphones, particularly noting that 5 plastic (5P) lenses are anticipated to become a future trend.
Major tech companies are gearing up for a surge in replacement demand as government incentives aim to stimulate sales of home appliances and consumer electronics products.
Largan held an earnings call on January 9, where chairman En-Ping Lin discussed future trends in lens specifications and dedicated significant time to unveiling the latest developments in their entry into the robotics market.
Amid the ongoing US-China chip war over the past years, the Chinese government has taken counter-measures, including export restrictions on critical materials such as gallium, germanium, antimony, and graphite, aiming to curb the development of America's military and communications industries.
Apple's A-series chips have evolved significantly, with transistor counts rising from 1 billion in the A7 to 20 billion in the A18 Pro. This advancement has driven a transition from the 28nm process used in the A7 to the cutting-edge 3nm node in the A18 Pro, resulting in substantially higher wafer manufacturing costs as semiconductor technology advances.
