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Friday 17 April 2026
EMS Watch: Lens Technology's earnings shock highlights strain across Apple supply chain

China's consumer electronics supply chain is facing mounting pressure, as Lens Technology posted a sharp earnings downturn that triggered a market sell-off and raised broader concerns about industry demand and cost dynamics.

Thursday 16 April 2026
Rising component costs could shrink smartphone shipments by over 10% in 2026
Rising upstream component costs and higher new-phone prices are expected to slow global smartphone shipments in 2026, fueling stronger demand for used devices internationally and prompting companies to bolster secondhand operations; at the same time, uncertainty from the US‑Iran conflict threatens shipping routes and could disrupt supply flows through Dubai.
Thursday 16 April 2026
Mobile manufacturers adapt to soaring key component prices with strategic measures
Memory and component cost surges may curb global phone sales growth in 2026, prompting firms worldwide to adjust prices, marketing, and retail approaches to protect margins. Brands and channel operators are repositioning products, expanding premium offerings, and boosting AI-focused retail education to counter tighter supply, higher costs, and shifting consumer demand.
Thursday 16 April 2026
Taiwan lens makers pivot to CPO, silicon photonics beyond smartphones

Taiwan's optical lens makers opened 2026 with a sharp rebound, driven by a recovery in the global smartphone market and rising demand for high-end camera modules. At the same time, a new narrative is taking hold: silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) are pulling traditional lens suppliers into the core of AI infrastructure.

Wednesday 15 April 2026
China Northern Rare Earth hikes 2Q26 rare earth ore prices over 44%, experts warn of demand destruction
China Northern Rare Earth, the leading player in China's rare earth industry, has raised its rare earth ore (REO) prices for the second quarter of 2026 by more than 44%. Amid geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, this significant price increase has drawn strong attention across the sector.
Wednesday 15 April 2026
Morrison targets AI phone sensor upgrades, expands into 3 emerging markets
Morrison expects AI smartphone penetration to exceed 60% within five years, driving continuous upgrades in optical sensor specifications. Despite short-term headwinds from memory supply-demand imbalances impacting the global consumer electronics market, the company expects sustained benefits from product upgrades through 2026.
Tuesday 14 April 2026
Samsung boosts Galaxy S26 production by 600,000 units in April
Samsung Electronics has raised its production plans for the Galaxy S26 series in April 2026 from 2.4 million to 3 million units, driven mainly by strong demand for its top-tier Galaxy S26 Ultra model, which accounts for 60-70% of sales and serves as a key growth driver.
Saturday 11 April 2026
Samsung Exynos 2700 benchmark leak offers early look at 2nm SF2P performance
Samsung's next-generation mobile processor, the Exynos 2700, has appeared in early benchmark tests, offering one of the first real-world signals of how its second-generation 2nm process may perform ahead of mass production.
Friday 10 April 2026
Why South Korean panel makers see rising profits despite chip price inflation
Amid rising chip prices, the industry generally anticipates a downturn in the mobile phone and notebook markets in 2026. For South Korea's panel industry, however, optimism continues to emerge. Analysts have pointed out that as demand for lower-end products continues to shrink, the overall end-user market is gradually consolidating toward high-end products. This puts South Korean manufacturers, which have long cultivated the high-end panel market, on a path to robust performance and resilience.
Thursday 9 April 2026
Hinge maker Jarllytec expands into optical communications, targets AI server demand
Jarllytec said operations rebounded in March 2026, driven by shipments of new hinge components for Chinese foldable smartphones. In the near term, shipment peaks for these products, alongside new notebook models from US clients, are expected to support steady growth in the second quarter. The company reported March revenue of NT$637 million (approx. US$20 million), up 40% month-over-month but down 36% year-over-year.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
China intervenes in memory supply; Apple outpaces local smartphone vendors
Memory shortages are pushing prices sharply higher, forcing a reshuffle across the consumer electronics market. Chinese authorities have intervened for a second time, convening domestic memory leaders CXMT and YMTC to provide "strategic support" aimed at stabilizing prices and containing supply chain costs for local brands. Yet with a wide supply-demand gap in DRAM and NAND flash, near-term price stabilization remains unlikely.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
Samsung's Roh Tae-moon visits Tokyo, targets Japan Android leadership
Samsung Electronics's Device eXperience (DX) head Roh Tae-moon personally visited Tokyo on April 1, marking his first trip to Japan this year. Although Apple has long dominated Japan's smartphone market, Samsung has recently seen a resurgence driven by its Galaxy series. Roh's visit signals a strategic push to expand Samsung's market share in Japan.
Thursday 2 April 2026
Mobile chip inventory correction weighs on OSAT supply chain
As the industry enters the stocking phase ahead of new smartphone launches, mobile chip customers are undergoing an inventory adjustment period. The supply chain indicates that this demand correction has cascaded from IC design down to foundry, packaging, and testing — expected to significantly dampen order growth for Taiwanese OSAT players such as ASE, SPIL, and KYEC heading into the consumer peak season.
Wednesday 1 April 2026
Samsung's 2nm Exynos 2600 loses to Qualcomm's 3nm on battery and thermals
Samsung's Exynos 2600 application processor (AP), built on the company's 2nm process, lags in battery endurance behind Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — a 3nm chip — by about 30%, according to a recent test. This gap has had a tangible impact on Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S26 series, with battery life varying significantly across regions depending on which AP the device uses.
Tuesday 31 March 2026
Samsung targets 1nm production by 2030, challenges TSMC with new chiplet technology
Samsung Electronics is aiming to launch its 1nm semiconductor process by 2030 as part of a direct technological competition with rival TSMC. The move seeks to secure leadership in the next-generation semiconductor market.
Tuesday 31 March 2026
Memory chip shortage drives surge in China's used phone chip market
The used mobile phone recycling market in China has recently heated up, with even non-functional old phones being collected at significantly higher prices than before. This surge is driven by a severe global shortage of consumer-grade memory chips.
Monday 30 March 2026
AI optical boom forces FICG into overdrive expansion
Demand for optical communication modules driven by artificial intelligence is exceeding supply, prompting FIC Global (FICG) to accelerate capacity expansion in Malaysia and China, the company said.
Tuesday 24 March 2026
Rising costs and soft demand prolong smartphone panel slump; AMOLED prices to drop over 20% in 2H26
As March nears its end, the smartphone panel market has yet to see a post-Lunar New Year replenishment cycle. With upstream costs rising and end demand softening, overall market conditions continue to deteriorate.
Sunday 22 March 2026
MediaTek, Microsoft Research crack AOC power barrier with Micro LED, 50% reduction

A joint R&D team, including MediaTek, Microsoft Research, and other suppliers, has developed a next-generation active optical cable (AOC) based on miniaturized Micro LED light sources. The Active Micro LED Cable delivers copper-like reliability while significantly extending transmission distance.

Saturday 21 March 2026
Analysis: Samsung's Exynos chip rebounds with mixed performance in 2nm era
Samsung Electronics' self-developed mobile application processor (AP) series, Exynos, long criticized for poor performance and overheating issues, is showing signs of revival. The new Exynos 2600, built on the advanced 2nm second-generation process (SF2), has delivered unexpectedly strong performance results compared to its previous chips, laying a foundation for the once-struggling chip line to bounce back.
Thursday 19 March 2026
Samsung strike vote nears, DS and DX divisions clash over bonuses
As Samsung Electronics' union members vote on whether to strike, market attention is shifting from the labor negotiations themselves to the disparities in benefits and potential conflicts of interest between the company's two core business groups: Device Solutions (DS) and Device Experience (DX).
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Samsung taps Apple, IBM, Walmart executives in global talent push
Samsung Electronics is actively recruiting top global talent, having lured several senior executives from multinational giants such as Apple, IBM, and Walmart through 2025. The move aims to strengthen the competitiveness of its mobile eXperience (MX) and visual display (VD) businesses.
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Apple adopts MediaTek Wi-Fi chip for MacBook Neo to save costs, say sources
Apple's recently launched affordable MacBook Neo has been found to use MediaTek's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips instead of Broadcom or Apple's own N1 chip, according to teardown reports. Industry insiders assess that Apple likely made this decision to reduce costs while buying time to improve its in-house N-series chip specifications.
Wednesday 18 March 2026
AI data center optics boom lifts Ezconn; orders seen through 3Q26, margin floor set at 50%
Surging global investment in AI data centers is accelerating growth for optical communications supplier Ezconn, which posted record revenue in 2025 after surpassing NT$10 billion for the first time.
Wednesday 11 March 2026
Vivo targets 20% growth for Taiwan phone sales in 2026 despite component price hikes
Vivo unveiled its V70 series in Taiwan on the March 10, aiming to drive continued growth in its 2026 local operations by bringing flagship features to a broader audience. Although Taiwan's smartphone market is expected to slow in 2025 due to high penetration rates and the price of components continues to rise, Vivo Taiwan President Yi-ting Chen said the company plans to boost revenue by 30% and increase shipment volume by 20% through targeted product segmentation and innovative marketing strategies.