According to a report by Taiwan’s Economic Daily, the revival of the smartphone market has fallen short of expectations. Industry sources have indicated that in order to stimulate customer demand and expedite inventory clearance, Qualcomm has recently initiated a price war, targeting mid- to- low-range 5G smartphone chips. The price reduction is substantial, ranging from 10% to 20%. It is anticipated that Qualcomm’s price reduction strategy will extend into the fourth quarter.

The consumer electronics market began to slump in the fourth quarter of last year. Downstream inventory levels began to visibly dissipate in the first half of this year, gradually returning to normal. There was optimism in the market that the Chinese smartphone market would improve in the second half of this year, and there were even reports of a slight resurgence in Qualcomm’s chip shipments during the second quarter.

However, even after China’s 618 shopping festival, the downturn in the consumer electronics market has not shown significant improvement. This has led to Qualcomm’s inventory levels rising to nearly two quarters’ worth.

With low order visibility and high inventory, the supply chain has reported that Qualcomm has recently decided to initiate a price war, primarily focusing on the mid- to low-range market segment. If the pace of inventory clearance falls short of expectations, there is a possibility of further intensifying the price reduction efforts.

Industry analysts suggest that Qualcomm’s extensive price cuts underscore the challenging situation in the mid- to low-range 5G smartphone market, where demand has been lackluster.

(Photo credit: Qualcomm)

According to the news from Taiwan tech media, TechNews, in a groundbreaking move, Samsung has unveiled its inaugural 110-inch Micro LED television, signaling a significant foray into the premium TV segment. Not to be outdone, competitor LG Display (LGD) is reportedly poised to make its own mark by launching a 136-inch Micro LED smart display next year, with initial applications targeted at theaters, indoor conference rooms, and other similar venues.

According to insider sources, LGD is gearing up for mass production of its impressive 136-inch Micro LED display, expected to commence around July of the upcoming year. The initial production goal is set at over 100 units, with deployment primarily earmarked for theaters, indoor conference facilities, and possibly large-scale corporate headquarters.

Notably, LGD’s ambitious 136-inch smart display project is a collaborative effort with Micro LED from Unikorn Semiconductor, which is a subsidiary under Ennostar. Unikorn emphasized the paramount significance of this partnership, affirming substantial breakthroughs in both quality and yield through their joint endeavors. By elaborating during a recent press conference, underlining the imminent production review phase scheduled for the third and fourth quarters – a pivotal juncture that could potentially elevate Micro LED’s contribution to Unikorn’s revenue to a significant proportion. Interestingly, this timeline harmonizes with LGD’s projected rollout of their Micro LED smart display.

But, Ennostar has no comment regarding this development, refraining from disclosing any customer-related particulars.

LGD is currently making assertive strides in the fiercely competitive Micro LED technology landscape. Notably, LGD recently acquired a set of 14 U.S. patents related to Micro LED technology from Taiwanese firm Ultra Display Technology, according to reports from, The Elec, a South Korean media outlet. These patents encompass crucial transfer processes, underscoring LGD’s strategic approach.

Furthermore, whispers from the industry suggest that Apple’s extensive Micro LED transfer process for the Apple Watch could see a significant handover to LGD. This would entail LGD overseeing an integrated workflow, encompassing chip manufacturing, backplane assembly, and transfer processes, while Apple retains responsibility for device design and pivotal technical support. The anticipated mass production timeline for the Micro LED-equipped Apple Watch has been deferred to the first quarter of 2026, a delay likely attributed to the recalibration of the production supply chain.

(Photo credit: LGD)

Sony, a major supplier of Apple’s camera sensors, suggests weaker demand for the upcoming iPhone 15 due to a lackluster year for Apple’s iPhone sales. Economic challenges have affected iPhone sales, though service revenues have offset losses. The flagship iPhone 15 series is scheduled for a September release.

Sony the world’s largest sensor supplier, had previously projected a gradual recovery in its smartphone imaging and sensing business by the second half of 2023. However, during its latest earnings call, the company revealed that this recovery might not take shape until 2024, mainly attributing the delay to underwhelming sales in the Chinese market.

Sadahiko Hayakawa, Sony’s Senior General Manager of Finance, stated, “The recovery pace of the Chinese smartphone market has been slower than our expectations, and the situation in the US market is worsening. We originally anticipated the smartphone market to recover starting from the second half of this fiscal year, but our current assessment suggests that it might not happen until at least next year.”

Sony’s top brass attribute a cautious outlook to a sluggish global economy and geopolitical uncertainties, hinting at muted demand for the iPhone 15 series. This stance resonates with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo view at TFI Securities, forecasting that iPhone 15 might struggle to surpass iPhone 14 sales records, posing challenges to Apple’s suppliers in H2 2023.

Apple reported a 2.4% decline in iPhone sales for its third fiscal quarter, reaching $39.7 billion, slightly below analyst estimates of $39.9 billion. The US region saw a 5.6% year-on-year drop in sales, highlighting a performance that falls short of expectations.

(Source: https://news.cnyes.com/news/id/5282617)

In about a month’s time, the smartphone market is gearing up for Apple’s flagship iPhone 15 series of the year. This annual anticipation leads to a surge in online appearances of models for reference, typically emerging one to two months ahead of the new phone’s unveiling. TechNews, a Taiwanese tech media also acquired an accurate mock-ups mimicking upcoming iPhones, providing an advanced peek into the forthcoming changes in this year’s iPhone 15 series.

• Maintaining 4 Models, 2 Sizes

Similar to last year’s iPhone 14 series, Apple is projected to release 4 models in 2 sizes this year. These include the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 (which some suggest might grow to 6.2 inches) and the iPhone 15 Pro, along with the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max (which could potentially be renamed iPhone 15 Ultra).

• Entire Series Adopts Dynamic Island

Dynamic Island design made its debut in last year’s iPhone 14 Pro series, while the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus retained the traditional notch design. However, even the more affordable iPhone 15 variant will undergo a change, syncing with the Pro version by replacing the notch with a dynamic island design.

Notably, due to the adoption of the dynamic island design for the iPhone 15, some speculate that the screen size might marginally expand to 6.2 inches this year.

• All 4 Models Get a ‘Port’ Change

In response to EU regulations, rumors in the market suggest that Apple is set to switch all models in the iPhone 15 series from the previous Lightning port to the USB-C charging port. From the obtained muck-ups, it appears certain that the entire iPhone 15 series will indeed transition to USB-C ports.

• Larger Camera Modules, Slight ‘Slimming’ for Pro Models

Fitting iPhone 15 series muck-ups with protective cases designed for the iPhone 14 series reveals that, while all 4 models can accommodate iPhone 14 series cases, a closer examination of the camera reveals that the iPhone 14 series case slightly interferes with the lowermost lens.

Furthermore, this year’s iPhone 15 Pro series will have further narrowed screen bezels, down to 1.55mm from the previous 2.2mm. Consequently, the iPhone 15 Pro muck-up will be slightly slimmer than their iPhone 14 Pro predecessors, resulting in a slightly looser fit when encased.

Other Speculations

The information provided by the muck-ups remains limited, leaving us to wonder about potential additional changes to this year’s iPhone 15 series.

As expected, the iPhone 15 Pro series processor is likely to see an upgrade to the A17 Bionic chip (manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm process), while the more budget-friendly iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will possibly adopt last year’s A16 processor from the iPhone 14 Pro series (manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process).

Regarding memory capacity, the iPhone 15 Pro series could see an upgrade from 6GB to 8GB, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus might retain 6GB.

Additionally, it’s rumored that the iPhone 15 series’ ultra-wideband chips will all be upgraded to U2 chips, with the manufacturing process transitioning from the previous generation U1 chip’s 16nm to a 7nm process; this is expected to enhance the energy efficiency performance through this improvement.

In terms of battery life, there’s speculation that the entire iPhone 15 series will adopt ‘stacked batteries’ to enhance endurance. The speculated battery capacities for the four models are as follows: iPhone 15 (3877mAh), iPhone 15 Plus (4912mAh), iPhone 15 Pro (3650mAh), and iPhone 15 Pro Max (4852mAh).

According to TrendForce research, demand for 100Hz LCD monitors surges, driven by gaming trends. Higher-performance gaming PCs in Chinese internet cafes and inventory restocking in global markets elevate the demand for 120Hz+ gaming panels. In 2Q23, LCD shipments with 100Hz+ rates surpass 10 million units, marking a remarkable 67.4% QoQ increase.

Of note, the shipment volume for 100Hz LCD monitor panels has surged by 273.9% in the same quarter, reaching a total of 2.2 million units. The cumulative shipment of 100Hz or higher monitor panels for 1H23 has reached 16.02 million units.

Anticipating 2H23, while early demand for 120Hz+ gaming models might taper, the shift to 100Hz models is expected to sustain shipments. The second-half volume is projected to grow by 21.4% from H1, reaching 19.4 million units, with a distribution split of 45.2% in the first half and 54.8% in the second half.

Expected to reach 35 million units, representing a remarkable year-on-year growth of 85.2%. Among these, an estimated 7.6 million units are attributed solely to the 100Hz models, with the possibility of further up

To counter the effect of 100Hz model demand on pure esports systems, gaming PCs are now defined as those with 120Hz+ panels. This could raise the annual gaming PC market size to 23-24 million units, signifying an 18.7% growth.