Search Results for: foldable

Following its success in the LCD panel market, China’s BOE Technology Group has now been actively narrowing the technology gap with Korean giants in the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel domain. Citing industry experts, Business Korea reported that BOE has reduced the technological gap with Korea regarding the high-growth mid-sized OLED sector to one to one and a half years.

The Chinese display industry is rapidly expanding its presence in the OLED market, driven by robust governmental support as well as competitive pricing, while high domestic consumption also fuels sales growth.

BOE, top Chinese display maker, has gradually become a crucial part of the global supply chain for tech giants. In late 2023, Apple finally approved BOE as an iPhone 15 AMOLED supplier. Though the delivery time was delayed due to quality issues, making it falling behind Samsung and LG, BOE is said to supply 2 million panels to Apple, about 3% of its total OLED supply in 2023.

However, BOE has introduced a series of latest OLED panels at SID2024 in mid-May to showcase its progress. According to Business Korea, it disclosed a 31.6-inch slidable OLED panel, which can extend sideways when needed, concealing the screen while not in use. It is also noteworthy that BOE showcased 15-inch and 17-inch foldable panels, targeting the automotive OLED market.

According to an earlier report from Japanese media outlet Nikkei News, BOE plans to boost its OLED panel production capacity by more than 50% compared to the current level within the next three years, demonstrating its ambition in the field.

Reportedly, BOE’s new OLED panel plant “B16” in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, began construction in late March. The goal is to complete the plant building by 2024, install manufacturing equipment by September 2025, and start mass production in 2026, producing 8.6-generation OLED panels. BOE’s competitor, Samsung Electronics, is also said to be looking for mass production of 8.6-generation OLED panels in 2026 by upgrading its existing plants.

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• [News] BOE Looking to Become OLED Panel Leader, Rumored to Have a 50% Capacity Expansion

(Photo credit: BOE)

Samsung’s planned launch of its budget model version for the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 foldable phone may be cancelled, according to information obtained by South Korea’s media outlet TheElec.

According to sources cited by TheElec, component suppliers to Samsung, which were gearing up for mass production of parts for these foldable devices, indicated that they have not received orders for the budget model Fold 6.

Initially, the South Korean tech giant had planned to unveil three foldable phones this summer: the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and an affordable version of the Fold 6.

The Fold 6 features a digitizer layer on the screen to support the S-Pen stylus, but the budget model was intended to be thinner and omit this feature.

It is reported that Samsung, after conducting a durability test of 200,000 folds for the budget model, with water and dust resistance functions added, has founded out that the product turned out not to be thinner than its Chinese rival Huawei’s equivalent, thus lacking significant differentiating points from these rival products.

Huawei’s Mate X3 and X5, launched last year, were both around 11.08mm thick, according to information obtained on Huawei’s website. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 was 13.4mm thick, while Xiaomi’s Mix Fold 3 was 10.9mm thick.

According to analysis from TrendForce, global shipments of foldable phones reached 15.9 million units in 2023, marking a 25% YoY increase and accounting for approximately 1.4% of the overall smartphone market. In 2024, shipments are expected to rise to about 17.7 million units, growing by 11% and slightly increasing the market share to 1.5%. However, this growth rate remains below market expectations, with the segment’s share predicted to exceed 2% only by 2025.

Trendforce points out that the slowdown in the growth of foldable phones could be attributed to two main factors: Firstly, consumer retention is low due to frequent maintenance issues faced by first-time foldable phone users, leading to a lack of confidence in the product. As a result, users may opt for high-end flagship smartphones when considering replacements. Secondly, the current price points of foldable phones have yet to reach the sweet spot for consumers, making it challenging to meet sales targets based solely on pricing.

(Photo credit: Samsung)

Amid the AI boom driving a surge in demand for advanced packaging, South Korean semiconductor giant Samsung Electronics is aggressively entering the advanced packaging arena. On the 20th, it announced its ambitions to achieve record-high revenue in advanced packaging this year, aiming to surpass the USD 100 million mark.

According to reports from Reuters and The Korea Times, Samsung’s annual shareholders’ meeting took place on March 20th.

During the meeting, Han Jong-hee, the vice chairman of the company, stated as follows: “Although the macroeconomic environment is expected to be uncertain this year, we see an opportunity for increased growth through next-generation technology innovation.”

“Samsung plans to apply AI to all devices, including smartphones, foldable devices, accessories and extended reality (XR), to provide customers with a new experience where generative AI and on-device AI unfold,” Han added.

Samsung established the Advanced Package Business Team under the Device Solutions business group in December last year. Samsung Co-CEO Kye-Hyun Kyung stated that he expects the results of Samsung’s investment to come out in earnest from the second half of this year.

Kyung further noted that for a future generation of HBM chips called HBM4, likely to be released in 2025 with more customised designs, Samsung will take advantage of having memory chips, chip contract manufacturing and chip design businesses under one roof to satisfy customer needs.

According to a previous report from TrendForce, Samsung led the pack with the highest revenue growth among the top manufacturers in Q4 as it jumped 50% QoQ to hit $7.95 billion, largely due to a surge in 1alpha nm DDR5 shipments, boosting server DRAM shipments by over 60%. In the fourth quarter of last year, Samsung secured a market share of 45.5% in DRAM chips.

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• [News] Samsung Accelerates 3D Packaging with Hybrid Bonding Production Line in Korean Advanced Packaging Hub
• DRAM Industry Sees Nearly 30% Revenue Growth in 4Q23 Due to Rising Prices and Volume, Says TrendForce

(Photo credit: Samsung)

EPC SUNOTEC, a leading company of PV and energy storage station in Europe, and Huawei Technologies Bulgaria signed a memorandum of understanding on energy storage in Shenzhen to jointly promote the application of battery energy storage technology in Europe.

Huawei has accumulation of digital technology, power electronics and energy storage technologies, and SUNOTEC have comprehensive advantages in the development and construction, quality control, and project management of PV and energy storage stations. The two enterprises will carry out comprehensive cooperation in the development and application of battery energy storage technology innovation, construction and operation of large-scale energy storage power stations in Europe.

Kaloyan Velichkov, the founder and CEO of SUNOTEC, said: “We are delighted to sign this MOU with Huawei, which signifies our joint efforts to further advance our green energy initiatives. The two companies will pave the way for a zero-carbon future, promote technological innovation and promote environmental stewardship, in line with SUNOTEC’s Vision 2030. ”

Huang Hongqi, the director of Huawei’s Digital Power Global Sales Dept, said, “SUNOTEC is an important partner for us. The signing of this MOU will deepen our cooperation in the field of renewable energy, especially the large-scale application of battery energy storage systems in Europe.

Last year, we signed a cooperation agreement for a 500MW PV project with a good result. This is a milestone in the commitment of both parties to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of the energy industry and promote sustainable development for a green and beautiful future. ”

Huawei currently provides intelligent PV and energy storage projects solutions and comprehensive technical support for SUNOTEC’s PV and energy storage projects in Europe. The two parties will leverage their respective advantages to jointly contribute to Bulgaria’s green and low-carbon transformation and sustainable development.

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• [News] Huawei Shifts Focus, Prioritizing Production of AI Chips over Mate 60 Series
• [News] Huawei Issues Rush Orders for Crucial Components, Focusing on CIS for Foldable Phones

(Photo credit: Huawei)

“Foldable Phones” have emerged as the new epitome of high-end flagship smartphones. However, whether it’s in the form of vertical or horizontal folding, it may no longer meet the needs of some users.

Recently, industry sources cited by TechNews has suggested that Chinese smartphone brand Huawei is planning to launch a triple-fold foldable phone this year. This move is expected to make smartphones unfolded more akin to the size and functionality of tablet computers.

As for the folding form, it might be in a Z-shaped (or S-shaped) manner. The screen size after folding would be similar to that of a regular smartphone, approximately 6.4 inches. It is rumored that Huawei’s Z-fold phone’s panel supplier could be BOE.

However, the design of the triple-fold phone may not be limited to just the Z-fold type; it could also be designed in a G-fold manner.

What is the G-fold type? It means both hinges fold inward. Nonetheless, such a design would necessitate adding a cover screen, which would increase the overall weight and thickness. Additionally, to cover the folded panel, the folding radius of the other side’s hinge must be enlarged.

As for the Z-fold (or S-fold) design, while it allows for the use of the outer folded panel as a cover screen, thus saving weight, the simultaneous presence of both inward and outward folding poses significant challenges to the panel’s layer stacking design and the mechanism’s design.

However, some people may wonder, “Are foldable phones really selling well?” In fact, according to TrendForce’s data,  for the shipment numbers last year, the existing shipment volume of foldable phones still falls short of expectations, reaching only 15.7 million units, failing to surpass the 16 million mark.

The sales performance of the leading brand in foldable phones, Samsung Electronics, was also not as good as expected, remaining at around 10.5 million units. The sales situation of other Chinese brands also did not meet expectations.

While foldable phones have indeed become the new symbol of high-end flagship smartphones, the fact is that the design patterns have become quite fixed. For consumers who are always looking for something new, these phones have lost their novelty and breakthrough points.

Therefore, brands have begun to contemplate the future of foldable phones with new designs and are considering abandoning certain design patterns to achieve better profitability.

For instance, OPPO and vivo are expected to abandon upright foldable phone models within this year, opting to retain only the left-right folding models (Fold).

The main reason behind this decision is that the pricing of upright foldable phones is lower, and although there might be a chance of higher shipment volumes compared to the Fold models, the profit margins are not significant.

Now that the demand for foldable phones has started to plateau, it is anticipated that the demand for foldable phones this year will only reach 17.7 million units, a 12.3% year-on-year increase.

In the face of sluggish end-user demand, why are smartphone brands still considering launching new types of foldable phones? This relates to the notion of “technological showcase.” Huawei’s triple-fold phone design takes into account technological capabilities, yield rates, and other factors.

Initially, the scale may not be too large, but the technological demonstration aspect remains potent. Huawei is anticipated to position itself as a technological leader, exerting pressure on other smartphone brands to a certain extent.

However, brands are not only contemplating “folding” smartphone designs. Some brands have also begun considering rollable and pull-up designs, aiming to inject new vitality into the smartphone market.

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• [News] Huawei Issues Rush Orders for Crucial Components, Focusing on CIS for Foldable Phones

(Photo credit: Huawei)