According to a report from Reuters citing sources, Samsung Electronics, the global leading manufacturer of smartphones, TVs, and memory, is said to be cutting up to 30% of its overseas workforce in certain departments.

Per the same report, sources revealed that Samsung has instructed its global subsidiaries to reduce sales and marketing staff by around 15% and management personnel by as much as 30%. The plan, set to be implemented by the end of this year, will affect jobs across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Additionally, other industry sources reportedly confirmed Samsung’s global layoff plan as well. However, details about the extent of the layoffs remain confidential, making it unclear how many employees will be affected and which countries or business units will be hit the hardest.

Amid these rumored layoffs, Samsung is grappling with increasing pressure on its key departments. In May, the company replaced the head of its semiconductor division to tackle the ongoing chip crisis, as it strives to catch up with competitor SK hynix in supplying high-end memory used in AI chipsets.

In the premium smartphone market, Samsung faces fierce competition from Apple and China’s Huawei, while it has also lagged behind TSMC in chip manufacturing.

A source pointed out that the layoffs are aimed at addressing the slowdown in global tech product demand due to the global economic downturn. Another source, however, mentioned that Samsung is looking to boost profits by cutting costs.

Per Reuters, Samsung has noted in a statement, claiming that some workforce adjustments in its overseas operations are routine measures aimed at improving efficiency. The company stated that these plans do not have specific targets and added that production staff would not be affected.

According to Samsung’s 2024 sustainability report, as of the end of 2023, the company employed 267,860 people, with over half (147,104 employees) located overseas. The report indicated that the majority of jobs were in manufacturing and development, with 25,136 employees in sales and marketing, and 27,887 in other areas.

Other sources cited by Reuters revealed that the global directive for layoffs was issued about three weeks ago. Samsung’s India operations have already offered severance packages to some mid-level employees who have left in recent weeks, with the total number of employees expected to leave the Indian subsidiary potentially reaching 1,000.

Samsung employs around 25,000 people in India, where the company generates an annual revenue of approximately USD 12 billion. Wage strikes are currently disrupting production in the country.

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(Photo credit: Samsung)

Less than 12 hours after Apple’s fall product launch, Huawei held its own event on the other side of the Pacific. As expected, they unveiled the world’s first tri-fold phone, the Mate XT. Its release date is also set to coincide with Apple’s, launching on September 20. As per a report from CNBC, after the launch event, the number of Mate XT pre-orders has already exceeded 4 million.

According to a report from Economic Daily News citing Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Consumer Business Group, the biggest breakthrough in Huawei’s tri-fold phone is its solution to screen and hinge technology, which enables both inward and outward folding simultaneously. This design enhances the screen’s resistance impact.

The phone’s thickness is only 0.36 cm, and the battery, at 0.19 cm, is considered the thinnest in the world. Meanwhile, the new model is said to support multiple AI applications, and offers satellite communication.

Huawei revealed that the price of the Mate XT ranges from CNY 19,999 to CNY 23,999, aligning with market expectations. Sources cited by Economic Daily News are optimistic about the potential of Huawei’s tri-fold phone, and Taiwanese company Fositek will benefit as the exclusive supplier of hinges, one of the most critical bearing components, for the Mate XT.

Yu emphasized that the production cost of this tri-fold device is extremely high, though it may decrease as manufacturing yield rates improve. He highlighted three key breakthroughs with this new phone: the tri-fold design, cutting-edge technology, and its alignment with future trends.

The timing of Huawei’s product launch coincided with Apple’s fall event, and the announcement of the tri-fold device drew attention once again as its release date, like Apple’s iPhone 16 series, is set for September 20. Huawei also chose the specific time of 10:08 AM to start sales.

Richard Yu introduced the Mate XT as the world’s first mass-produced tri-fold smartphone, featuring a 10.2-inch screen. The product took the R&D team five years to develop and is described as bringing sci-fi into reality.

Reportedly, it supports multiple uses, allowing users to switch between single, double, and triple fold for large-screen viewing. Along with the phone, Huawei also launched a foldable touch keyboard, embodying the concept of putting both a computer and a keyboard in your pocket.

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• [News] Apple Officially Debuts iPhone 16 with AI Features, but Yet to Announce an AI partner in China
• [News] Huawei Expected to Unveil Mate70 and Foldable Device Following Apple’s iPhone 16 Release

(Photo credit: Huawei)

Apple’s 2024 fall event officially took place earlier, highlighting the launch of the new iPhone 16 series, along with other products like the Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4. According to CEO Tim Cook, the next generation of iPhone has been designed for Apple Intelligence, marking the beginning of an exciting new era.

Apple and global tech companies are in a race to integrate AI into their products, with smartphones anticipated to be one of the key competitive arenas.

Apple’s AI software, Apple Intelligence, is set to enhance Siri and improve functionalities like object recognition and identification through the phone’s camera, per sources cited in a report from Reuters.

A test version of Apple Intelligence will launch next month for U.S. English users, with other localized English versions set to follow in December. Additional language versions, including Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish, are anticipated for next year. It is worth noting that Apple has not yet announced an AI partner in China for the iPhone 16 series.

Apple stated that improvements, including enhancements to Siri, will be phased in over time but did not provide a timeline for moving beyond the test phase.

Notably, Apple’s event occurred just hours before Huawei’s launch of a tri-fold phone, highlighting the competitive challenge Apple faces.

In contrast, Huawei’s website revealed on Monday that it had already received over 3 million pre-orders for its Z-shaped tri-fold phone before its official release.

This underscores Huawei’s ability to withstand U.S. sanctions and bolsters its competitive position against Apple in China, where consumers are enthusiastic about AI features and willing to pay a premium for them, according to a Reuters report.

• iPhone16

The iPhone 16 features a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen. Both models are equipped with the A18 chip built on TSMC’s advanced 3nm process, which reportedly offers a 30% boost in CPU performance compared to the A16 chip used in iPhone 15. Additionally, they come with increased battery capacity and enhanced cooling capabilities.

Moreover, the latest iPhone chips are based on the newest Arm architecture, which includes specialized features aimed at accelerating AI applications.

Notably, Apple has introduced an “Action Button” on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, which supports various functions like camera, flashlight, Focus mode, translation, magnifier, and voice memos.

The higher-end iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are crafted from titanium and come with enhanced AI features, including suggestions for optimizing photo shoots and advanced audio-editing tools designed for professional video production.

Still, a previous report from Bloomberg has also addressed concerns over the slow rollout with its AI platform, which may put iPhone 16 “Supercycle” in doubt.

• New Apple Watches and Airpods

Apple also unveiled new Watches and AirPods with health-focused capabilities, as well as hardware-design improvements.

Apple highlighted the Watch’s ability to discover longer-term health conditions such as sleep apnea as well as detecting and responding to emergencies such as a fall.

For the new AirPods, there are two versions: a standard model and a version with active noise cancellation. As part of the AirPods update, Apple’s introduced hearing-aid features are under review by U.S. regulators.

Read more

• [News] iPhone 16 “Supercycle” in Doubt? Concerns Rise Over Slow Rollout with its AI Platform
• [News] Fuelled by AI Features, Apple’s iPhone 16 Shipments Reportedly to Increase by 10%

(Photo credit: Apple)

Apple is set to unveil the highly anticipated iPhone 16 on September 9, with many expecting that the AI platform “Apple Intelligence” will spark a supercycle in iPhone 16 sales. However, Bloomberg suggests that the slow rollout of Apple Intelligence may make such a supercycle unlikely.

The report notes that while Apple Intelligence will be a major highlight of the iPhone 16 launch, a more refined version might not be available for some time. The initial release is expected to lack several features, including ChatGPT. Additionally, Apple Intelligence will not be launched in the EU (including Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany) or China.

Even if Apple successfully convinces consumers to adopt its AI platform, reportedly, Apple Intelligence will not be available with the iPhone 16 at launch. It is expected to roll out with the iOS 18.1 update in October.

Furthermore, ChatGPT integration is scheduled for later this year, and significant new features for Siri will not be available until next year, as Apple has also decided to delay the release of its latest image generation features to the iOS 18.2 update in December, rather than in iOS 18.1.

With many features expected to be introduced gradually, the AI platform may not be sufficient to drive a large-scale upgrade cycle this year. For these reasons, the report believes that the iPhone 17, slated for next fall, is more likely to generate a supercycle.

According to Apple’s official website, Apple Intelligence will only support devices with the built-in M1 or newer processors (such as iPad Air, iPad Pro, and Mac), as well as the 2023 iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro, but not the entry-level iPhone 15.

For the first quarter this year, TrendForce reported that Apple faced a decline in sales in the Chinese market, resulting in a drop in annual production to 47.9 million units.

This decline prompted several adjustments within the component supply chain, although production plans for processor chips remained unchanged. TrendForce posits that the second quarter falls within a product iteration gap for Apple, and production is expected to decrease by approximately 10%.

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• [News] Fuelled by AI Features, Apple’s iPhone 16 Shipments Reportedly to Increase by 10%

(Photo credit: Apple)

According to a report from wccftech,  previous claims about Xiaomi abandoning the development of its smartphone processor due to high costs were incorrect. Instead, Xiaomi is expected to release its custom solution in the first half of 2025, with its performance rumored to be equivalent to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which was released two years ago. The chip is said to be manufactured with TSMC’s 4nm process.

The chip, as per wccftech citing sources, will be produced using TSMC’s N4P process,  which is a generation behind the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400. However, as the shipment volume might be not as high, it is reasonable that Xiaomi might not need to opt for the most advanced manufacturing process.

Although TSMC has already introduced its 3nm process and is advancing towards 2nm, its 4nm N4P process is still competitive, as both the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9300 are produced with N4P.

The sources also indicate that the performance of Xiaomi’s in-house chip is similar to that of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s, while the 5G modem chip will be supplied by another Chinese company, Unisoc. Xiaomi’s move towards developing its own smartphone chips is expected to its reduce reliance on Qualcomm and MediaTek.

Shanghai-based fabless chip firm Unisoc, is specialized in areas including 2G/3G/4G/5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, TV FM, satellite communications and other related technologies, according to its website.

Per a previous report from wccftech, Qualcomm executives had hinted that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be more expensive than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and they may also charge partners for the 5G modem chip. By developing its own chips, Xiaomi can gain valuable experience and gradually reduce its dependence on Qualcomm.

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(Photo credit: Xiaomi)