samsung electronics Archives - Gizmochina

China’s BOE Takes Lead Over Samsung in Foldable Display Market Sales for Q4 2023

Simranpal Singh — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:59:41 +0000

Foldable smartphones are finally getting to the masses, with several OEMs debuting in this segment last year. With the increase in sales, the requirement for foldable displays is at an all-time high. In a surprising twist, BOE has emerged as the new leader in the foldable display market, outpacing long-standing frontrunner Samsung Display. As per the report from Display Supply Chain Consulting (DSCC), BOE secured a commanding 42% market share in Q4 2023, while Samsung Display trailed at 36%.

The increasing research and development around foldable displays has finally paid off for the China BOE. Also, BOE’s ascent to the top is attributed to the substantial demand for foldable displays from Huawei, a key player in the smartphone industry. Huawei’s remarkable 122% increase in foldable display procurement during Q4 2023 fueled BOE’s surge.

On the other hand, the shift marks a substantial decline for Samsung, experiencing its most significant quarterly drop from 76% (Q3) to 36% (Q4). The dip signals the conclusion of Samsung’s uninterrupted 5-year dominance in the global OLED foldable market. The new development signifies a transformation in the foldable display market that reflects the interplay of demand and supply trends.

China’s BOE partnership with Huawei and robust demand for foldable smartphones made them stand in the first position for their Q4 2023 tenure. In another story, Huawei overtook Samsung as the leading buyer of foldable display panels, with an over 122% increase in comparison with the previous quarter. Several other Chinese OEMs launching foldable phones last year also catered to the increase in sales for BOE.

The trend seems not to last for long as Samsung Electronics is working to increase foldable panel purchases from Samsung SDI in Q2 2024.

Additionally, Samsung will launch the next foldable phones by the end of this year, including the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. Apple is also working on a foldable smartphone, which could launch in 2026.

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Samsung to reveal more details on ‘Semicon Humanoid Robots’ at Samsung Tech Day 2023

Rajesh Regmi — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 10:36:50 +0000

Samsung Electronics is gearing up to introduce its new vision for system semiconductors at Samsung Tech Day 2023 in October. The company plans to develop and produce “Semicon Humanoids” which are robots with human-like sensory functions such as smelling and tasting. This is an amazing feat, as it will allow robots to interact with the world in a more natural way.

Samsung Semicon Humanoids will Feature Special Semiconductors

Samsung Tech Day is an annual event that showcases the company’s latest advancements in semiconductor technologies. And this year, it sure does have something very interesting to share.

Samsung’s Park Yong-in, President of the LSI Business Division, will give a keynote address at the event. He is expected to discuss Samsung’s Semicon humanoids, their development status, and their commercialization plans.

Samsung has long been a leader in the semiconductor industry, manufacturing chipsets, and camera sensors. And it is said to be developing semiconductors that can detect taste, smell, hearing, touch, and vision for their Semicon humanoids.

To explore the potential applications of the robot, the System LSI Division has established a new business task force. The task force is led by Joo Hyuk and he is expected to introduce a medical robot utilizing semicon humanoids at Samsung Tech Day.

In addition to Park Yong-in and Joo Hyuk, Samsung Tech Day 2023 will also feature presentations from Benny Katibian, Vice President of the Samsung Austin Research and Development Center (SARC), and Lim Seok-hwan, Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ LSI Division.

Katibian will provide updates on Samsung’s GPU and neural network processing unit (NPU) technologies. Lim will present language learning model (LLM) related technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT. AMD Vice President Martin Ashton will also participate in the event. He is expected to provide an update on their technological alliance with Samsung Electronics.

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Ex-Samsung employee accused of sharing chip technology with China

Soumyakanti — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 13:06:08 +0000

A former executive at Samsung Electronics, one of South Korea’s leading tech companies, has been indicted on charges of stealing company technology to establish a rival chip factory in China. The defendant, who also worked as a vice president at SK Hynix, another prominent chipmaker, is accused of illegally obtaining Samsung’s data with the intention of constructing a copycat facility just 1.5 km away from a Samsung chip manufacturing plant in Xian, China.

Six Others Charged in Connection with Chip Technology Espionage

Prosecutors have estimated that the theft of data has resulted in losses worth at least $233 million for Samsung Electronics. This incident is viewed as a significant threat to national economic security, as South Korea’s chip industry faces intensifying competition amid the ongoing rivalry between the United States and China.

The defendant, who was arrested last month, denies the allegations made against him. The trial date is yet to be confirmed by the court handling the case. Prosecutors have also indicted six other individuals believed to be involved, including an employee from an inspection company accused of leaking Samsung’s semiconductor factory’s architectural plan.

This development comes at a time when South Korea is actively supporting its chip sector. Both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the world’s top two memory chip manufacturers, have invested heavily in chip factories in China. While these companies rely on U.S. technology and equipment, approximately 40% of South Korea’s chip exports are directed to China.

Although China initially lagged behind in memory chip production, its firms have quickly caught up to South Korean competitors. Analysts estimate that the technology gap between NAND Flash chips produced by China’s YMTC and industry leaders like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix is now only two years or less.

To prevent technology leaks, South Korean companies typically develop cutting-edge chips in their home country before manufacturing them in their Chinese factories after a year or so. South Korea has been increasingly cracking down on corporate spying in recent months, as evident from the recent arrests of 77 individuals involved in 35 cases of suspected industrial espionage across various sectors.

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Samsung Expands Chip Production at Largest Plant Despite Economic Slowdown

Oğuz Çakır — Mon, 26 Dec 2022 12:25:38 +0000

Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to increase its chip production capacity at its largest semiconductor plant, the P3 factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, next year, despite forecasts of an economic slowdown. The move stands in contrast to other chipmakers, such as Micron Technology and TSMC, which have scaled back investment amid falling demand and a glut of chips.

According to the Seoul Economic Daily, Samsung will add 12-inch wafer capacity for DRAM memory chips at the P3 factory, as well as additional 4-nanometer chip capacity for foundry contracts, which are chips produced according to clients’ designs. The P3 factory, which is Samsung’s largest chip manufacturing facility, began production of cutting-edge NAND flash memory chips this year and the company plans to add at least 10 extreme ultraviolet machines in the coming year.

Analysts have said that Samsung’s persistence with its investment plans will likely help the company take market share in memory chips and support its share price when demand recovers. In October, Samsung said it was not considering intentionally cutting chip production, defying the broader industry’s tendency to scale back output to meet mid- to long-term demand. “We plan to stand behind our original infrastructure investment plans,” said Han Jin-man, executive vice president of memory business at Samsung.

In contrast, Micron Technology said last week it would adjust down its investments in fiscal 2023 to between $7 billion and $7.5 billion, compared with $12 billion in fiscal 2022, and would also be “significantly reducing capex” plans in fiscal 2024. Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC also cut its 2022 annual investment budget by at least 10% in October and struck a more cautious note than usual on upcoming demand.

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Samsung Will Start Making 4G And 5G Telecom Gear in India

Oğuz Çakır — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 15:09:46 +0000

Samsung is one of the world’s leading technology companies. The company, which consists of many different departments, operates in various sectors. One of them is telecommunications technologies. In fact, Samsung is one of the biggest telecommunications equipment manufacturers in the world. Lastly, the company reportedly plans to invest in making 4G and 5G telecom networking gear in southern India.

Samsung reportedly to make telecom gear in India

According to the latest reports, Samsung plans to invest $49 million in its manufacturing facility in India to make 4G and 5G telecommunications infrastructure equipment. The company already has one of its largest smartphone factories in the world in the region. Samsung Networks will now join Ericsson and Nokia in domestic telecommunications production in India.

While this development significantly contributes to the Indian economy, it also provides cost and qualified personnel advantage for the South Korean technology giant.

Samsung has big plans for the country

The company also makes TVs and has plans to make OLED panels for smartphones in the country. Based on this information, it is possible that Samsung has big plans for India. These investments can also benefit the South Korean tech giant’s activities in the country. With each passing day, Chinese smartphone manufacturers are increasing their market share in the country. Domestic production can prevent this situation.

Samsung has already received the Indian government’s (National Security Council Secretariat) approval as a trusted source of telecom equipment. This stamp of approval is required in India before any company makes telecom equipment in the country. Samsung Networks has already received orders from the two biggest telecom operators in the country.

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Samsung could face its first labor strike in 50 years over flopped wage talks

Zohaib Ahmed — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 07:06:37 +0000

Samsung Electronics could face its first labor strike in 50 years as wage talks with labor unions fell apart.

Following months of back and forth negotiations, representatives of the labor union filed for arbitration to Korea’s National Labor Relations Commission, which is a government agency under the Labor Ministry (via Korea Herald).

The move gives Samsung 10 days to reach an agreement, failure to comply with will result in a strike and a pause in several Samsung businesses like semiconductor chips and electronics.

The Korean company thus finds itself in a tough spot, already hit hard by the semiconductor shortage that has led to scarce inventories and delays in shipments. Take its flagship Galaxy S22 series, for example, whose deliveries has been pushed ahead by a couple of weeks.

“Although (the union) has been through the 15 rounds of talks (with Samsung), the management had unilaterally delayed the progress in negotiation in a deceitful manner,” National Samsung Electronics Labor Union, said in a statement.

The NSELU currently stands 4,500 members strong and negotiations between it and Samsung commenced in October. They were a first for the company with appeals concerning a wage hike, COVID-19 compensation, and special leave options, all of which fell on deaf ears.

Samsung, in a draft agreement in March, had suggested a wage hike of up to 7.5 percent, including a 4.5 percent basic pay raise, but excluded the labor unions’ calls.

“We have come to file an arbitration with the NLRC based on our observation that our talks will no longer proceed. Our future direction will depend on the willingness of Samsung to negotiate,” NSELU added.

Samsung reveals all its TVs and chargers will use near-zero standby power by 2025

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:08:53 +0000

Samsung Electronics, with its pre-show keynote at CES 2022, pledged to build a green and sustainable future, announcing that it had last year produced Carbon Trust Standard-compliant chips that helped cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 700,000 metric tons. The initiative is part of the Samsung ‘Together for Tomorrow’ Vision.

Samsung’s Visual Display Business plans to use 30 times more recycled plastics than it did in 2021. Also revealed were plans to expand its use of recycled materials over the next three years, including all mobile products and home appliances.

In addition, the company plans to make all of its TVs and phone chargers use near-zero standby power by 2025, meaning they’ll not be consuming any energy when not in use.

Samsung also revealed that in 2021, all of the packaging for its TVs used recyclable materials. In 2022, it will expand the application of recycled materials to cover the inner packaging of cartons. The company also promised to use similar packaging material with its home appliances in the future.

E-waste is another major challenge for the tech industry and Samsung says it has done its bit by actively recycling e-waste since 2009. Today, the collection stands at 5 million metric tons.

Last but not the least, Samsung Electronics dropped some profitability figures for Q4 2021, stating with a press release revealing that its consolidated operating profit stood at approximately 13.8 trillion Korean won or around $11.5 billion. Consolidated sales, on the other hand, totaled 76 trillion Korean won approx. or around $63 billion. Detailed earnings will be made available on January 27th.

Samsung’s only chip manufacturing plant in China reduces production due to lockdown

Zohaib Ahmed — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 13:11:45 +0000

A strict lockdown put in place in Xian to contain COVID-19 in light of the Omicron variant has resulted in Samsung Electronics reducing its chip production in the region. The company through a press release said that it has “decided to temporarily adjust operations” at its chip factory in the city.

The press release further stated that the decision was made to protect the health and safety of our employees and partners, which remains the top priority. Necessary measures will also be taken to ensure that consumers are not affected, including leveraging Samsung’s global manufacturing network.

Chinese authorities had earlier on December 22 enforced a lockdown in Xian, prompting an emergency response from Samsung which shifted all of its available personnel on the production line to continue operating at maximum capacity.

“Due to the lockdown, there are difficulties in employees’ commutes and logistics, so it was inevitable to adjust operations. When the lockdown is lifted, operations will be normalized,” a company official told Korea Herald.

The Xian factory is Samsung’s only overseas memory chip factory and has been operational since 2014. Roughly 40% of the company’s NAND flash chips originate from it.

Meanwhile, Samsung SDI’s electric vehicle battery factory in China seems to be unaffected by the lockdown, with a company official saying that it’s currently “in normal operations.”

Samsung announces $205 billion investment plan to expand its business

Jeet — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 05:58:29 +0000

Samsung Group, one of the world’s largest companies, has unveiled a new expansion plan under which the South Korean tech giant is planning to spend around 240 trillion won, which is around $205 billion.

As a part of the plan, Samsung will be hiring about 40,000 people over the next three years as the company advances towards next-generation technologies. Its subsidiaries will be spending money on Research & Development as well as corporate acquisitions.

The company has revealed that it is setting aside 180 trillion won for its home country South Korea and aims to hire another 10,000 people over the period. It’s noteworthy that this new expansion plan includes expenditures previously outlines by Samsung.

The South Korean giant has planned to invest around $151 billion through 2030 to delve deeper into advanced chipmaking. The company is also expected to proceed aggressively as Lee Jae-yong has now been released from the prison on parole after being sentenced to jail earlier this year for bribery.

Samsung is now expected to have further development related to its semiconductor plant in the United States for which the company is spending about $17 billion. It is among the leading chipset maker in the world, competing against Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) after the withdrawal of Huawei from the market. It plans to go ahead with the long-term vision in terms of technology rather than the short-term goals.

Along with that, the South Korean giant is also looking to expand its biopharmaceutical business through its subsidiaries Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepisit. The group will build two new factories in addition to the three currently in operation with the aim of starting vaccine production.

Samsung posts impressive Q1 2021 financial results across various segments

Jed John Ikoba — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 04:59:00 +0000

Samsung Electronics has announced its first-quarter results for 2021 and it shows a general increase from the corresponding results in Q1 of 2020. The South Korean tech giant revealed that it had a consolidated sales margin of about $59.04 billion (65.39 trillion won) and an operating profit of about $8.47 billion in the period ending March 31, 2021.

The results show a general rebound in several aspects of Samsung businesses. There was an 18% improvement in sales of smartphones, TVs, and household gadgets over the past year, which therefore drove operating profits up. The company will also pursue rapid deployment of premium 5G wireless smartphones and secure profitability by significantly reducing the shocks and disruptions occasioned by demand and supply glitches in its production lines.

The outlook for the year remains a mixed bag of uncertainty and promise and the company hopes to continue its growth trajectory by expanding sales of innovative products that are the outcome of a well-researched market demand template. Samsung continues to pursue research that will help it maintain its competitive edge in the tech firmament. The company says it is planning to strengthen its leadership and promote sustainable growth by scaling up the production and sales of lifestyle products and high value-added premium products while remaining highly responsive to market changes.

Samsung Electronics continues to expand its business model in various dimensions. Its consumer electronics arm continues to pursue custom-made home appliances with greater appeal to its teeming consumers across the world. The chipmaking arm of the company is also experiencing massive expansion, as the company lends itself to trying to reverse the global chip shortage, by putting plans afoot to establish new chipmaking plants in the US or South Korea. Samsung remains a strong tech brand with its hand into several segments of the tech ecosystem including consumer electronics, network infrastructure, mobile, display, chipmaking among several others.

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Over 5.1 million foldable and rollable phones expected in 2021 from 8 different brands: DSCC

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 15:00:29 +0000

DSCC (Display Supply Chain Consultants) has released its new report on foldable displays for March 2021. According to the report, Samsung and Samsung Display will continue to remain dominant throughout this year, just like 2020. However, unlike the previous year, the shipments will see momentum only in the second half of 2021.

Foldable and Rollable Smartphones Performance Q4 2020

As per DSCC’s latest report, shipments of foldable smartphones grew 54% QoQ and 242% YoY in Q4 2020. Samsung Electronics was the leading brand in the fourth quarter of last year with a whopping 91% market share based on units.

Samsung Electronics led the foldable smartphone market throughout 2020 with an 87% unit market share. The overall market shipped 2.2 million units, which is 1000% more, compared to 2019.

Source: DSCC

Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Z Flip was the most-shipped foldable smartphone with a 50% market share, followed by Galaxy Z Fold2. South Korea accounted for more than 50% share of Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Flip 5G worldwide.

Foldable and Rollable Smartphones Forecast 2021

According to Ross Young, the CEO of DSCC, Samsung Electronics has delayed the launch of its next-generation foldable smartphones until Q3 2021. The South Korean tech giant is expected to release at least three foldables.

The Galaxy Z Fold series could replace the Galaxy Note series as the company’s second flagship series after the Galaxy S series. Additionally, the firm is also expected to launch a more-affordable Galaxy Z Flip clamshell foldable smartphone.

Further, Samsung Display, the sister company of Samsung Electronics will start selling foldable displays with UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) to other brands in H2 2021. A total of at least 12 different foldable and rollable smartphones from 8 brands are expected to release in the market in the second half of this year.

Samsung Electronics is forecasted to lead the foldable and rollable smartphone market with an 81% unit share and a 76% revenue share in 2021. On the other hand, Samsung Display’s unit market share will increase from 83.5% in 2020 to 87% in 2021 since it will be selling displays to other brands in H2 2021.

Source: DSCC

However, the shipments of the entire foldable smartphone market are expected to surge by only 1% YoY and 40% YoY in Q1 2021 and Q2 2021 respectively. But the shipments should shoot up over 100% in the remaining quarters (Q3, Q4).

More than 5.1 million foldable and rollable smartphones are expected to be shipped this year. More than 3 million of these shipments are said to happen in Q4 2021. In other words, unit shipments could grow up to 128% while revenue may increment up to 137% to $8.6 billion, as compared to 2020.

Foldable smartphones with Galaxy Z Fold-like form factor (book-type) are expected to account for 49% of foldable and rollable smartphone revenues in 2021, up from 39% in 2020. That’s because new entrants in this category, like Google, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi are reported to release phones with the said form factor.

Last but not least, as per Ross Young, the devices from new entrants will feature in-folding displays as small as 7.1-inch and as large as 8.2-inch, in addition to sub-7-inch clamshell foldable phones.

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Samsung plans to expand the production of CMOS image sensors by 20% in 2021

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 11:43:26 +0000

Apart from being the world’s largest smartphone maker (but not in Q4 2020), Samsung is also one of the largest smartphone component suppliers. One of the popular components supplied by the company is CMOS image sensors. Now, according to a report, the company is planning to expand the production of these sensors by 20% in 2021.

The Elec, a popular and reliable South Korean electronics industry media reports that Samsung Electronics is gearing up to increase the production of CMOS image sensors, which are also known as CIS.

The publication says that Samsung produced about 100,000 wafers per month in 2020. But in 2021, the tech giant has plans to increment the wafers per month count to around 120,000 to 130,000.

In order to achieve this goal, Samsung is said to be considering converting one of its DRAM fabs (11 line and 13 line) at Hwaseong to manufacture CMOS image sensors.

If this happens, it is expected to benefit the four suppliers of Samsung Electronics for CIS, namely Tesna, Nepes Ark, LB Semicon, and Plus Chip.

In anticipation of Samsung’s CIS production expansion, all the above-mentioned suppliers have already been expanding their production capacity. Unsurprisingly, all of them are also expected to make profits from this move.

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Samsung announces M5 and M7 Lifestyle Smart Monitors with DeX, Office 365, & more

Balaji S — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:35:51 +0000

Samsung Electronics has announced two new Lifestyle Smart Monitors(M5, M7) today. Both of them have Mobile and PC connectivity, remote home office, and run Tizen OS. Samsung, which calls them the ‘do-it-all screen’, has launched it globally in countries like the USA, Canada, China.

Samsung Smart Monitors Left: M5 Right: M7

Samsung Smart Monitors M5, M7- Pricing, Availability

Samsung’s new Smart Monitor includes two models- M5, and M7. M5 is available in two size variants- 27-inch(27M50A), 32-inch(32M50A). However, the M7 has only one variant- 32-inch(32M70A). All the Smart Monitors will be available starting November 16 in China, the USA, and Canada as of now.

However, Samsung plans to expand to other countries by the end of November. For now, you can take a look at the US pricing(via The Verge) below:

M5(27-inch)-$230(₹17,100)
M5(32-inch)-$280(₹20,990)
M7(32-inch)-$400(₹29,800)

To capitalize on the pandemic situation, Samsung‘s New Smart Monitors offer work-from-home features like Tap View connectivity, App casting/Apple AirPlay 2, and Samsung DeX. Additionally, the monitors also support home office features like Microsoft Office 365 applications, Remote access.

It also has entertainment features like Smart Hub(VOD), Mobile casting/mirroring, Bixby 2.0 integration, and more. Further, all the models run Samsung’s Tizen OS v5.5, have a speaker of 5W, and support VESA (100mmx100mm) wall mounts.

*VOD is video-on-demand and allows users to stream content on OTT apps like Netflix, YouTube without accessing PC/Mobile.

Samsung Smart Monitor M5- Specifications

The Samsung M5 models come in two sizes- M5(27-inch), and M5(32-inch). Both of them feature a 1,920×1,080(FHD) VA(Vertical Alignment) panel. Weighing in at 5.0kg(27″), and 6.2kg(32″) with a vertical stand, the monitors measure 615.5×455.4×193.5mm, and 716.1x517x193.5mm respectively.

Both the models have a flat display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and 178° viewing angles. Brightness is up to 250cd/m2(nits), and support HDR10. For connectivity, you get 2xHDMI 2.0, 2xUSB 2.0, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, and Bixby 2.0.

Samsung Smart Monitor M7- Specifications

Samsung’s M7 has a single variant- M7(32-inch). However, unlike the M5 models, this monitor supports resolution up to 4K(3840×2160 pixels). The display(VA panel) has 16.1M colors, 60Hz refresh rate, HDR10, 178° viewing angles, 16:9 aspect ratio, 250cd/m2(nits), and 3000:1 static contrast ratio.

As for connectivity, unlike the M5, this Monitor supports USB-C charging of up to 65W. You get a 1xUSB-C, 3xUSB 2.0, 2xHDMI 2.0, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, and Bixby 2.0.

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Samsung Electronics ranked first as the World’s Best Employer according to a Forbes study

Balaji S — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 15:59:42 +0000

Samsung Electronics has topped the world’s best employer ranking in a recent study by Forbes. The study reportedly asked the participants’ willingness to recommend employers based on covid-19 response, talent acquisition, gender equality, and more.

The said Forbes study is done(via Sammobile) in partnership with market research firm Statistica. Accordingly, more than 160,000 participants from 58 countries took the survey anonymously. They are reportedly full-time and part-time workers. The report says the survey went on a rolling basis from June-July.

Samsung Electronics has topped the list of 750 MNCs(Multi-National Corporations) headquartered in over 45 countries. To be precise, Samsung Electronics ranks No.1 overall, and it is categorized under Semiconductor, Electronics, Electrical Engg., Technology Hardware & Equipment. Surprisingly LG is trailing behind Samsung at 5th Place outsmarting Apple, and Huawei.

Credits: Forbes/Statistica

If we take Samsung, it has had a lot of ups and downs as a company in 2020. However, every time, it woke up from the dust and improved. When the world got hit by Coronavirus, it quickly shut down its factories in South Korea after confirmed cases but soon scaled it back. As a Consumer Electronics company, it didn’t stop there. It opened a UV sanitizing service for its Galaxy series of Smartphones.

Showing concerns for both consumers and employees

Similarly, in the semiconductor business, it was quick enough to shift the production from Korea to Vietnam to tackle the situation. Later, it smartly reduced the component orders by 50% when the scenario was a near-death sentence back then. Also, it contributed to countries like India by pledging nearly ₹20 crores($2.7 million) to the PM CARES fund and other state govt to combat the virus.

It even launched a new Smartwatch App for Galaxy Smartwatch users that remind them to wash their hands. Add to this, the other measures include UV sterilizer-cum-wireless Charger, anti-microbial smartphone cases, and a Coronavirus checkup center at the South Korean Plant.

And now, it is ready to expand the market even more but also ensure the safety of its future Smart home products with UV-LED technology. All these shows how much commitment Samsung is showing to its consumers, and employees. That said, 2020 is almost over and companies like Samsung are gearing up for a varied strategy in 2021 with well sorted out plans for TV business, smartphones, semiconductors, auxiliary components, and more.

Up Next: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G with SD865 debuts in China for 4,999 Yuan (~$746)

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Samsung to shutter its only TV manufacturing plant in China by the end of November

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 17:09:16 +0000

For the past few years, the entire Samsung Group has been shifting its manufacturing facilities from China to other countries. Now, the company announces to shutter its only TV factory located in the city of Tianjin by the end of November. This news comes after Samsung Display’s sale of Suzhou LCD plant to TCL Technology Group Corp’s Star Optoelectronics Technology.

The TV factory in Tianjin is Samsung Electronics’ only TV manufacturing plant in China, according to the company spokesperson, reports Yonhap News Agency. This plant has about 300 workers. According to Reuters, some of these workers and equipment will be retained.

As per a Samsung spokesperson, this decision is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance efficiency in its production facilities. Once this factory shutters by November end, the South Korean tech giant will be only left with a home appliance factory in Suzhou and chip production facilities in Suzhou and Xian of China.

It is worth noting that Samsung had already announced its plans to stop making LCD panels by the end of 2020. The company is now focussing more on QLED technology. As a result of this, it is reported to buy LCD panels from other suppliers for its budget televisions.

Chinese LCD manufacturing companies are said to be the beneficiaries of Samsung exiting the business.

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Report: Samsung Electronics partners with Corning to develop its own UTG for foldable smartphones

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 21:58:58 +0000

Samsung is the forerunner of foldable smartphones. The company just launched Galaxy Z Fold2 a few hours ago as its third foldable device. Ahead of it, news broke out that Samsung Electronics has partnered with Corning to develop its own foldable glass.

The display, display cover, and hinge are the three main crucial hardware parts of a foldable smartphone. The original Galaxy Fold uses CPI (Colorless Polyimide) as display cover, which is not as durable as UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) used in the other two devices from the company – Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold2.

For those unaware, Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are two independent companies. The latter supplies OLED panels for almost all the devices manufactured by former except for the upcoming Galaxy M51.

Samsung Display also supplies UTG for Samsung Electronics, which is manufactured by DOWOO INSYS using glass substrates supplied by SCHOTT AG. Thus, the electronics division of Samsung has to pay a large amount of money for display and display cover supplies.

Back in April, a report by South Korea’s ETNews stated that Samsung Electronics was looking to manufacture UTG on its own to reduce the overall manufacturing cost of its foldables. That report mentioned that UTG used in Galaxy Z Flip costs $40 per unit compared to $2 for flat glass used in normal smartphones.

This is one of the reasons why foldables are expensive. But that could change in the coming years as Samsung Electronics has successfully joined hands with Corning to develop its own UTG as per a report by the same publication. This news comes after the company had patented three different types of screen covers for foldables, out of which, two of them involves UTG.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G Mystic Bronze

The new report states that “according to the display industry, Samsung Electronics IT & Mobile Communications Business has recently started receiving necessary glass substrates from Corning”.

That means the company will continue to improve its yield in the coming months so that it could be self-reliant as well as competitive to Samsung Display. This will further lead to competition among other glass manufacturers in the next few years eventually bringing down the cost of foldable smartphones as a whole.

On the other hand, Samsung Display has now begun to focus on diversifying its customers as it cannot rely on Samsung Electronics. In fact, it has already received orders for OLED panels from Huawei for its foldable smartphones.

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TSMC witnesses record-breaking rise; briefly becomes the world’s 10th most valuable company

Jeet — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 07:20:18 +0000

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is the world’s largest contract manufacturer, has witnessed a record-breaking rise in its shares with a boost of $72 billion this week.

As per the report, for a brief time, the company had become the world’s 10th most valuable corporation before paring gains, thanks to a record 9.9 percent rise. With the company’s valuation going beyond $410 billion this week, it surpassed some of the giants, such as Johnson & Johnson and Visa, among others.

TSMC is one of the most important companies for Taiwan as it maintains much influence on the Taiwanese financial markets. The company itself has pushed the Taiex past a three-decade-old record.

The company is also attracting foreign investments which have led to increasing demand for the local currency. As a result, the Taiwan Dollar reportedly rose 1 percent today (28th July 2020), which is the strongest since April 2018.

EDITOR’S PICK: Vivo-backed iQOO to showcase its flagship smartphone with 120W charging support at ChinaJoy

One of the reasons behind the boost for TSMC is the recent announcement from Intel in which the company warned that it is behind schedule to manufacture 7nm chipsets and could outsource production.

Intel is expected to outsource its production to TSMC as the company is a leader in the silicon fabrication business. But it is not only TSMC which has witnessed a surge in shares. Samsung Electronics and China-based SMIC‘s shares also climbed 5.8 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively.

As per the report, Intel and AMD are fighting over TSMC’s 7nm capacity. Intel is set to license the 6nm variant of TSMC’s 7nm technology while AMD could become TSMC’s largest customer next year on the 7nm node, as Apple is moving to 5nm.

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Samsung patents three types of screen covers for foldables

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Wed, 20 May 2020 11:05:47 +0000

Foldables are thought to be the future of smartphones and Samsung is the leading company in this tech with two products already available worldwide. Samsung Electronics has been working to be self-reliant for the display covers used on its foldable devices. Last month, it was reported that the company is planning to make its own foldable glass. Now, the firm has been confirmed to have patented three different screen covers.

The two primary aspects of any foldable are its hinge design and display cover. The former differs by the form factor and use-case of the devices. Whereas, the latter has remained the same on almost all foldable devices released so far except Galaxy Z Flip.

Most foldable available in the market such as Galaxy Fold, Huawei Mate X, Huawei Mate Xs, and Motorola Razr use a plastic cover for their flexible OLED panels. Whereas, the Z Flip, on the other hand, is the only device to feature UTG (Ultra Thin Glass), which is more durable.

But Samsung Electronics outsources both the plastic cover and UTG for its foldables from Samsung Display, which itself buys them from companies like DOWOO INSYS. Hence, it costs around $40 for Samsung Electronics to make UTG used in Galaxy Z Flip compared to $2 for normal flat glass.

Note: Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are two different companies operating independently.

This is why Samsung Electronics has patented its own screen covers made of polyimide. It has patented for three different types of cover and they are as follow.

Polyimide film
Polyimide film + UTG
UTG

The company seems to have passed the first hurdle but the next one is difficult as it now needs to find manufacturers. If it succeeds in that regard as well, then the price of Samsung foldables may gradually come down in the coming years.

Samsung is expected to release two more foldables including a cheaper Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Fold 2 in the second half of this year.

(Via)

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Sharp is reported to supply LCD panels to Samsung Electronics

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 16:03:28 +0000

Last week, Samsung Display announced its plan to stop making LCD displays by the end of 2020. Now, according to insiders from Taiwan, Sharp will be supplying LCD panels to Samsung Electronics for its lineup of TVs in place of its sister company.

Sharp ditched supplying LCD panels for Samsung Electronics in 2017 when it was acquired by Foxconn, which is one of the biggest competitors of Samsung’s TV business. Since then, Samsung Display, its sister company has been providing the panels.

But now, as Samsung Display is ending its production of LCD panels to focus more on quantum dot displays, Samsung Electronics and Sharp will once again partner after over 2 years since their partnership last ended. However, this new deal is expected to only last for a short while.

According to the announcement made last week by Samsung Display, the company is no longer taking new orders for LCD panels. It will only continue to deliver the existing orders, most of which are place by Samsung Electronics. Thus, to fill in this gap, Samsung has once again roped in Sharp for the aid.

(Via)

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Foldables may get Cheaper as Samsung Electronics plans to make its own Foldable Glass

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 15:46:55 +0000

In order to lower the price of foldable smartphones, Samsung Electronics is looking to manufacture foldable glass on its own. Until now, the company has been sourcing supplies from its sister company Samsung Display. If this plan goes as expected, the price of foldables may drop gradually making them affordable than ever before.

The current cheapest foldable smartphone by Samsung, the Galaxy Z Flip costs $1,400, which is not affordable in any way and even the company feels the same. The foldable glass used on this device has a thickness of 30 micrometers and costs $40 to make, compared to $2 for flat glass on normal phones.

The foldable glass, known as UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass), used in the Galaxy Z Flip is manufactured by DOWOO INSYS whose biggest shareholder is Samsung Display, who then incorporates its OLED panel with the glass and supplies the final product to Samsung Electronics. But if the phone maker can manufacture its own foldable glass, Samsung Electronics can compete directly with its sister company. This could lead to competition between other folding glass manufacturers over the years, eventually bringing down the cost.

In fact, Samsung Electronics is already in talks with multiple foldable glass manufacturers. However, it is not certain if the company will succeed in signing a deal but if it does, we can expect foldable smartphones to get cheaper in the coming years.

(Source, Via)

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Samsung Posts Record Figures in Q4 2016 & Full Year Earnings

Jed John Ikoba — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 14:07:24 +0000

Samsung had one of its worst incidence relating to the Galaxy Note 7 battery issue during the fourth quarter of last year but that did not affect the company’s showing during the period, the company’s financial report has shown. The Korean tech giant recently published its financial report for Q4 2016 as well as its full year report revealing its earnings last year.

One spectacular showing on the report is the record figure achieved in Q4 last year, which is said to be the company’s best when compared to results of the past three years. The results were boosted by sales from its display and memory chip divisions.

A profit of $7.92 billion was made in the fourth quarter of 2016, while a total of $45.4 billion in revenue was recording in the entire year, indicating an increase of up to 50% year-on-year. The huge demands for its OLED display panels and memory chip was enough to offset the loss made from the Note 7 debacle. The company even projects an increase in demand for value-added flexible display panel this year as a result of innovations in the industry.

The mobile division wasn’t left out, as it is reported to have posted a year-on-year profit increase to $2 billion, and is expected to do even better in the next few months as sales of the new A and J series commence. The results reveal that the company no longer relies on the flagship Galaxy S-series for its profit as other arms of its business actually accounts for two thirds of its profits now.