All the major players are trying to surf this next wave of AI, including Intel, Nvidia, AMD and Arm Holdings.
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Motorola’s “adapative display concept” smartphone can wrap around a user’s wrist. The phone can generative a background to match what a user is wearing.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
BARCELONA, Spain — Motorola thinks we may be wearing our phones on our wrist in future.
The company, which is owned by Chinese tech giant Lenovo, showed off a bendable smartphone during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, after teasing it in a video last year.
It is just a concept product so it may never be released. But Motorola is keen to show the progress of display technology to stand out in the crowded smartphone market.
During a demonstration, a Motorola representative showed how the phone could bend in various ways to wrap around a wrist or stand up on a table.
When the phone is wrapped around the wrist, the way information is displayed changes. For example, the apps appear at the top of the screen.
The representative said the phone is “contextually aware” so adapts depending on how it has been bent.
The mechanism that allows the phone to bend was desecribed by the Motorola representative as similar to the way the human spine works.
Motorola’s “adaptive display concept” was on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The smartphone can bend in various ways.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
Apple CEO Tim Cook holds up a new iPhone 15 Pro during an Apple event on Sept. 12, 2023, in Cupertino, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Apple for the first time became the largest smartphone vendor in China by shipments, new data for 2023 released on Thursday showed.
The iPhone maker’s market share in China stood at 17.3% in 2023, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC), a record-high for the firm in the world’s second-largest economy.
Apple’s overall smartphone shipments fell 2.2% year-on-year in 2023, while the overall market fell 5%, IDC said. Shipments are the devices that Apple sends to its third-party sellers and does not equal direct sales. However, they are an indication of demand.
“Apple’s climb to the top spot in 2023, especially in light of renewed competition from Huawei and the soft spending sentiment, marks a tremendous success for Apple,” Arthur Guo, senior research analyst at IDC China, said in a press release.
“Apple achieved this thanks to timely price promotions in its third-party channels, which stimulated demand.”
Indeed, many of the online sales platforms in China offered discounts on the flagship iPhone 15 in the fourth quarter. Even this month, Apple made a rare move to offer discounts across the iPhone 15 range on its own website in China to keep up momentum.
China’s smartphone market has been hit because of an uncertain economic environment in the country and weak consumer spending.
In 2023, Honor, a spin-off from Chinese company Huawei, held the second spot with 16.8% market share, followed by Vivo, Huawei and then Oppo.
Another market research firm called Counterpoint Research also came out with China numbers on Thursday. Counterpoint said it expects the China market to record low single-digit year-on-year growth in 2024, the first year of growth since 2018.
Huawei resurgence
One of the biggest changes in 2023 was Huawei’s return to the top five ranking in China during the fourth quarter, after more than two years outside of the leading group.
However, last year, Huawei debuted a phone that contained quite a cutting-edge semiconductor, manufactured by China’s biggest chipmaker SMIC. This was a big surprise considering U.S. sanctions had been designed to stop this happening.
That new phone, the Mate 60, has helped Huawei make big gains in China. Huawei shipments grew 36% year-on-year in the December quarter and it commanded a 13.9% market share, IDC said.
Huawei knocked Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi out of the top five.
“This will only intensify the competition as no vendors will want to lose a top 5 position in the world’s largest smartphone market,” Will Wong, senior research manager at IDC, said in a statement.
Expect Intel, AMD, Qualcomm and Nvidia to announce their plans for AI processing on personal technology devices.
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The new Nio smartphone, though outwardly resembling a conventional mobile device, harbors unique features that make it a game-changer for Nio’s customers.
In a surprising and bold move, Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO), the distinguished Chinese electric car brand, has ventured into the world of smartphones. Nio’s CEO, William Li, recently disclosed in an exclusive interview with CNBC that the company anticipates at least half of its users to purchase this innovative Android smartphone.
Factors Fueling Nio’s High Expectations
“I believe this portion of users are very likely to use this new form [of device] when they are changing their phones,” Li stated, pointing to the smartphone’s overall performance and its strong integration with Nio’s electric vehicles as the driving factors behind this assumption.
Another key aspect driving the expectation of high adoption rates among Nio users is the existing user base’s composition. Among Nio users who contribute significantly to the company’s profits, there is an even split between iPhone users and those utilizing flagship Android phones, including those from Huawei and other leading brands.
The popularity of the Nio smartphone app, with a daily user count of approximately 600,000 active users, further demonstrates the demand for Nio’s ecosystem and services. Surprisingly, this number exceeds the count of Nio car users, highlighting the broader appeal of Nio’s offerings.
The Nio smartphone, priced competitively at approximately $900 to $1,000, is designed to cater to the needs and preferences of Nio’s dedicated user base. Li emphasized that this device offers remarkable value, coming in at around $150 less expensive than a comparable Huawei smartphone.
Features of the Nio Smartphone
The new Nio smartphone, though outwardly resembling a conventional mobile device, harbors unique features that make it a game-changer for Nio’s customers.
One standout feature of the Nio smartphone is a dedicated button that functions as a key for Nio’s electric cars. This innovation is not only practical but also represents a step forward in terms of user convenience and integration.
Beyond the innovative car key feature, the Nio smartphone provides improved connectivity between the phone and the vehicle. CEO Li stressed that this connectivity allows for seamless transitions between phone and car, even during online meetings. The highly anticipated Nio smartphone is set to hit the market soon. Orders are scheduled to begin immediately, and delivery is slated to commence on September 28th.
CEO Li emphasized that the Nio smartphone is not limited to Nio car owners. It is available to all consumers in China, however, the smartphone is not slated for release in Europe, at least not in the near future. Nio is present in five European countries, including Germany, and the company needs time to work on creating local automotive services, according to Li.
Currently, the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation, where companies are expanding their horizons beyond just manufacturing cars.
This shift towards diversification is exemplified by the recent announcements from notable EV manufacturers like Polestar Automotive Holding (NASDAQ: PSNYW), as well as tech giants like Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Xiaomi Corp (HKG: 1810), and Huawei, who are all venturing into new territories to cater to the evolving needs of their customers.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalist who relishes writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desire to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain media and sites.
It is no secret that China is investing heavily to build a homegrown semiconductor supply chain. Pouring billions of dollars into research and development (R&D) over the last few decades, the East Asian nation wants its homegrown technology giants to have computer chip manufacturing on par with that of Western nations and their allies. As a part of the simmering trade war, the United States has tried to slow down this progress by restricting computer chip exports to the nation.
Today it looks like China has inched forward in this technological tug-of-war despite these restrictions. Smartphone maker Huawei just released a new smartphone with a 7-nanometer computer chip made by Chinese chipmaker SMIC, with many other phone components coming from local suppliers instead of Western allies.
Shares of Western semiconductor companies have fallen in recent trading days on this news, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) stock off 16% from recent highs. Investors are likely worried that Chinese manufacturers are going to steal customers from them. But are these concerns warranted? Let’s investigate.
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