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Global foldable smartphone shipments are expected to increase 20% in 2026 from 2025, according to industry players cited in the source, even as the broader handset market faces tighter supply of upstream logic chips and higher memory prices. Samsung Electronics is expected to keep its market lead, while Apple, Huawei, and other brands are set to help drive the category, with the fourth quarter of 2026 described as the most important sales period.
Foldable phone makers are facing a more segmented market as wider book-style devices gain ground and Samsung Electronics expands its lineup, with the next major demand test expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. The changes are already reshaping how foldables are designed, positioned, and sold, while an expected Apple entry could further accelerate the shift.
Taiwan is moving from early-stage research into commercialization of next-generation communications technologies after the Executive Yuan approved a NT$27 billion (US$833 million) development program running from 2025 to 2030. The initiative will support commercialization of 6G and satellite applications, deployment of test networks and expansion of the domestic communications ecosystem, building on groundwork completed in 2025.

Starlink is preparing to move beyond satellite broadband and direct-to-device coverage into a broader mobile communications business, as SpaceX seeks to combine its orbital network with terrestrial infrastructure and challenge the dominance of established US telecom operators.

Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek delivered similar warnings last week: the global smartphone market is entering a more expensive, more polarized phase. For users, this means fewer affordable devices, fewer upgrade options, and greater pressure on smartphone prices until memory supply improves and chip costs ease.

Samsung Electronics' latest move to scale back its smartphone retail network in China marks another milestone in a years-long restructuring. The shift has steadily reduced the company's footprint across manufacturing and consumer businesses, highlighting how changing market dynamics have reshaped the Korean technology giant's China strategy.

As generative AI moves from personal productivity tools into enterprise operations, most companies are discovering that scaling AI agents is less about ambition than reliability. Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories estimates that only about 5% of enterprises are using AI agents at scale, while roughly 80% remain stuck at the stage of making AI systems accurate, dependable, and controllable enough for production deployment.

Dixon Technologies said rising component prices pressured margins in the first quarter of fiscal 2027. Still, strong order inflows, a shift toward higher-value manufacturing, and new policy support could help offset the hit. The company sees mobile volumes improving, exports rising, and component localization deepening across its expanding portfolio.
Memory costs have moved ahead of smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) costs, and Counterpoint Research said the shift was already reshaping handset pricing and demand. The research firm expects global smartphone SoC shipments to fall 14% in 2026, with the entry-level segment taking the biggest hit and declining by more than 30%.

Taiwan networking equipment maker Arcadyan Technology is accelerating its expansion beyond the residential broadband market.

India has moved to build a major telecom manufacturing hub in Gwalior, a step that could reshape supply chains, investment flows, and technology production for global markets. The project aims to reduce import dependence, support exports, and build an integrated base for telecom hardware, research, and development.