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Aug 5, 16:45
Foldable smartphone shipments are set to rise 20% as Apple enters the market
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.
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.

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.

RichWave Technology said at a recent earnings call that Wi-Fi 7 adoption continues to rise rapidly, with strong demand from telecom operators and retailers. The radio frequency (RF) front-end supplier said that the second half of 2026 should be slightly better than the first half of the year overall, but warned that tight supply of memory and passive components could affect shipment timing.

As Starlink's subscriber base has surpassed 12 million and rivals such as OneWeb and Amazon's Project Kuiper continue expanding their constellations, South Korea only officially launched its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications initiative in July 2026.

Apple reported its best-ever third-quarter results for fiscal 2026, but its guidance for the fourth quarter showed much slower growth than in the prior quarter. CEO Tim Cook said the shortage of advanced-node capacity for mobile SoCs is the biggest limit on the company's expansion.

Xiaomi raised prices on several flagship smartphones in China on August 2, including the REDMI Turbo 5, K90 series, and Xiaomi 17 series, according to Xiaomi Store. The move adds CNY300 to CNY500 (US$44.46 to US$74.10) to each individual product depending on price positioning, with the largest increase reaching more than 10%.
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.

Qualcomm and MediaTek are preparing to unveil their latest 2nm flagship smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) platforms in September 2026, with both brands expected to launch standard and upgraded chips at the same time to meet different customer needs. Supply chain sources say the two chipmakers will no longer rely on a single product for flagship phones in 2026, but instead offer two separate specifications.