According to Yonhap News and The Korea Herald, Samsung Electronics has posted a full specification sheet for its mobile application processor (AP), the Exynos 2600, on its official website. The Exynos 2600 was designed by Samsung Semiconductor's Device Solutions (DS) division under the System LSI business unit and manufactured using the company's most advanced 2nm process based on Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology. With the specifications now public, the industry's first 2nm mobile AP is expected to attract increased attention from the tech sector.

As memory shortages and price increases extend through 2026, smartphone companies are considering downgrading memory capacities in their devices. Despite this, Jacob Chen, president of Samsung Taiwan's Mobile Communications Division, stated that Samsung's vertically integrated structure across the supply chain allows the company to benefit from memory shortages, supporting stronger smartphone sales. He expects Taiwan's smartphone sales volume in 2026 to continue growing and confirmed that Samsung currently has no plans to reduce memory capacities in its devices.

Research institutions predict that global smartphone shipments could decline by 1–2% in 2026 due to memory shortages, with mid- and low-range devices expected to be most affected. Based on the Bill of Materials (BOM), the proportion of memory in total component costs varies by device tier. High-end smartphones allocate roughly 15% of component costs to memory, while mid- and low-range devices account for approximately 25–35%.

China's 3C market has been reporting successive price hikes despite a sluggish macroeconomic environment and deflationary pressure. Xiaomi, followed by Honor, Lenovo, and Dell, have increased prices, demonstrating the impact of memory shortages on the 3C end market.

Space-related business opportunities have returned to the spotlight, and SpaceX is expected to go public in bringing data centers to space. Within Taiwanese IC design companies, MediaTek is leading in involvement and business scale in the satellite sector. It currently focuses primarily on satellite communications, maintaining influence in the formation of satellite broadband network standards and promoting direct-to-cell smartphone applications. Additionally, its subsidiary Airoha offers GNSS positioning chips, and its newly developed Ethernet chips have teamed up with MediaTek's Wi-Fi chips for satellite communication ground transceivers.

Luxshare Precision Industry is accelerating efforts to diversify its business mix as it seeks to reduce its heavy reliance on Apple-linked consumer electronics, even as that segment remains the company's largest revenue contributor. Financial data show consumer electronics accounted for 79% of Luxshare's revenue in the first half of 2025, down from a peak of 88% in 2020 and 85% in 2023, signaling a gradual but deliberate rebalancing.

Apple is facing renewed cost pressure as its long-term DRAM supply contracts with South Korean memory makers approach expiry in January 2026, heightening concerns that higher component costs could spill over into its next generation of devices.

The smartphone industry is facing considerable cost challenges in 2026 amid ongoing memory supply shortages and rising prices. This situation is expected to lead to a 1.6% decrease in annual shipments, a shift from the earlier forecast of 2.8% growth made in September, according to DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin.

South Korea has decided to make full 5G standalone (SA) deployment mandatory for mobile operators as a condition for renewing expiring 3G and LTE spectrum licenses, marking one of the strongest regulatory pushes globally to accelerate the transition beyond non-standalone (NSA) 5G.

Taiwan-based networking equipment maker Microelectronics Technology Inc. (MTI) is poised to enter 2026 with renewed momentum, forecasting a rebound across its two core business lines: open radio access network (O-RAN) and satellite communications.

Gemtek Technology aims to significantly expand shipments to India with new investments in optical communications and AI system-on-module sectors. The networking company plans a 100-fold increase by early 2026, contingent on national certification of its Wi-Fi over mmWave Technology (WoMT) in India.