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Friday 24 April 2026

Largan, Sunny Optical target FAU in push toward CPO and AI optics

Largan Precision and Sunny Optical have recently announced plans to enter the fiber array unit (FAU) market, positioning it as a priority development area. Industry sources say the timing reflects the core requirements of FAU manufacturing — ultra-precision processing and sub-micron alignment — which closely match the technical strengths both companies developed in smartphone lens production. This overlap in capabilities offers significant value potential in the optical communications sector.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Apple reshapes AI strategy by doubling down on Siri and privacy

As OpenAI and xAI pivot toward enterprise markets inspired by Anthropic, and as OpenClaw sparks new visions for agent-based AI, Apple has finally set a clear AI focus for its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The company announced the event will focus on AI advancements and new software and developer tools, marking Apple's most direct AI statement in recent years.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Commentary: Apple eyes iPhone camera, Vision Pro, and CarPlay advances with new CEO in charge

Apple has officially confirmed long-rumored news that Tim Cook will step down as CEO in September 2026, handing over leadership of the US$4 trillion tech giant to senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus. Unlike Cook, known for his supply chain mastery, Ternus is well-known as a pure "product person" and engineer.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Flagship smartphone SoCs upgrade to 2nm drives cost surge and brand procurement shifts

Starting in the second half of 2026, all flagship smartphone SoCs will transition to the 2nm process node. While this promises enhanced performance for flagship devices, it also triggers a rapid rise in production costs.

Tuesday 21 April 2026

BOE loses momentum as Samsung Display supplies nearly 60% of iPhone panels

According to The Korea Economic Daily, market research firm Omdia statistics show that in the 2025 iPhone display market, Samsung Display (SDC) ranked first with a 56.8% supply share, up about 8pp year-over-year. In terms of shipments, SDC's supply volume increased to around 142 million units in 2025, a year-over-year growth of about 15%.

Monday 20 April 2026

Exclusive: Sunny Optical eyes FAU, sees 9% smartphone market drop in 2026

As the second quarter of 2026 unfolds, many smartphone and component makers entered the year bracing for pressure on the mobile market. Sunny Optical internally forecasts a 9% decline in the global smartphone market for 2026, with mid- to low-end phones pausing camera upgrades and high-end components undergoing a clear replacement trend.

Monday 20 April 2026

Weekly news roundup: Samsung launches voluntary retirement; Qualcomm moves into custom DRAM with CXMT

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of April 13-19, 2026:

Friday 17 April 2026

EMS Watch: Lens Technology's earnings shock highlights strain across Apple supply chain

China's consumer electronics supply chain is facing mounting pressure, as Lens Technology posted a sharp earnings downturn that triggered a market sell-off and raised broader concerns about industry demand and cost dynamics.

Thursday 16 April 2026

Rising component costs could shrink smartphone shipments by over 10% in 2026

Rising upstream component costs and higher new-phone prices are expected to slow global smartphone shipments in 2026, fueling stronger demand for used devices internationally and prompting companies to bolster secondhand operations; at the same time, uncertainty from the US‑Iran conflict threatens shipping routes and could disrupt supply flows through Dubai.

Thursday 16 April 2026

Mobile manufacturers adapt to soaring key component prices with strategic measures

Memory and component cost surges may curb global phone sales growth in 2026, prompting firms worldwide to adjust prices, marketing, and retail approaches to protect margins. Brands and channel operators are repositioning products, expanding premium offerings, and boosting AI-focused retail education to counter tighter supply, higher costs, and shifting consumer demand.

Thursday 16 April 2026

Taiwan lens makers pivot to CPO, silicon photonics beyond smartphones

Taiwan's optical lens makers opened 2026 with a sharp rebound, driven by a recovery in the global smartphone market and rising demand for high-end camera modules. At the same time, a new narrative is taking hold: silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) are pulling traditional lens suppliers into the core of AI infrastructure.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

China Northern Rare Earth hikes 2Q26 rare earth ore prices over 44%, experts warn of demand destruction

China Northern Rare Earth, the leading player in China's rare earth industry, has raised its rare earth ore (REO) prices for the second quarter of 2026 by more than 44%. Amid geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, this significant price increase has drawn strong attention across the sector.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Morrison targets AI phone sensor upgrades, expands into 3 emerging markets

Morrison expects AI smartphone penetration to exceed 60% within five years, driving continuous upgrades in optical sensor specifications. Despite short-term headwinds from memory supply-demand imbalances impacting the global consumer electronics market, the company expects sustained benefits from product upgrades through 2026.

Tuesday 14 April 2026

Samsung boosts Galaxy S26 production by 600,000 units in April

Samsung Electronics has raised its production plans for the Galaxy S26 series in April 2026 from 2.4 million to 3 million units, driven mainly by strong demand for its top-tier Galaxy S26 Ultra model, which accounts for 60-70% of sales and serves as a key growth driver.

Saturday 11 April 2026

Samsung Exynos 2700 benchmark leak offers early look at 2nm SF2P performance

Samsung's next-generation mobile processor, the Exynos 2700, has appeared in early benchmark tests, offering one of the first real-world signals of how its second-generation 2nm process may perform ahead of mass production.

Friday 10 April 2026

Why South Korean panel makers see rising profits despite chip price inflation

Amid rising chip prices, the industry generally anticipates a downturn in the mobile phone and notebook markets in 2026. For South Korea's panel industry, however, optimism continues to emerge. Analysts have pointed out that as demand for lower-end products continues to shrink, the overall end-user market is gradually consolidating toward high-end products. This puts South Korean manufacturers, which have long cultivated the high-end panel market, on a path to robust performance and resilience.

Thursday 9 April 2026

Hinge maker Jarllytec expands into optical communications, targets AI server demand

Jarllytec said operations rebounded in March 2026, driven by shipments of new hinge components for Chinese foldable smartphones. In the near term, shipment peaks for these products, alongside new notebook models from US clients, are expected to support steady growth in the second quarter. The company reported March revenue of NT$637 million (approx. US$20 million), up 40% month-over-month but down 36% year-over-year.

Wednesday 8 April 2026

China intervenes in memory supply; Apple outpaces local smartphone vendors

Memory shortages are pushing prices sharply higher, forcing a reshuffle across the consumer electronics market. Chinese authorities have intervened for a second time, convening domestic memory leaders CXMT and YMTC to provide "strategic support" aimed at stabilizing prices and containing supply chain costs for local brands. Yet with a wide supply-demand gap in DRAM and NAND flash, near-term price stabilization remains unlikely.

Wednesday 8 April 2026

Samsung's Roh Tae-moon visits Tokyo, targets Japan Android leadership

Samsung Electronics's Device eXperience (DX) head Roh Tae-moon personally visited Tokyo on April 1, marking his first trip to Japan this year. Although Apple has long dominated Japan's smartphone market, Samsung has recently seen a resurgence driven by its Galaxy series. Roh's visit signals a strategic push to expand Samsung's market share in Japan.

Thursday 2 April 2026

Mobile chip inventory correction weighs on OSAT supply chain

As the industry enters the stocking phase ahead of new smartphone launches, mobile chip customers are undergoing an inventory adjustment period. The supply chain indicates that this demand correction has cascaded from IC design down to foundry, packaging, and testing — expected to significantly dampen order growth for Taiwanese OSAT players such as ASE, SPIL, and KYEC heading into the consumer peak season.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

Samsung's 2nm Exynos 2600 loses to Qualcomm's 3nm on battery and thermals

Samsung's Exynos 2600 application processor (AP), built on the company's 2nm process, lags in battery endurance behind Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — a 3nm chip — by about 30%, according to a recent test. This gap has had a tangible impact on Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S26 series, with battery life varying significantly across regions depending on which AP the device uses.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Samsung targets 1nm production by 2030, challenges TSMC with new chiplet technology

Samsung Electronics is aiming to launch its 1nm semiconductor process by 2030 as part of a direct technological competition with rival TSMC. The move seeks to secure leadership in the next-generation semiconductor market.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Memory chip shortage drives surge in China's used phone chip market

The used mobile phone recycling market in China has recently heated up, with even non-functional old phones being collected at significantly higher prices than before. This surge is driven by a severe global shortage of consumer-grade memory chips.

Monday 30 March 2026

AI optical boom forces FICG into overdrive expansion

Demand for optical communication modules driven by artificial intelligence is exceeding supply, prompting FIC Global (FICG) to accelerate capacity expansion in Malaysia and China, the company said.

Tuesday 24 March 2026

Rising costs and soft demand prolong smartphone panel slump; AMOLED prices to drop over 20% in 2H26

As March nears its end, the smartphone panel market has yet to see a post-Lunar New Year replenishment cycle. With upstream costs rising and end demand softening, overall market conditions continue to deteriorate.

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