Periscope lenses will be used more frequently in smartphones, a trend that is promising to become prevalent to meet growing demand for upgrades to photography functions, according to sources familiar with operations at optical lens module companies.

Both MediaTek and Realtek Semiconductor believe that a wave of Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrades is still in progress and that basic demand has not abated. Wi-Fi chip sales can still contribute to their overall operations in 2023 if the customer purchase pattern returns to normal.

MediaTek has provided a relatively optimistic short-term outlook concerning handset inventory digestion at channels. It has also seen some recovery in non-handset business segments. But MediaTek has stressed that it needs more time to observe the long-term business outlook for the entire 2023, which highlights the uncertainties shrouding the current market.

Despite still being the smartphone market leader, Samsung is losing to Apple in the high-end market while being pursued by Chinese brands in the mid-to-low tier market. Samsung has hoped that foldable phones can save its business. However, with Samsung's technical capability and customer loyalty both falling, foldable phones haven't performed well and don't appear to be capable of saving the company.

All firms with considerable business scales in Taiwan's electronics industry are publicly traded. When they release their tentative annual financial indicators, we can already grasp the growth momentum of the industry, as well as the interactions between different industry sectors and the medium- and long-term outlook. DIGITIMES has again collected data on the ICT product manufacturing, semiconductors, optoelectronics, IC distribution and components sectors, providing readers with a comprehensive picture of the electronics industry and an outlook of the industry trends in 2023.

While Chinese handset vendors such as Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are aggressively moving to develop in-house chips to differentiate their product functions, mobile SoC specialists Qualcomm and MediaTek are also joining the differentiation arena by providing customized solutions for their Android handset clients, according to industry sources.

Mobile SoC specialist MediaTek will still see headwinds from the handset market challenge its operations in the first half of 2023, according to market sources.

Taiwan-based LandMark Optoelectronics, which specializes in GaAs and InP epi-wafers for optical communications, expects to post another on-year revenue increase in 2023, when the company will start shipping 800G silicon photonics components.

The smartphone market is shrinking while the demand for automotive and industrial application has increased. These two major trends will determine the FY2022 (2022/04-2023/03) revenue performance of Japanese electronic component manufacturers.

In contrast with the Indian government's welcoming Apple suppliers' investments, Samsung Electronics, the largest exporter of mobile phones in India, encounters a series of financial issues.

More Taiwan-based network device manufacturers, including Senao Networks, are looking to relocate production to Vietnam for manpower and cost reasons, according to Tommy Tsai, chairman of Senao.

Networking solution provider Planet saw record revenue growth in 2022 and has remained optimistic about its outlook toward 2023. In response to the strong wireless communication demand of smart IoT, PLANET also released a new router to take full advantage of this business opportunity.

Samsung Electronics aims to launch its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S23, in the spring of 2023. The new model bids farewell to Samsung's own AP Exynos and is equipped with Qualcomm's latest mobile AP, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. People are observing if this new processor strategy will open up new opportunities for Samsung.

Apple Inc.'s push to replace the chips inside its devices with homegrown components will include dropping a key Broadcom Inc. part in 2025, according to people familiar with the situation, dealing a blow to one of its biggest suppliers.

At CES 2023, Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon Satellite solution. This further escalated the already heated competition in the mobile phone satellite communication sector.

Win Semiconductors and Advanced Wireless Semiconductor (AWSC), as well as epitaxial wafer supplier Visual Photonics Epitaxy Company (VPEC), all saw their 2022 revenues register double-digit on-year declines due to disappointing demand for handset power amplifiers.

Qualcomm has laid out its future development roadmaps with focuses on AI technology and solutions, in-house developed Oryon CPU and AR glasses discrete architecture, all among forward-looking technologies and applications shared at the vendor's Snapdragon Summit 2022, according to industry observers.

Taiwan-based fabless chipmakers have enhanced their efforts to develop high-end chips such as mobile application processors (AP), OLED display driver ICs (DDI), ASICs, wireless communication chips, and high-speed transmission chips, according to industry sources.

TSMC has received chip orders from system vendors including Google, Tesla, and Oppo, in addition to Apple, utilizing its sub-5nm process technologies, according to industry sources.

MediaTek and Qualcomm will have to think more about whether to follow in the footsteps of Apple to have their mobile SoCs fabricated by TSMC using 3nm process technology in 2023, given the high production cost and still unclear sales prospects for Android handsets, according to industry sources.

Due to weak consumer demand, made-in-India smartphones have witnessed a temporary decline in the latest quarter. Still, analysts believe that India will play a more significant role in smartphone manufacturing.

Hinge maker Jarllytec has expressed optimism about demand from the foldable smartphone sector, as its market will continue to grow in 2023, thanks to the increasing popularity of foldable models.

Mediatek, Novatek, and Realtek, Taiwan's three major IC design houses, all remain conservative in their 2023 outlook, since the overall visibility is not clear. What is clear is that client demand for the first quarter of 2023 will not see a significant rebound. The earliest stabilization is likely in the second quarter, while growth trend may only return during the traditional peak season of 3Q and 4Q.

Chinese smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo are expanding their involvement in the chip supply chain in terms of both self-development and investment, as they seek to differentiate their products from competitions.

LG Innotek announced that it will launch the first open booth at the 'Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023' and reveal new products related to electric components of electric vehicles and autonomous driving cars in mass.