It seems that Huawei may finally be getting a break from the US. The company has been deeply affected by the US – China trade war and the ongoing pandemic, but new rumors suggest that things can start to improve.
According to a recent report by Reuters, Huawei may keep on working with Intel Corp, as one of the company’s spokesmen said that it had received the necessary licenses from the US authorities to continue supplying products to the Chinese tech giant. This information was also released by the China Securities Journal, which mentions other companies waiting to get the US government’s permission to work with Huawei.
Huawei’s rotating chairman, Guo Ping, said that: “Qualcomm has always been a very important partner of Huawei. Over the past decade and more, Huawei has been procuring chipsets from Qualcomm. I’ve noticed Qualcomm has applied for a license to export products to Huawei from the US government, and if they get the license, we are willing to continue to procure from them and use their chipsets in our smartphones.”
Let’s remember that US sanctions got worse on September 15, when the company lost several business partners, such as Samsung, LG, and the TSMC, which is, or was, the company in charge of manufacturing Kirin chipsets found in Huawei devices. Now, we will have to wait and see which companies are allowed to work with Huawei, according to the US government’s judgment.
Apple has been trying really hard to take its manufacturing processes outside of China. It has recently started producing the iPhone SE and the iPhone 11 in India, with plans to include the iPhone 12 in mid-2021. However, we now hear that Apple is starting to include Chinese firms in the production of the new Apple Watch Series 6 and one of the recently launched iPad models.
Apple has recently launched a couple of new Apple Watches, a new iPad, and a new iPad Air in its latest “Time Flies” event. These devices will most likely get tons of attention worldwide, so Apple has to get ready to have enough devices to comply with the demand. Now, a new supply-chain report suggests that Apple is already taking the necessary steps to deliver enough devices in the Chinese market by boosting the production of both the Apple Watch Series 6 and one of the new iPads.
According to Digitimes, Chinese made Apple Watches and iPads will be for Chinese customers, meaning that these new products will stay to be sold within the country. Manufacturing outside of China would be focused on supplying the need for other markets.
“In the wake of the US-China trade tensions, Apple is now seeking more Chinese suppliers to satisfy China’s domestic demand, while for non-China markets, Apple will rely more on Taiwanese makers to help it establish production sites outside of China. “Apple is currently having Quanta and Foxconn manufacture Mac series products in the US. In India, Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron are set to manufacture iPhones locally to mainly cater to domestic demand. In Vietnam, Compal, Foxconn, Pegatron and Inventec have plants manufacturing iPads, AirPods and iPhones at the moment.”
We are also expecting other companies to see an increase in Apple orders. Luxshare and BDT are the perfect examples for this, and they would also be working on the production of the Apple Watch Series 6 and the new Wi-Fi iPad series.
“Luxshare Precision Industry is a secondary supplier for the Apple Watch Series 6, while BYD is among the suppliers for the new Wi-Fi iPad series, according to industry sources. “Foxconn Technology Group (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and Compal Electronics are the main suppliers for the new Apple Watch and iPads at the moment, but based on Chinese makers’ production quality, prices and extent of cooperation, the US-based brand is likely to shift more orders to Luxshare and BYD, the sources said.”
We also know that Apple’s supply-chain partners are also planning to build factories in the United States and other countries to take Apple production outside of China. This is to avoid any possible consequences caused by tensions between the US and China, which have led to a recent ban on popular Chinese apps and several actions against Huawei.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra bundles, Labor day deals and more today
Deals. Labor Day is close, so you know that the deals are stacked today. Samsung still has their Amazon sale going on and they have this crazy bundle where you get the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the Galaxy Tab S6, a Galaxy Watch Active 3 and some Galaxy Buds Live for $1911, meaning you save $477 and get three products for the price of a Galaxy Fold, lol. The rest of those deals are in the links below as, they also have deals on the S10+, Galaxy Buds+ and more. Moving on to B&H deals, you can get up to $300 off on the MacBook Pro. For example, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is $1200, for the Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage variant. The 16-inch variant is also getting a discount, meaning you can get the Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage variant for $2099. We have more labor day sales in the links below.
Google’s upcoming ‘Sabrina’ Android TV dongle could cost just $49.99 as per a retail listing
It’s been a while since we’ve talked about Google’s Android TV dongle, Sabrina. Sabrina was leaked a few months ago with a similar design to the Chromecast but it would bring full blown Android TV and Stadia Support instead of just letting you cast. Now we have an alleged price tag that actually comes from Home Depot.. (break 4th barrier.. Wait, is this right, Home Depot?.. Like, they’re doing tech now?) as they briefly listed the device for $49.99 for the Rock Candy color variant. The listing was obviously pulled, but there is still a way to access it through cache. According to other leaks, Sabrina will also come in Cosmo Blue and Summer Melon. Sadly, the launch date is still a mystery because this is a Google Product, but we could expect it at the Google Pixel 5’s Event, if we have one.
Apple iPhone 11 was the world’s most-shipped smartphone in H1 2020: Omdia
We have a new quarter results from Omdia this time and, let’s just say that the iPhone 11 crushed everything in it’s path. These are global sales for the first half of 2020 and the iPhone 11 took the first spot with 37.7M units sold, just to give you some perspective, the Galaxy A51 is in second place with 11.4M. Apple dominated the market with 5 spots in this top ten. Xiaomi’s Redmi had 4 more spots as well meaning that the Galaxy A51 was the only phone from another brand to reach the chart. The iPhone SE is apparently fulfilling it’s purpose as it reached the top 5 with 8.7M units. We should be getting more results for Q2 soon to see how certain markets went but, it looks like Apple killed it globally.
Yesterday we got the labeled pictures from Evan Blass and now, we have even more leaks of the Moto RAZR 5G. These new leaks come from Twitter where we get some high res renders of the device along with some specs. The renders show the device from the different angles, both open and closed and even sideways. According to the tipster, it’ll bring the Snapdragon 765G, a 48MP main camera, a 20MP shooter and an upgraded 2800 mAh battery. It apparently weighs 190g and he also provided the dimensions, saying it will be 8mm thick. Yesterday we also saw some different changes like the Polished Graphite color variant and that the fingerprint sensor will be on the Moto logo. So yeah, we’re already in September so we should expect an event very soon.
Chinese government could now block TikToK sale to US companies
We’ve had a little break from our ban section after Apple literally terminated Epic but, it looks like the news are back, with Tik Tok this time. Just to refresh your memory, the president of the US signed an executive order giving the company a certain amount of time to sell their operations to a US company, or they would be banned. Tik Tok responded with a lawsuit but they were in talks with Microsoft to sell their operations as, even Walmart wanted a piece of the pie. Well, according to The Guardian, Beijing just issued new restrictions or bans on tech exports, requiring companies to seek government approval, which can take up to 30 days, to sell their operations. Apparently the rule hadn’t been changed since 2008 and it is believed that it’s aimed at delaying the Tik Tok sale. Some of the technologies they added to the export restrictions list include, AI interfaces, voice recognition and content recommendation analysis, which is exactly what Tik Tok uses. ByteDance has agreed that they will strictly abide to these regulations but they didn’t elaborate on their next move. We still don’t understand how it might work in case they don’t end up selling to the US but, we’ll assume the ban would kick in.
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Samsung announces Galaxy Z Fold2: Here’s all you need to know
Back at Unpacked, Samsung simply teased the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and later on they announced that we would be getting a Part 2. Well, Part 2 was today and the Z Fold 2 is now official. Finally! First off, it brings 2 nearly bezel-less Infinity O displays with the outer display being 6.2in and the main display 7.6in, both larger than the original Fold, though only the one inside does 120hz. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 865+ SoC, 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of storage. It brings triple 12MP cameras at the back, which include the main sensor, a wide angle lens and a telephoto. It sports a 4500 mAh battery with 25W fast charging and it comes in both Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black but you can actually customize the hinge in different colors when you order. It’ll retail for $1999 with pre-orders being available tonight, and it’ll go on stores by September 18th. If you follow our main post on Pocketnow you can see different trade-in options for the US and let us know what kind of content you want to see from the Z Fold 2.
A new turn of events could now block TikTok from selling its US operations to a US company. The Chinese government has changed its rules on tech exports, which bans the commercialization of specific technology categories to foreign countries. And now, according to The Guardian, some of these changes may seem as intended to include the video-sharing app.
“Late on Friday, Beijing issued new restrictions or bans on tech exports, requiring companies to seek government approval – a process that can take up to 30 days. In mid-August, Trump gave the company 90 days to sell up or face a shutdown. “The rules, which hadn’t been updated since 2008, are believed to be aimed at delaying the sale of TikTok to US buyers, as ordered by the US president. “Some technologies were removed from the list of regulated exports, including vaccine technologies, but the 23 new additions included tech relating to AI interfaces, voice recognition, and content recommendation analysis. “TikTok’s recommendation algorithm relies on domestic technology that might need to be transferred to a new overseas owner.”
Further, Professor Cui Fan, a Chinese trade expert, told news agency Xinhua that:
“China was not in favour of “decoupling” from the US, but “some forefront technologies, however, might impact national security and public welfare, and need to be included in catalogue management. “Cui said ByteDance should “seriously and cautiously consider whether it is necessary to suspend the [TikTok sale negotiations]”.
Donald Trump could make Apple lose tons of cash, as he recently banned US companies from Transactions with WeChat owner Tencent. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Trump’s actions would force Apple to remove WeChat from the Apple Store after September 20, which would also translate to a decline in iPhone shipments that could go up to 30 percent. However, a new report from Bloomberg suggests that things could get worse for Apple.
According to a massive survey that took place in China, 95 percent of Chinese iPhone users would switch from Apple to any other smartphone brand if they should lose WeChat from their devices. In other words, this survey suggests that more than 1.2 million iPhone users would replace their Apple devices.
“iPhone loyalists across China are now reconsidering their attachment to the device after Donald Trump issued an executive order last week barring US companies from doing business with WeChat […]
“A survey on the twitter-like Weibo service asking consumers to choose between WeChat and their iPhones has drawn more than 1.2 million responses so far, with roughly 95% of participants saying they would rather give up their devices. ‘The ban will force a lot of Chinese users to switch from Apple to other brands because WeChat is really important for us,’ said Sky Ding, who works in fintech in Hong Kong and originally hails from Xi’an […]
“The ban threatens to turn iPhones into expensive ‘electronic trash,’ said Hong Kong resident Kenny Ou, who sees WeChat as one of the most essential software on his handset.
“WeChat isn’t just a messaging service: It’s basically a whole operating system […] The average Chinese person picks up their phone and immediately opens WeChat. Pretty much everything else they do happens within this single app.”
It’s not clear if this ban would only take effect in the United States or applies to business worldwide. If China gets affected, Chinese iPhone users won’t get new iPhone models, and they would eventually switch to Android devices, as WeChat is the most important app in China. It is more than just a chat app, as it is used for payments, e-Commerce, news reading, productivity, and more.
“Apple is one of more than a dozen US companies who this week warned the Trump administration about the implications of banning WeChat from their platforms. The warning was given during a conference call on Tuesday.
“Disney, Ford, Intel, Morgan Stanley, UPS, and Walmart were also among those to inform the White House that the consequences for US companies could be severe.”
According to recent data, iPhone sales have skyrocketed in China. The last report from Shanghai’s CINNO Research claims that Apple’s Q2 sales have seen a huge leap when compared to the previous quarter.
It seems that Apple’s presence in the Chinese market is growing steadily. Apple started this year a bit slow, as Apple reported that it had only sold 500,000 phones. However, things have improved thanks to the iPhone 11 and the new iPhone SE, and it seems that Apple has managed to sell 7.4 million units. In other words, Apple has managed to see a 225 percent increase in iPhone sales, which also results in a 62 percent yearly increase. We also see a 32 percent increase when we compare Q2 2020 to Q2 2019. Still, this isn’t enough for Apple to take the crown of phone sales in the Chinese market since Huawei still holds first place with 36.6 million sales, followed by OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi.
Several Apple products, gaming monitors and more, on sale today
Deals. Come on, we know you missed the Apple deals so we have some new ones for you. The latest 16in MacBook Pro is currently $300 off at B&H, leaving the 2.7GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage variant for $2099. The latest MacBook Air is also $100 off, leaving the 512GB of storage variant for $1200. For those of you gamers, the Razer Jungle Cat controller is also $15 off, leaving it at $85 shipped. We have deals on more Apple products, BenQ monitors and more in the links in the description.
iOS 13.5 brings Exposure Notification API, faster unlock experience while wearing a mask
Apple just started rolling out iOS 13.5 which brings some changes directly related to the pandemic. For starters, it brings the new notification exposure API they built with Google which is the foundation on which contact tracing apps will be developed. Other key features include Face ID now detecting that you’re wearing a mask and immediately asks for your password instead of it taking forever to realize, it also works with Apple Pay and other apps. We have the full list of changes in the description.
OnePlus might not launch another McLaren Edition phone in the future
Remember the phone with the coolest name ever? Yes, we’re talking about the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition. It seems we won’t have another one to mock as, OnePlus is no longer listed in the official McLaren partners page. None of the companies has made a statement yet but it seems that their partnership has come to an end, meaning that we won’t see any McLaren branded phone from OnePlus soon. It could be a mistake or part of a strategy but, the logo still isn’t back on the site. We’ll keep you posted in case we have official statements. Let’s hope that if they do decide to work together again, the name becomes a bit less ridiculous.
We have new details about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event
Now as for some sad possible updates from the pandemic, well, Samsung usually hosts two major Unpacked Events each year for their flagship releases but. I’m actually shocked we still got the February Unpacked. Thing is, for obvious reasons this year will be different. According to a report from South Korea, Samsung has already taken their decision and this will be the first time ever that the company is releasing a flagship online. We get tons of silent releases online from Samsung but they will obviously have some sort of event for the Note’s Unpacked. The event is still slated for August but we don’t have any specific dates yet. Some other products we might get at this event include obviously the Galaxy Note 20, the Galaxy Fold 2 and some wearables.
Samsung Galaxy S21 could arrive with Chinese OLED displays
A couple of weeks ago we reported that Samsung could be ditching Samsung Display for the Galaxy S21 but, not entirely. According to some industry insiders, after a month of preliminary negotiations, Samsung just sent an official request for quotation to BOE which hints to the deal happening and also the fact that they are already working on the S21. Now, it isn’t clear if we’ll be getting a Galaxy S21 Ultra but, that one wouldn’t be using a BOE display because these orders are for 90Hz displays. They have also sent a quotation request to Samsung Display for 60Hz and 120Hz displays so, they aren’t leaving them completely. According to other insiders, Samsung is trying to get Samsung Display to lower the price on the panels and the threat of having BOE replace them might work.
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More rumors say that the Google Pixel 5 will have a mid-range processor
And finally, let’s call this the most interesting news today. I mean, Pixels have taken the spotlight for weeks now, though I wish they would sell as much as people care about the news. Thing is we’ve been getting several rumors that the Google Pixel 5 might not be a flagship. Yesterday we covered the fact that a Google survey showed that this phone might cost as low as $699. Now, XDA has found some new evidence in the Android 11 Developer Preview that hint to the Pixel 5 bringing the Snapdragon 765G processor. It isn’t clear if it will be the 765G or the new 768G but it is compatible to what they found in the new Google Camera APK for upcoming Pixel phones. The price tag also hints that this phone might not bring a Snapdragon 865 after all.
This is not the first time we get rumors that Samsung is planning on buying display panels from BOE. The first time we heard these rumors were almost a month ago when rumors said that Samsung might want to use Chinese displays on its mid-range smartphones. However, new information suggests that we could even see these, less expensive OLED displays in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21.
According to industry insiders, the base model of the Samsung Galaxy S21 may come with Chinese made OLED display. Samsung may have been negotiating with BOE for almost a month now, and it may have finally sent an official request for a quotation. These displays, however, don’t support 120Hz refresh rates, so they probably won’t be found in the higher-end variants, since these high refresh rates are a crucial selling point for the current flagships.
At the moment, Samsung may only be interested in BOE OLED displays capable of 90Hz refresh rates, while Samsung Display would still supply OLED panels with 120Hz support. It is also believed that Samsung Electronics is trying to make Samsung Display lower panel prices, as they may feel threatened to lose some orders to BOE. Whatever the case, it will also help Samsung reduce the manufacturing costs of its next Galaxy S flagship.
It seems that Huawei is already being affected by the latest changes in the Huawei ban. The US started to implement more restrictions on Friday, and according to Nikkei Asian Review, the TSMC has turned down Huawei’s latest chipset order because of these new rules.
The US Commerce Department set new rules last Friday, which make manufacturing companies that use US equipment and software to get a special license to sell to Huawei. Some of the sources say that: “TSMC has stopped taking new orders from Huawei after the new rule change was announced to fully comply with the latest export control regulation.” “But those already in production and those orders which TSMC took before the new ban are not impacted and could continue to proceed if those chips could be shipped before mid-September.”
Huawei hasn’t made comments on the current situation, while the TSMC says that these are “purely market rumors.” The report says that the rejected $700 million order from Huawei was for its 5nm and 7nm chips, which could be the upcoming Kirin 1020 and the current 5G baseband chips, respectively. It is also rumored that TSMC could be working on full capacity and wouldn’t be able to take any more orders. Whatever the case, Huawei could’ve also been stockpiling components since the end of 2019 to ensure a steady supply of components.
The Chinese tech giant could also start looking for alternatives to the TSMC, such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. Still, there’s no guarantee that these companies would be able to sell their silicon to Huawei since they also use the TSMC to produce their chips.
It seems that Apple and other US companies may want to start moving their manufacturing back to the US. The latest information suggests that president Trump is planning to implement new taxes on American companies that manufacture devices or components outside of the United States.
Tariffs to Chinese imports have already made US companies lose $46 billion, according to the Commerce Department, and this US-China trade ban may have cost around $370 billion of Chinese products. Trump has also criticized the existence of supply chains, as he believes that production should be moved to US grounds. If these new tariffs finally take place, Apple may have to raise the prices on iPhones and other devices.
