Smartphones
Samsung is announcing today that it has begun mass production of 12 GB and 16 GB LPDDR5X modules in the industry's thinnest package. Samsung's shrunken memory packages measure approximately 0.65 mm in thickness, making them 0.06 mm (~9%) thinner than standard LPDDR5X packages. The company expects the new DRAM devices to be used to make for thinner smartphones, or improve their performance by enabling better airflow inside. According to the company's press release, Samsung achieved this ultra-thin design by employing new packaging methods, such as optimized printed circuit boards (PCBs) and epoxy molding compound (EMC). Additionally, an optimized back-lapping process was used to further reduce the height of the packages. The newly developed DRAM packages are not only thinner by 9% compared to previous models...
HiSilicon Kirin 970 - Android SoC Power & Performance Overview
The Kirin 970 is HiSilicon’s new SoC flagship for this year and powers the Huawei’s flagship devices for this generation. We’ll have a closer look at the SoC capabilities...
116 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/22/2018Meizu Announces M6s with Exynos 7872
Today Meizu launched the new M6s, successor to last year’s M5s. The new M6s brings significant upgrades for the entry-level smartphone as it upgrades the SoC, screen and camera. The...
25 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/17/2018Synaptics at CES 2018: In-screen Fingerprint & OLED DDIC
At CES 2018 we’ve had opportunity to visit Synaptics’ booth and check out what new technologies they had to offer. One of the big stories of CES 2018 in...
4 by Andrei Frumusanu on 1/16/2018Dell at CES 2018: Mobile Connect and Dell Cinema
LAS VEGAS, NV — Dell will also announce two new software components with one in the entertainment space, Dell Cinema, and one on the productivity side in Dell Mobile...
1 by Joe Shields on 1/9/2018Razer Unveils Project Linda: Turning the Razer Phone into an Android Laptop
LAS VEGAS, NV — As part of their announcements today, Razer is lifting the lid on one of its internal projects. Like other previous Razer prototype developments that get...
9 by Ian Cutress on 1/9/2018Qualcomm at CES 2018: Press Conference Live Blog
It's Vegas, and Qualcomm are having a press conference. I'm seated front row and center.
11 by Ian Cutress on 1/8/2018Sony Unveils Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Xperia L2
LAS VEGAS, NV — Today at CES 2018, Sony announced the addition of three new phones to their Xperia line: the Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Xperia L2...
12 by Nate Oh on 1/8/2018Samsung Announces New 9810 SoC: DynamiQ & 3rd Gen CPU
After teasing the Exynos 9810 in CES related press material back in early November as well as having early announcement about the new modem capabilities last summer we now...
43 by Brett Howse & Andrei Frumusanu on 1/3/2018Apple’s $29 iPhone Battery Replacement Program Accelerated, Available From Today
Following widespread criticism for reducing SoC frequency because of battery degradation, Apple announced plans to cut down the price of an out-of-warranty battery replacement for the iPhone 6 and...
96 by Anton Shilov on 12/30/2017Apple Issues Updated Statement On Battery Ageing
Following the attention that Apple had gotten over the past few weeks regarding the discovery of mechanisms that reduce CPU frequency on devices with aged batteries, Apple has now...
103 by Andrei Frumusanu & Anton Shilov on 12/29/2017Apple Confirms CPU Limitation In Ageing Devices
Over the last week there's been increasing discussion and evidence of Apple's supposed introduction of CPU throttling mechanisms directly related to the battery wear level on Apple iPhones. The...
122 by Andrei Frumusanu on 12/21/2017Google to Shut Down Project Tango in Favor of ARCore
Google announced on Friday that it would cease support for its Tango computer vision and augmented reality initiative on March 1, 2018. The company urges Tango developers to migrate...
16 by Anton Shilov on 12/18/2017Synaptics Unveils Clear ID In-Display Fingerprint Sensor for 18:9, 20:9 Smartphones
Synaptics this week introduced its first Clear ID FS9500 in-display optical sensor that can be installed under the surface of an OLED screen. The fingerprint reader works faster than...
39 by Anton Shilov on 12/14/2017MediaTek Launches Sensio MT6381 Biosensor
In a change of pace from the normal SoC related MediaTek news, today we see the announcement of a new discrete biosensor from the Taiwanese chip manufacturer. The new...
11 by Andrei Frumusanu on 12/14/2017Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform: Tocks Next-Gen CPU Cores, GPU, AI, & More
Today as part of its media event, Qualcomm finally announced the much expected Snapdragon 845, successor to last year's very successful Snapdragon 835. The Snapdragon 845 is a large...
145 by Andrei Frumusanu on 12/6/2017Samsung Starts Production of 512 GB UFS NAND Flash Memory: 64-Layer V-NAND, 860 MB/s Reads
Samsung on Tuesday announced that it had initiated volume production of UFS NAND flash memory chips with 512 GB capacity based on its latest 64-layer 512 Gb V-NAND. The...
11 by Anton Shilov on 12/5/2017Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit: Day One Live Blog (6:30pm UTC)
This week, in Hawaii, Qualcomm is holding its annual Snapdragon Tech event. This year we're expecting to hear news on the latest Snapdragon 800-series SoC, movements in Qualcomm's 5G...
28 by Ian Cutress & Andrei Frumusanu on 12/5/2017Honor Launches Honor 7X & V10
Today in the London launch event Honor launched its new Honor 7X and V10 smartphones for western markets. The 7X had already been released a couple of months ago...
10 by Andrei Frumusanu on 12/5/2017Google Announces Go-Edition of Android 8.1
With the release of Android 8.1 tomorrow Google also announcement of a Go-edition of Android Oreo. The Android team has been hard at work optimizing the operating system to...
17 by Andrei Frumusanu on 12/5/2017Honor 7X & V10 Western Launch Event: A Live Blog (2:30pm UTC)
Today Honor is announcing a new smartphone coming to EMEA and the Americas: the Honor 7X. The 7X has actually already been announced for the Asia-Pacific market, however Honor...
20 by Ian Cutress on 12/5/2017