TSMC expects high smartphone SoC demands in contrast to cryptocurrency mining chips

2018 iPhones are coming in September, just like every year, so TSMC is gearing up to mass produce the next chip from the A-series. And it seems that the semiconductor manufacturer is optimistic about this year's lineup. Despite the rather "lethargic" chip sales of smartphone SoCs, the Taiwanese company is expecting "high single-digit" sales growth mostly due to the release of 2018 iPhones. Speaking of, Apple will equip its smartphones with a 7nm A12 chip and the next jump will be to the 5nm manufacturing process some time in 2020. Anyway, TSMC also says that their cryptocurrency...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/tsmc_expects_high_smartphone_soc_demands_in_contrast_to_cryptocurrency_mining_chips-news-32314.php

Samsung Galaxy Watch gets FCC certified, we get a schematic and some specs

The FCC has certified the Samsung Galaxy Watch and while it hasn't posted any photos, it did provide a detailed schematic of its back. You can see the name of the watch engraved on the bottom and digging through some of the other docs we find some of the specifications. The screen measures 30.2mm - that's 1.19" - and body of the watch is 51.2 x 43.4mm. The supplied charger (ETA0U60JBE) provides 700mA of power over a meter-long USB cable to the wireless adapter. LTE was tested, so this is a 4G-enabled model spanning bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 25, 26, 66. Wi-Fi b/g/n (only at 2.4GHz) and...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_watch_gets_fcc_certified_we_get_a_schematic_and_some_specs-news-32313.php

Story time: making the Mirror Black color for OnePlus 6 wasn't easy

OnePlus loves black. It published a detailed story on how the Midnight Black option of the 3T came to be, now it has detailed the development process of Mirror Black for the OnePlus 6. The team took inspiration from functional glass you encounter every day - a car's windscreen and sunglasses. The end result is a Gorilla Glass 5 mix of both. Follow the source link to read OnePlus' full story on Mirror Black. The inspiration between the Mirror Black glass of the OnePlus 6 Over 70 prototypes were tested before the right recipe was found. It includes five laminated layers,...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/the_story_behind_the_mirror_black_oneplus_6-news-32320.php

Canalys: Samsung catches up to Xiaomi in India, both post record shipments in Q2

Canalys reports that Samsung and Xiaomi each shipped a record 9.9 million smartphones in India during the second quarter of this year. The total number of phones shipped in the country was just under 33 million. Samsung has bounced back and is only a hair behind Xiaomi in terms of shipments, after losing its lead in the previous two quarters. The company's share grew almost 50% quarter to quarter, those are the best gains it has seen since the end of 2015. The best-selling phone in Q2 was the Xiaomi Redmi 5A with 3.3 million units shipped, giving it a healthy margin over Samsung's...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/canalys_samsung_catches_up_to_xiaomi_in_india_both_post_record_shipments_in_q2-news-32318.php

Galaxy S9 and S9+ update adds 480fps super slow motion mode, but with a catch

When the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ launched, they featured a 720p @ 960fps slow-motion mode that could record up to 0.2s of real time. The latest software update for these two enables a 480fps mode, which brings up the recording time to 0.4s real time. Now for the catch - shooting in manual Super slow motion mode is at 480fps only. If you want 960fps, you'll have to switch over to the automatic mode. We're not entirely sure what the reasoning behind this change is, but we can take solace in the fact that auto mode is quite good anyway. Samsung Galaxy S9+ (Exynos) receiving...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s9_and_s9_update_adds_480fps_super_slow_motion_mode_but_with_a_catch-news-32311.php

Huawei P20 Pro long-term review

It was an exciting flagship season this spring, yes, but once the dust has settled, there was only a handful of devices that left lasting impressions. On top of that shortlist is the tri-eyed beast that is the Huawei P20 Pro and it was high time we do a long-term review of this one while using it as a daily driver.

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_p20_pro_long_term-review-1791.php