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Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Upcoming NVIDIA Shield TV to feature Google Stadia support

    Upcoming NVIDIA Shield TV to feature Google Stadia support

    News about NVIDIA working on a new Shield TV set-top box emerged over the weekend, but not many details on the device were mentioned at that time. We only learned that the Android TV box will include a more powerful processor and that it will run Android 9.0 Pie. NVIDIA’s plans that the upcoming Shield TV will be centered on Google’s Stadia service, which allows users to stream games on just about any device with a display.

    On top of that, NVIDIA wants to release a new controller with the upcoming console and a more advanced remote. Also, the cheapest version of the console will come without the controller to allow those who ordered the Stadia controller to save some money when they buy the new NVIDIA Shield TV.

    Embracing Google Stadia’s game streaming service is a bold move from NVIDIA, as the company will most likely see a decrease in market share for its own GeForce NOW cloud gaming service that aims to do the same thing for subscribers.

    Finally, while we don’t have a price for the upcoming NVIDIA Shield TV, it appears that the new console is expected to be launched on the market by the end of this year, so there’s still time for NVIDIA to change its strategy for whatever reason.

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  • Second generation Apple AirPods had weaker than expected sales in Q1

    Second generation Apple AirPods had weaker than expected sales in Q1

    Apple’s AirPods continue to dominate the true wireless “hearables” category with a larger than 50% market share. However, the second generation of the extremely popular accessory did not add to Apple’s already huge share of this market. According to the information made public by Counterpoint Research, despite launching the latest version of its AirPods during the quarter, “Apple’s market share remained at the same level seen in the last quarter, failing to grow in spite of the launch of its second generation AirPods.” Of course, the new AirPods weren’t announced by the tech giant until March 20th, nearly at the end of the three-month period.

    The second generation AirPods replaced the W1 chip employed on the original version with an H1 chip for improved Bluetooth connectivity. It also lowered the strain on the battery, allowing Apple to promise 50% longer “talk time,” and allows users to switch between devices while listening to music up to two times faster. And Siri can now be summoned by saying “Hey Siri.” The update also added a new carrying case for the AirPods that will charge wirelessly. If the upcoming 2019 iPhone models feature reverse wireless charging as rumored, the new case will be able to sit on the back of one of the new units and power up. Of course, this will come at the expense of the battery inside the host iPhone.

    Counterpoint noted that thanks to sales promotions run to clear out inventory, sales of the first-gen AirPods were higher than expected during the quarter. Sales of the second generation AirPods were weaker than expected. Some of that could be due to confusion among consumers, many of whom expected the new buds to be water-resistant and feature a new grip to keep them firmly planted in users’ ears. Those rumors and others about some sort of health care feature for the accessory and a new Black color option were well publicized prior to the unveiling of the new version. As it turns out, these are features that we will probably see when the third generation AirPods come out later this year. Most likely, many consumers are holding off on purchasing the new AirPods and are awaiting the next version of the device.

    “Apple’s market share remained at the same level seen in the last quarter, failing to grow in spite of the launch of its second generation AirPods. While sales of the first generation AirPods were higher than expected thanks to a variety of sales promotions for stock-outs in the channel in Q1 2019, sales of the new model were weaker than initially expected due to the market’s mixed response.”-Counterpoint Research

    The graphs released by Counterpoint didn’t include any actual percentages, but we can see from the graphs that Apple’s AirPods have a huge lead over the second place Samsung Galaxy Buds. Samsung’s wireless “hearables” were launched earlier this year and were handed out as a bonus to those purchasing a phone from the Galaxy S10 line. That promotion, by the way, is back until June 30th. The Galaxy Buds replaced the Gear IconX in Sammy’s lineup and helped the company leap over Jabra to take second place for the first time. The Jabra Elite Active 65t was third.

    Later this year, we should see two more heavyweights enter the market. Both Amazon and Microsoft are planning to release their own wireless Bluetooth earbuds this year. The former says that its device will be equipped with Alexa and will sound better and cost less than Apple’s AirPods. Microsoft’s Surface Buds will include Cortana integration.

    During the first quarter of this year, Counterpoint says that the size of what it calls the “true wireless wearables” market was 17.5 million units. That is a 40% gain sequentially from the fourth quarter of 2018. That is impressive because Q4 of 2018 included the holiday shopping season.

  • Amazon is making Alexa easier to use

    Amazon is making Alexa easier to use

    Imagine being able to arrange a night out in advance through Alexa by engaging in a naturally flowing conversation with the virtual assistant. This is what Amazon showed off last week at its re: Mars conference when it unveiled a preview of Alexa Conversations. Found in Amazon’s Alexa Skills Kit, Conversations allows developers to combine voice apps in order to streamline certain functions.

    Amazon showed off what Conversations could do at the conference by showing a clip of a woman using Alexa to purchase a movie ticket, reserve a table at a nearby Chinese restaurant, and order an Uber to pick her up. The whole process took less than a minute. Amazon says that this “night-out” scenario is the first of many that will allow users to quickly move from one voice app to another inside one conversation. The Conversation feature is designed to reduce the number of interactions it takes to get things done. For example, with the “night-out” scenario, approximately a dozen instructions were required to arrange the whole evening compared to the 40 or so that it would have taken without the new capability. And to make Alexa even more conversational, the virtual assistant can order an Uber by saying “Get me a ride,” instead of “Alexa, launch the Uber skill.”

    Last year, Amazon introduced Follow-up Mode so that users can ask Alexa to handle multiple tasks without having to repeat the “Alexa” hotword every time they want to add a task or request. This can be enabled by opening the Alexa app on your phone and swiping to the right to reveal the app’s menu. From there, go to Settings > Device Settings and tap on the appropriate device. Scroll down to Follow-up Mode and toggle it on. This should make asking Alexa to do multiple tasks a lot easier and quicker. Google launched something similar to Continued Conservations for Google Assistant. This allows users to continue a conversation without having to continually say “Ok, Google.”

    “If you make customers repeat information again and again and again, you are forcing them to believe that they are talking to a dumb entity, and if that’s the rapport you’re building with them from the get-go, the chances are they’re never going to delegate higher order tasks to you, because they will never think you’re capable of solving higher-order problems for them.”-Sanju Pancholi, Alexa AI senior product manager, Amazon.

    Eventually, Amazon could add different Skills for Alexa that will allow users to order food to be delivered, buy a present, or view content at home. Alexa currently is on over 100 million devices and users have more than 90,000 skills that can be enabled for the platform. With 325,000 developers using the Alexa Skills Kit, we can expect many more Skills to be available in the future.

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  • Google sends $50 off code to Pixel 3a owners

    Google sends $50 off code to Pixel 3a owners

    Good news Pixel owners, as Google has decided that it’s time to sell even more Pixel 3a phones by sharing a huge number of discount codes for one of its most recent handsets. These codes are only sent to those who already own a Pixel 3a phone and it’s meant to be shared with friends.

    Multiple Pixel 3a owners report they have received $50 off discount codes in their email inbox, which they can share with their friends. According to the email, you and a friend both get $50 to spend in the Google Store when your friend buys a Pixel 3a using the code received, Droid-life reports.

    Although Google mentions that this is an exclusive Pixel 3a offer, it’s unclear whether or not it’s available outside the United States. But if you’ve bought your phone in the US, chances are you’ll be getting the $50 off code very soon.

    Once your friend buys a Pixel 3a using the code provided, you should be notified about the $50 credit from the Google Store. We also don’t know if the $50 off code can be combined with another discount on Google Store, but that’s easy to verify if you plan to purchase a Pixel 3a and already have a code.

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  • Galaxy S11’s chipsets may support fast DDR5 memory and 5G modem integration

    Galaxy S11’s chipsets may support fast DDR5 memory and 5G modem integration

    Next year, we are going to see a real competition in the world of mobile processing units, it seems, as both the next Exynos and Snapdragon 865 chipset lines will be done at Samsung’s second-gen 7nm production facilities. Currently, Snapdragon 855 that is in the Galaxy S10 for the US is done at the first-gen 7nm production node, while Exynos 9820 for the global versions is on 8nm.

    What we were wondering most about, however, is whether Qualcomm and Samsung’s venerable 5G modems will be soldered together with their processors, in a true system-on-a-chip fashion, or will they be separate entities like this year. The need for two separate components to tack on Snapdragon 855 forced many a phone maker to do “5G” versions of their flagships, often with bulkier bodies and larger batteries, and we hope that this tendency won’t stick around next year as well.

    The last thing we heard about Snapdragon 865 is that it will have two versions, with and without 5G connectivity, just like this year, but what wasn’t clear was whether the 5G variant will have the modem integrated in a chipset fashion. Well, the latest tip from Roland Quandt doesn’t really clear that up, either, as he confirms the two models codenames Kona and Hurracan, but says “one likely with, one without integrated 5G modem (SDX55)” is in store which is the same speculation we’ve heard before.

    What we do learn as a new bit of info, however, is that both will come with support for the latest DDR5 mobile memory generation, and the fastest UFS 3.0 storage standard that the OnePlus 7 Pro shipped with. Samsung already announced it is mass production-ready for LPDDR5 memory chips but we wouldn’t hold our breath to see those in phones before next spring and the Galaxy S11 season.

    Samsung recently tipped that it is planning to integrate a 5G modem into a chipset (presumably of its own Exynos making) faster than anyone, and we’d expect to hear about it before the end of the year, with the inevitable end goal to see it make a cameo in the S11 alongside the Snapdragon 865.

  • Apple Watch cuts more ties with the iPhone in latest watchOS 6

    Apple Watch cuts more ties with the iPhone in latest watchOS 6

    VentureBeat’s Jeremy Horwitz discovered something interesting on his Apple Watch when he installed watchOS 6 Developer beta 2 on the device. There are indications that with the latest watchOS build, the wearable will be able to directly load OTA updates without having to go through an Apple iPhone. It’s another cut in the umbilical cord that connected the Apple Watch to the iPhone when the timepiece was first released in 2015. If you’re running the latest Developer beta of watchOS, you can see how the timepiece can run OTA updates through the settings menu by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

    The first cut in the cord came with the release of the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular), which allowed users to make and take calls, reply to messages and receive notifications on the device even if they left their iPhone at home. Before the latest beta update, Apple Watch users needed to open the Watch app on their iPhone in order to complete the updating process.

    So this seems to be good news for those fighting for the independence of the Apple Watch. We say “seems” because for now, even if you install a software update directly from your smartwatch’s settings menu, you have to read and accept the watchOS terms and conditions from your iPhone before starting the update. That seems a little contradictory for a feature that is designed to wean Watch users off their handsets, so we have our fingers crossed that this is something that will be figured out before the final version of watchOS 6 is disseminated.

    When updating directly from the Apple Watch, the timepiece needs to be connected to Wi-Fi and resting on its charger. Once the battery is charged up to the 50% level, the update will begin.

    The next build of watchOS will feature new watch faces. Many new watch faces, according to Apple. In fact, the company says that there will be “more new faces since the very first Apple Watch.” The big news, of course, is that there will be an App Store for the Apple Watch that will host independent apps for the device. And Apple is adding some new apps for the wearable including Audiobooks, Voice Memos, and Calculator. The new Trends feature will allow Apple Watch users to get a longer-term view of their activity stats ranging from a 90-day look to a full year. If the trend shows a healthy increase in activity, that will be good for a user; if the trend shows that the Apple Watch owner is slacking off, the timepiece will pass along some hints on how to get back on track.

    The update will also alert someone if they are in danger of damaging their hearing because of some loud surrounding noises. This is done by having the microphone on the Apple Watch turn on every now and then to measure ambient sounds. If the sound registers over 80dB, the Apple Watch will show a warning. The update to watchOS 6 will also include a setting allowing your timepiece to “chime” at the top of each hour while the Taptic engine will produce a vibration at the same time. And lastly, with the latest build of Apple’s smartwatch operating system, women will be able to track the time every month when they are most fertile and more likely to get pregnant. This is actually good news for Apple. The more children that are born in homes where Apple products are prevalent, the more future customers the company can count on.

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  • Samsung to reportedly unveil the Galaxy Note 10 line

    Samsung to reportedly unveil the Galaxy Note 10 line

    According to CNET, a source familiar with Samsung’s plans says that the unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Pro will take place on August 7th. It will occur during Samsung’s next Unpacked event to be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. It also is the location where Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note 9 last year. This year, we expect to see four models introduced including the 4G LTE Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Pro, and the 5G versions of the same units.

    The “standard” Samsung Galaxy Note 10 (SM-N970) is expected to carry a 6.3-inch curved AMOLED display. The version sold in the states will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform with the Exynos 9825 chipset under the hood almost everywhere else. A triple-camera setup is likely to be found on the rear of the device consisting of a 12MP wide-angle camera, 12MP telephoto camera, and a 16MP Ultra-wide camera. A 3400mAh battery will supply the power and there will be an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner. The standard 4G LTE Galaxy Note 10 is expected to be priced in the range of $1,100-$1,200. The 5G version of this phone will be model number SM-N971.

    The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Pro (SM-N975) will carry a curved 6.7-inch AMOLED display, and have a Time of Flight (ToS) sensor in back beside the three cameras found on the standard model. This sensor measures how long an infrared light takes to bounce off a subject and return to the phone, allowing the device to compute more accurate depth information for the bokeh effect and for face mapping. An ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner will be on board, and the Galaxy Note 10 Pro will be equipped with a 4500mAh battery along with a 25W fast charger. The 5G version of this phone (SM-N976) has appeared on the Geekbench benchmark site twice with one of the units apparently heading to Verizon (SM-N976V). This model was equipped with the Snapdragon 855 SoC and included 12GB of RAM. The international version (SM-N976B) had the Exynos 9825 under the hood and 8GB of RAM.

    All four models will come with the S Pen. Last year, following a number of rumors, Samsung added Bluetooth LE support to the stylus allowing it to be used as a remote shutter for the Galaxy Note 9’s camera and as a tool to remotely control streaming media. This year, things have been quiet on the S Pen front so we don’t expect to see drastic changes here. Additionally, none of the four units will have a 3.5mm earphone jack nor will they have a Bixby button. And in an interesting design, the rear cameras will be mounted vertically along the left side of the rear. Last year’s model used a camera housing that was placed horizontally on the phone’s back panel. The Galaxy Note 10 line uses Sammy’s Infinity-O display; this means that punch-holes are used for the phones’ selfie snappers.

    From the looks of things, it appears that the Galaxy Note 10 will be introduced before the release of the Galaxy Fold. Considering that the latter was due to be released on April 26th, this was not expected. AT&T and Best Buy have canceled pre-orders for the foldable device, and Samsung has too unless it was expressly told not to by its customers; some of these consumers, willing to shell out $1,980 for the Galaxy Fold, might decide to save some money and purchase a Galaxy Note 10 model instead.

    So for now, if you’ve been looking forward to the unveiling of the Galaxy Note 10, you should circle August 7th on your calendar. Last year, two weeks separated the August 9th unveiling of the Galaxy Note 9 and its launch on August 23rd. With that in mind, the Galaxy Note 10 could launch this year on August 21st.

  • First Glimpse of the new Apple Taiwan store

    First Glimpse of the new Apple Taiwan store

    Apple Taiwan will open its second retail location – the new Xinyi A13 store – in Taipei tomorrow.

    In a nod to the brand’s Chicago flagship, the new store’s glass exterior and distinctive roof house a two-storey retail area with two marble composite staircases leading downward to an underground level.

    Taiwanese singer-songwriter Eve Ai will perform at the opening, kicking off a six-week “Stage for Creativity” initiative that will see local artists and creators featured at the venue.

    Apple’s first official store in Taiwan opened in the Taipei 101 mall, although the majority of its products are sold via its online channel and through local authorised resellers. Around 4 million people have visited Apple Taipei 101 since its launch.

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  • Bose to launch new wireless headphones with voice-activated Alexa

    Bose to launch new wireless headphones with voice-activated Alexa

    Headphones with support for digital assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri have become trivial in the last couple of years. However, most of these headphones will only allow users to wake up the digital assistant by pushing a dedicated button.

    Apple and Samsung are the only companies that have recently introduced the ability to use voice activation to wake up the assistant implemented into a pair of headphones, though support is limited to a certain set of commands.

    The reason headphones manufacturers weren’t able to implement such a feature yet is due to the limited battery life of their products. In order to detect the wake word, headphones must use the battery to keep the microphone enabled all the time, which would drastically reduce the overall battery life. Luckily, a company called Knowles Corp. has managed to design a new chip that enables wireless headphones to reply to Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant by saying its name, Reuters reports. Basically, you will no longer have to press a button to activate Alexa, you will simply have to say its name.

    The new chip is power-efficient and includes a microphone and digital signal processor, as well as a reference design that will allow headphone manufacturers to add support for Alexa into their products.

    Knowles confirmed that Anker and LinkPlay will use its new chip and Alexa design to release headphones with voice-activated Alexa support, which will replace the traditional push-button versions.

    Bose will also launch a pair of headphones with voice-activated Alexa support later this month, although Knowles didn’t explicitly say whether or not they will be based on its chip.

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  • Bose pop-up store opens at Changi Airport, Singapore

    Bose pop-up store opens at Changi Airport, Singapore

    A Bose pop-up store has opened at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 Transit Departure Hall.

    Trading until June 30, the store will give travellers the chance to experience and own Bose’s first audio sunglasses equipped with Bose AR capability, and to try out its latest noise-cancellation headphones.

    The Bose pop-up store features two zones that let travellers experience Bose products. In one, travellers get to try Bose Frames – the first audio sunglasses from Bose – and go on virtual adventures across different scenes while a soundtrack plays from the device.

    In the other zone, travellers can try out Bose’s latest headphones in sound domes.

    The pop-up store also has a photo booth where visitors can snap and upload pictures of themselves with the Bose Frames for a chance to win a pair of Bose Frames.

    “This technologically savvy pop-up store is an exciting collaboration between Bose and Changi,” said Teo Chew Hoon, group senior VP of airside concessions at Changi Airport Group.

    “As an international hub for travellers, Changi Airport, and by extension Singapore, is the perfect location for the Asia-Pacific launch of our latest product, the Bose Frames,” said Christian Rojas, market development leader, focus market development at Bose.

    “Through engaging travel retail concepts like this, we are confident that the authentic Bose experience will be showcased and look forward to bringing high-quality sound to transit travellers at Changi Airport.”

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  • The iPhone XR 2 may have the best battery life of any iPhone

    The iPhone XR 2 may have the best battery life of any iPhone

    Tucked in an electronics industry report about the supplier of batteries for the upcoming iPhone XR sequel we find the actual capacity of the pack in the tentatively named XR 2. The source muses that Apple may be done with hardware and iOS optimizations, and seems to be now betting on larger battery packs to make its phones last longer on a charge, just like Samsung or Huawei are doing.

    The iPhone XR 2 battery pack orders are reportedly granted to China’s ATL (Amperex) which are the same guys that got the order for non-exploding Galaxy Note 7 packs after the infamous Samsung SDI batteries started catching on fire. The new battery capacity is said to be 3110 mAh, which would make the iPhone XR’s successor with the largest single-cell battery pack in an iPhone ever.
    While this is just a 5% increase over the 2942 mAh capacity in the iPhone XR, the XR 2 is also expected to come with Apple’s A13 processor made with a second generation 7nm process that should reduce battery draw further.
    Coupled with the new pack and the frugal display resolution, the iPhone XR (2019) should therefore last longer on a charge than the already best in that regard iPhone XR. It scored more than 11 hours of screen-on time in our grueling test, ahead of any iPhone we have tested so far. The XR 2 may very well break the 12-hour mark which would place it in a special endurance club of its own, and not only among phones in the iOS camp.
    Here’s how the iPhone XR (2019) may look like, as rendered by graphics artist Hasan Kaymak based on rumors, leaked CAD drawings, and analyst expectations.
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  • Suning presents it’s Technology at CES Asia

    Suning presents it’s Technology at CES Asia

    Chinese retailer Suning will present its latest smart technologies at this year’s CES Asia.

    Suning will be demonstrating its smart home appliances based on its proprietary Biu OS system, which aims to create an open platform for sharing resources across the smart home appliance industry. Products include Biu refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, automatic washing machines, new fans, and smart security kits.

    The company intends to release its BiuLink Open Agreement at a press conference held on June 12, through which Suning will work with partners to explore cross-brand connectivity.

    “Nowadays, an increasing number of SME in the retail industry is facing crucial challenges,” said Suning Technology Group COO Dr Jack Jing. “As the leading omni channel smart retailer, Suning has deep insights into how technology is reshaping retail. Suning is willing to share its technology and experience to enable refined internal management and accelerate the digitalisation of the retail industry.”

    As the largest omni-channel retailer in China, Suning will also be showcasing its core smart retail technology innovations at CES, including a self-service cash register, weighing rack, off-hook system, commodity heat, and track heat, which aim to help increase retail operation efficiency and improve customer experience.

    The firm will also demonstrate its four cloud solutions designed to enable retailers to access its basic technology tools to increase industry efficiency.

  • Oppo India opens first flagship store in Hyderabad

    Oppo India opens first flagship store in Hyderabad

    Oppo India has launched its first premium flagship in South Asia at Sharath Capital Mall in Kondapur.

    The opening coincides with the release of the brand’s new Reno series phone model.

    The new venue has been designed to engage customers while encouraging them to explore and appreciate the craftsmanship and technological features of Oppo’s product range. According to product manager Jithin Abraham, it is divided into different areas that respectively deal with Indian culture and heritage, Oppo’s evolution in the mobile market, the brand’s technologies, and other consumer experiences.

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  • Facebook reportedly launching new cryptocurrency in June

    Facebook reportedly launching new cryptocurrency in June

    Facebook is expected to announce its digital currency at some point this month, as the social network company has found outside backers that will help strengthen the trust in its upcoming cryptocurrency.

    The report mentions the digital token used by Facebook will work as a borderless currency without transaction fees. Apparently, Facebook employees who work on the project are given the option to be paid in the cryptocurrency token instead of real money.

    The new cryptocurrency will be available through Facebook’s app, including WhatsApp and Messenger, and is meant to help users in developing countries with volatile currency. Moreover, Facebook plans to make the cryptocurrency available through customized ATM physical terminals.

    The project also mentions sign-up bonuses for merchants that will allow customers to pay with Facebook’s digital tokens. Although the report contains pretty in-depth the details about the cryptocurrency, it misses one important aspect: release date. Well, at least the timeframe is narrowed down to June, so we won’t have to wait too long now.

  • Samsung cuts production in China as local struggles continue

    Samsung cuts production in China as local struggles continue

    Samsung has been struggling in the Chinese smartphone market for quite some time. In fact, around six months ago the company shut down one of its factories in the region. Now, suggesting things have improved little, Samsung has confirmed that its scaling back production at its only remaining Chinese manufacturing plant.

    At its peak back in 2013, Samsung accounted for an impressive 20% of all smartphone shipments in China. But as local rivals with thinner profit margins became more competitive, the company’s sales quickly began to decline. Over the course of the past year, Samsung has struggled to retain a 1% market share and, while the Galaxy S10 has certainly boosted performance, it seems sales still aren’t at the required level.

    The company’s plants in China previously served both local and international markets, but over the past few years Samsung has shifted a big portion of its production over to countries such as India, leaving Chinese factories to cover local demand only. As such, any cuts suggest the company’s revival strategy isn’t going as smoothly as hoped.

    The South Korean-based brand hasn’t yet revealed the exact extent of these latest production cuts, so the adjustments could potentially be minimal. But it’s reported that Samsung is offering voluntary layoffs with compensation to interested employees until the 14th of June.
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