Retail News CRM

Tag: smartphone

  • Alleged Foxconn employee reveals three possible colors for non-Pro iPhone 15 line

    Alleged Foxconn employee reveals three possible colors for non-Pro iPhone 15 line

    The possible Foxconn employee’s Weibo post, when translated, says “Our workshop is a 15 ordinary model with an extra Green, light Yellow, and Pink to make it look better and a c port  is added to the smart island.” The post seems to have lost something in translation, but we can assume that what the post says is that Foxconn is working on the iPhone 15 in additional Green, light Yellow, and Pink. Two new features are observed on the upcoming basic iPhone model, the USB-C port and the Dynamic Island.
    Foxconn is the contract manufacturer hired by Apple to assemble many of its devices including some iPhone models. Several leaks about upcoming Apple devices are supposedly leaked by employees working with such contract manufacturers as they might know intimate details of these devices seeing as their job is to assemble them all day.
    We’ve seen plenty of rumors about possible colors for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models during the last few months and nearly all of them mention a Pink color option for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
    Now that we’ve translated the Google Translation, let’s talk about some of the other new features coming to the non-Pro iPhone models this year. We can start with the 48MP image sensor that will back the Wide camera on both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Both devices will also get a hand-me-down chipset as the 4nm (which is really an enhanced 5nm process node) A16 Bionic will be powering these units after driving the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Larger batteries are also rumored to be onboard.
    The iPhone 15 Pro models will feature a titanium chassis, the 3nm A17 Bionic SoC (making them the only phones to use a 3nm chipset this year), larger batteries, and the aforementioned USB-C port. The iPhone 15 Pro Max should be equipped with a periscope lens making it the first iPhone ever to have this feature. Optical zoom on the unit will go from 3x to 5x-6x thanks to the periscope lens which will be exclusive to the top-of-the-line model.
    We expect the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max to be introduced in early September.
    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Smartphone exports to Vietnam plunge in deepest fall in Southeast Asia

    Smartphone exports to Vietnam plunge in deepest fall in Southeast Asia

    Shipments of smartphones to Vietnam plunged 30% year-on-year in the first quarter, the deepest decline among the five major Southeast Asian markets, according to a new report.

    Malaysia came second from bottom in terms of negative growth, down 29% year-on-year. Thailand saw shipments drop 1%, according to market research company Counterpoint.

    The five main Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia and the Philippines, saw an overall drop in shipments of 13%.

    Counterpoint analyst Glen Cardoza said that consumer sentiment has not fully recovered in Vietnam.

    He added that inflation in Southeast Asia has affected buyer sentiment, leading to a decrease in demand for new phones.

    A report by another market research company showed that 2.5 million smartphones were sold in Vietnam in the first two months, down 30% year-on-year.

    “This year, people started to tighten their spending right from January,” said a representative of a smartphone retail chain.

    Cardoza said that another reason for the first quarter decline was that Vietnam had received many shipments in the last quarter of last year.

    Counterpoint data also shows that economic challenges have not affected the high-end segment.

    Samsung posted the biggest sales in Vietnam in the first quarter and claimed 21% of the market, followed by Oppo at 20%, Vivo with 14%, Xiaomi 14%, Realme 12% and Apple 7%.

    However, all brands saw a decline compared to the same period last year, except for Apple which posted growth of 18%.

    Lees ook:

  • Google News smartphone app gets limited Material You makeover

    Google News smartphone app gets limited Material You makeover

    Google’s Material You design language has been used to update several Google apps including some very popular ones such as Google Maps, Gmail, and Google Photos. Now the Material You look is coming to the Google News smartphone app. The changes include a pill-shaped indicator highlighting the tab you selected at the page’s bottom. The dynamic theming feature, which changes the color of the app’s interface to match the dominant color of the wallpaper being used on an Android device, is not working yet as the app defaults to a blue color for accents.
    The tablet version of the Google News app has already been through the Material You makeover which added a navigation rail on the left-hand side with buttons for Headlines, Newsstand, Following, and For You. The same blue pill used to highlight the selected tab being viewed on the smartphone version is used to highlight the selected tab on the navigation rail.
    Remember that the Material You additions to the smartphone version of the Google News app has yet to be disseminated to everyone. It did hit the Google News app running on my Pixel 6 Pro running QPR3 Beta 3 but if you haven’t received this app version, you will soon.
    There is no indication from Google when the rest of the Material You features will be available to the Google News app. The app briefs you on top stories, shows you local news from your area, takes deep dives into stories with multiple perspectives, and even shows you stories based on your interests. If you want the Google News app on your Android phone, you can tap on this link to install it from the Play Store. Apple iPhone users c
    Lees ook:

  • iPhone imports cost Vietnam $1.6B

    iPhone imports cost Vietnam $1.6B

    iPhone imports cost Vietnam US$1.61 billion last year, equivalent to 46% of all phone imports.

    According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, total imports were up 10.5% to $3.5 billion, with Samsung, Oppo, and Xiaomi accounting for most of the rest.

    Samsung imports cost $940 million, and that of Oppo, $442 million.

    Almost $18 worth of components were also imported, and South Korea and China accounted for 93% of phone and part imports.

    Many Apple distributors said the more expensive an iPhone model, the higher the demand.

    According to the ministry, some 210.5 million phones worth VND663.7 trillion were manufactured in Vietnam last year, down 9.1% in volume but up 15.1% in value.

    Exports fetched the country $33.32 billion, with Samsung alone accounting for $31.42 billion.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • iOS 17 could end software support for the iPhone X and other Apple devices

    iOS 17 could end software support for the iPhone X and other Apple devices

    Apple’s iPhones have a general reputation for being considerably more future-proof than the average smartphone, to the extent such a concept is possible in the mobile tech world. This sentiment is partly based on the fact that the Cupertino company commits to ensuring the long-term software support of all of its devices.

    But all good things must come to an end… even software support for smartphones as iconic as the iPhone X. According to a new leak, iOS 17 will be dropping the support for a number of iPhones, including the iPhone X, and the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. All three of the aforementioned devices were launched in late 2017.

    Similarly, several iPads are also on the chopping block with iPadOS 17 – namely, the original 12.9” iPad Pro (1st generation), the 9.7” iPad Pro (1st generation) and the fifth-generation vanilla iPad. All devices listed by MacRumors were released between 2015 and 2017.

    For reference, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are expected to debut at WWDC 2023, alongside the Apple AR/VR headset. The conference will take place between June 5 to June 9. Beyond the recent leak, we know relatively little about the new iterations of Apple’s operating systems.

    Most reports indicate that iOS 17 will be a somewhat incremental update, focusing more on Apple’s commitment to complying with European legislation. The Cupertino company will likely roll out support for third-party App Stores for the first time.

    On the other hand, we know absolutely nothing about iPadOS 17. In all likelihood, Apple will continue implementing sophisticated multitasking features to facilitate a better 2-in-1 fantasy on its high-end ‘Pro’ iPads.

    Lees ook:

  • Your wishlist features may finally make it to iOS 17

    Your wishlist features may finally make it to iOS 17

    The latest iPhone operating system, iOS 16, introduced many new features and visual changes such as a customizable Lock Screen, live activities, skipping CAPTCHAs, and the capability to unsend and edit iMessages. It was quite a buggy release though and Apple had to release several fixes to address issues with it. This, along with Apple’s focus on its rumored mixed-reality headset’s xrOS operating system, was expected to negatively impact iOS 17 but it now looks like the next iOS version will be more than a stability update.

    In January, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said iOS 17, which is codenamed Dawn, would have fewer major changes than initially planned. In the latest edition of his Sunday newsletter, the esteemed journalist says that iOS 17 won’t just focus on ironing out bugs and improving performance. Apple has changed its strategy and iOS 17 is now expected to have several new features.

    The hope was to avoid the problems of iOS 16, an ambitious update that suffered from missed deadlines and a buggy start. But later in the development process, the strategy changed. The iOS 17 release is now expected to boast several “nice to have” features, even if it lacks a tentpole improvement like last year’s revamped lock screen.” Mark Gurman

    It’s still not going to be as big of an update as iOS 16 though but it could include many user-requested features. Gurman didn’t go into the specifics about the features. But, as always, we have rumors to fill in the gaps.

    First of all, it’s highly likely that iOS 17 will allow sideloading, meaning you wouldn’t be dependent on App Store for app downloads. Other than that, Apple may revamp iMessage with a new home, chat rooms, video clips, and AR chat features. A leaker with a questionable track record had also said that iOS 17 would largely focus on stability and efficiency and Apple could make changes to Mail, Fitness, Wallet, Home, and Find My apps. iOS 17 may also come with an app for Apple’s AR/VR headset.
    iOS 17 will likely be announced at the next Worldwide Developers Conference, which will apparently take place on June 5 and will be rolled out to eligible iPhones (iPhone XS and later models, presumably) sometime around mid-September.
  • Smartphone sales tumble in Vietnam

    Smartphone sales tumble in Vietnam

    Smartphone sales in Vietnam have plunged in the first two months of 2023 as tightened spending amid rising inflation prompts the sector’s first decline in years of recent growth.

    According to an industry report, less than 2.5 million smartphones were sold in Vietnam this January and February, down 30% year-on-year.

    “This year consumers have tightened their spending, even during the Tet holiday, which has been peak shopping season for years,” said Nguyen Lac Huy, a media representative at CellphoneS, referring to the Lunar New Year holiday which fell at the end of January this year.

    Industry insiders estimate that sales since the beginning of this year have dropped to levels not seen in at least two or three years. In recent years, growth over the same period has often been within the 5-15% range.

    This decline is in line with global trends.

    Smartphone sales worldwide in the last quarter of 2022 plunged 18.3% year-on-year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

    It was the steepest decline in a quarter since 2013, IDC reported. Total smartphone sales in 2022 dropped by 11.3% from 2021.

    In Vietnam, the biggest drops were recorded in the middle and affordable segments. Last year, sales of smartphones under VND5 million dropped 60% from 2021.

    “Economic difficulties have had a large impact on the low-income population, including workers,” said Hong Quan, an industry observer.

    Tightened credit policies have also prompted some retail chains to cancel their zero-interest installment payment campaigns.

    The high-end segment is also struggling. The iPhone 14 Pro Max, one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, has seen prices plunge by 25% to VND27.4 million over the last five months.

    Phan Thi Kim Quyen, a media representative of retail chain Minh Tuan Mobile, said that this year Apple lowered its latest smartphone price earlier than in previous years (in which the drop has come as late as June).

    Other retail chain representatives have said they are now lowering prices because they misinterpreted market demand trends and imported more than they should have. iPhone prices in Vietnam are now among the lowest in the world.

    FPT Shop anticipates that there will be no growth in smartphone and computer sales this year, while other chains expect a recovery in demand by early next year, or the end of this year at the earliest.

    CellphoneS is cutting business hours and staff sizes at low-revenue shops. It is also seeking rent discounts from property owners.

    Lees ook:

  • High-end Android smartphones sell at steep discount

    High-end Android smartphones sell at steep discount

    After visiting electronics stores, Minh Quan was surprised to see Xiaomi 13 Pro smartphones costing nearly VND7 million (US$297) less than their listed price of VND30 million.

    Besides offering discounts of VND4-5 million, most stores – in his native Da Nang — also had promotions like trade-in programs and to further reduce the price by VND1-2 million.

    “The discounts and promotions make me wonder if other stores offer even lower prices,” he said.

    Other Android phone makers too are selling at much below list prices.

    The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a list price of VND32 million, but is sold at is around VND24 million.

    Last year Oppo, another Chinese consumer electronics company, listed its Find X5 Pro smartphone in Vietnam at VND33 million, but sold it at less than VND25 million.

    “It is normal to buy a phone cheaper than the list price, but a difference of more than 20% only applies to some high-end Android smartphone models,” Truong Xuan, the manager of a phone shop on Pham Tuan Tai Street in Hanoi, said.

    However, the plethora of offers for a product confuses buyers, and it takes buyers a lot of time to compare prices and find the best one, he said.

    Nguyen Lac Huy, manager of electronics retail chain CellphoneS, said some phone makers have high list prices as a means of enhancing their brand value and placing their products in the high-end segment.

    Information about gifts and big promotions in soon after a product’s release also helps attract buyers, he said.

    But technology analyst Minh Tien said selling phones at much below list prices shows manufacturers are under pressure.

    “Listing a product at VND30 million is understandable because it is gradually becoming a benchmark for high-end smartphones. However, big promotions indicate that firms are desperate for sales in a slowing market.”

    Vietnamese are reducing their spending on smartphones sharply. Sales in the first two months of the year were 2.5 million units, down 30% year-on-year.

    Lees ook:

  • Huawei is expected to make some noise in Barcelona

    Huawei is expected to make some noise in Barcelona

    It’s like old times in Barcelona where the MWC exhibition means something again. Manufacturers are showing off prototypes of future handsets, some with amazing form factors. Other firms are unveiling new phones at the event just like in the good old days. One company expected to announce its new flagship phone in Barcelona is Huawei as the P60 series is rumored to see the light of day very soon.
    According to MyDrivers, the Austrian Gax blog wrote that the Huawei P60 series could be unveiled at MWC 2023. Huawei’s P-series phones are focused on photography (don’t mind the pun since it won’t bite) and the P60 models will feature Huawei’s own XMAGE photography platform (as did last year’s Mate 50 line).
    The P60 Pro will be the first smartphone to carry the 50MP Sony IMX888 sensor (for the primary camera), and a 50MP Sony IMX858 sensor will be employed for the ultra-wide-angle camera.  We expect Huawei to use Omnivision’s 64MP OV64B sensor for the telephoto camera that delivers 3.5x optical zoom.
    The non-Pro P60 could sport the 48MP Sony IMX789 sensor for its primary camera. Both the P60 Pro and P60 should feature the 10-speed adjustable variable aperture feature that debuted on last year’s Mate 50 Pro and allows the aperture to change between f/1.4 and f/4.
    The Huawei P60 Pro could be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset modified to work with 4G signals only. The P60 might be equipped with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC which also would be tweaked not to support 5G signals. All things considered, these are not a bad pair of chips to employ.
    Huawei launched its emergency satellite communication service last year on the Mate 50 series. The firm’s second-gen satellite system will be featured on the P60 line and reportedly Huawei has added voice text capabilities and support for short-term voice calls to the ability to send and receive two-way text messages via satellite. Huawei beat out Apple last year by one day to become the first smartphone manufacturer to announce emergency satellite connectivity for its smartphones.
    The P60 line will have HarmonyOS 3.1 pre-installed. This could be a minor upgrade from HarmonyOS 3.0 that will focus on exterminating bugs, and improving the stability of the software.
    Keep your eyes peeled. MWC 2023 ends on March 2nd so we could see the Huawei P60 series introduced sometime soon. Huawei, returning to two flagship series a year, is expected to unveil the Mate 60 line in September. The Mate series usually comes out late in the year and focuses on innovative new technology and features. In 2021 and 2022, Huawei released only one flagship model each year with the P50 series launched in 2021 and the Mate 50 line released late last year.
    Lees ook:

  • Price of foldable Samsung smartphone plummets

    Price of foldable Samsung smartphone plummets

    Vietnamese electronics retailers are buying back the Galaxy Z Fold, which sold for VND50 million (US$2.092) when it was launched in 2019, at an 88% reduction from the original price.

    Ever since Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 went on sale in Vietnam on Feb. 17, retailers have launched trade-in programs, encouraging users to buy the new model.

    Galaxy Z Fold phones are being bought back at prices of VND0.43-6.1 million per unit depending on their condition.

    The Galaxy S10+, another high-end Samsung model which went on sale in 2019 with a price tag of VND28.9 million, is being bought back for VND2.9 million.

    According to Nguyen Lac Huy, manager of electronics chain CellphoneS, prices of most Android smartphones fall faster than those of iPhone models. After six months of use, the price of an Android phone plunges by 40-50%.

    The main reason is that manufacturers often offer discounts on Android phones after launch, while the cost of repairing them is high.

    Lees ook:

  • Chinese smartphones locked in Vietnam

    Chinese smartphones locked in Vietnam

    Several Chinese smartphone models that have been activated in Vietnam remain unusable due to network locks.

    Minh Khoi in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District said he had bought a Realme GT Neo 5 via an unofficial channel (smartphones carried to Vietnam by individuals, not by official distributors), but most of its functions had been disabled.

    He said the store that sold the phone to him was also surprised by the system lock and had to stop selling the model.

    The GT Neo 5 is currently only officially available in China, but its low price has attracted users in Vietnam.
    Two other Chinese phone models, the Realme 10 Pro + and OnePlus 11, have also been displaying a network lock when activated in Vietnam recently. However, with OnePlus 11, users have been able to fix the problem by resetting the phone.

    Khoi contacted Realme customer service in China, but they asked for a genuine purchase receipt. Therefore, he had to pay a service to unlock the phone for VND500,000 (US$21).

    “The device is currently usable, but I’m still worried about whether it will get locked again in the near future,” he said.

    Realme Vietnam has not yet responded to the incident.

    According to technology expert Tuan Ngoc, Chinese phone makers such as Oppo, Realme and OnePlus can use the network lock feature to protect their products in a specific country.

    The price of a smartphone carried home from abroad by travelers can be 20-30% lower than the price offered by authorized resellers, he noted.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Smartphone exports drop in November

    Smartphone exports drop in November

    Smartphone exports fell nearly 10% in volume and 7.4% in value in November after the country’s largest manufacturer, Samsung Vietnam, lowered production the second time this year.

    According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam produced 20.6 million phones in November, and export of phones and phone components were worth $5 billion. This is the third straight month the export value of phones and components has dropped.

    Smartphone production in the first 11 months decreased by over 7% year-on-year. Most of the smartphones produced in Vietnam are exported to the western market.

    Normally, phone output increases before Christmas but it has dropped this year because inflation pressures have prompted companies to limit production.

    Of the total smartphones output in Vietnam, Samsung Vietnam contributes a half. The tech giant recorded an export turnover of over $34 billion in the first half of this year, accounting for more than 18% of the country’s total.

    Samsung Vietnam has reduced smartphone production twice this year, the first time in the first half of the year over Covid-19 impacts and the second early November.

    Vietnam recorded a total export turnover of $342.21 billion in the first 11 months, while import turnover was $331.61 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $0.78 billion, according to the General Statistics Office. The surplus in the same period last year was $0.6 billion.

  • Smartphone exports drop in November

    Smartphone exports drop in November

    Smartphone exports fell nearly 10% in volume and 7.4% in value in November after the country’s largest manufacturer, Samsung Vietnam, lowered production the second time this year.

    According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam produced 20.6 million phones in November, and export of phones and phone components was worth $5 billion. This is the third month the export value of phone and components has dropped.

    Smartphone production in the first 11 months decreased by over 7% year-on-year. Most of the smartphones produced in Vietnam are exported to the western market.

    Typically, phone output increases before Christmas, but it has dropped this year because inflation pressures have prompted companies to limit production.

    Of the total smartphone output in Vietnam, Samsung Vietnam contributes half. The tech giant recorded an export turnover of over $34 billion in the first half of this year, accounting for more than 18% of the country’s total.

    Samsung Vietnam has reduced smartphone production twice this year, the first time in the first half of the year over Covid-19 impacts and the second early November.

    Vietnam recorded a total export turnover of $342.21 billion in the first 11 months, while import turnover was $331.61 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $0.78 billion, according to the General Statistics Office. The surplus in the same period last year was $0.6 billion.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Huawei, Xiaomi lead Vietnam’s smartwatch market

    Huawei, Xiaomi lead Vietnam’s smartwatch market

    Two Chinese manufacturers Huawei and Xiaomi led Vietnam’s smart wearables market in the second quarter with a combined market share of 36.5%.

    Huawei rose to the first place and replaced Samsung with a 18.5% share, followed by Xiaomi, 18%, according to estimates of an industry report which shows the latest data available.

    Samsung came third with its share plunging by half from 37% in the first quarter to 15%.

    Apple ranked fourth with a 6% share.

    Vietnam’s smart wearables market, which comprises mostly of smartwatches, has seen strong changes in recent years.

    Samsung, for example, has been recording market share between 6% and nearly 38% since early 2021.

    Apple claimed 30% market share by the end of last year only to have 6% by the end of June.

    Huawei has seen its share surging from 2% earlier last year to 18.5% thanks to its increased focus on wearable gadgets, with the most best-selling products being Watch GT3 and Band 7.

    It plans to launch a new Watch GT3 SE with a battery of up to two weeks.

    Xiaomi has been drawing attention with its affordable products SmartBand 7 and SmartBand 7 Pro.

    A report by U.S.-based data company IDC shows that 140,000 smart wearables were bought in Vietnam in the second quarter, up 1.5 times from the third quarter last year when Covid-19 was spreading fast.

    Globally smartwatch sales have declined by 6.9% year-on-year to 107.4 million units in the second quarter.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • iPhone 14 to come earlier than previous models in Vietnam

    iPhone 14 to come earlier than previous models in Vietnam

    Vietnamese might get the new iPhone 14 two weeks earlier than previous models since Apple has lifted Vietnam up a scale in its priority markets.

    “The iPhone 14 will be officially sold in Vietnam three weeks after they are launched in major markets such as the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan,” a media representative of a retail chain told VnExpress.

    Apple has moved Vietnam from the fourth priority level to third, and could make it second or even first within two or three years, he added.

    Last year the iPhone 13 was sold in Vietnam four weeks after major markets.

    The iPhone 14 is set to be delivered starting September 16 in major markets.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook said recently that Vietnam is one of four emerging markets that contributed to the company’s success in the second quarter of 2022.

    The company recently appointed Nguyen Thai Hai Van, former managing director of Grab Vietnam, as its first Vietnam country director.

    Apple is said to have established a marketing team in Vietnam in June.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: