https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/127/feed Smartphones have their own mobile operating system. The first smartphone to find a widespread market was the Blackberry, but that quickly lost ground after Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007. That was followed by smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile operating system. For more smartphone related news check out: https://www.abacusnews.com/topics/smartphones en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Iris Deng Iris Deng Scalpers in mainland China are slashing prices on Apple’s newly released iPhone Duo after the US tech giant’s first foldable smartphone drew mixed early consumer reviews over durability and software glitches. In Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei electronics market, a vendor surnamed Shen on Monday cut the premium on a black iPhone Duo with 1 terabyte of memory – one of the most popular models – by 2,800 yuan (US$420), bringing the asking price down to 24,300 yuan from more than 25,000 yuan when the device... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3372169/apple-iphone-duo-price-premiums-evaporate-chinas-scalper-market https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3372169/apple-iphone-duo-price-premiums-evaporate-chinas-scalper-market Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Hong Kong police have raised concerns over Apple’s refusal to activate an additional security protocol to prevent fraud despite repeated calls, as the force received more than 110 reports of unauthorised credit card transactions following the pre-order launch of the company’s latest model. The force said on Saturday that residents began reporting suspicious credit card purchases of the foldable iPhone Duo after online pre-orders started on Friday at 8pm. The largest transaction involved... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3371245/police-receive-over-100-reports-about-credit-card-charges-iphone-duo-pre-orders https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3371245/police-receive-over-100-reports-about-credit-card-charges-iphone-duo-pre-orders Sat, 17 Oct 2026 07:31:50 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng China has granted approval for Alibaba Group Holding’s artificial intelligence models to be integrated into several Apple handsets, including the new iPhone Duo, in the Chinese market, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the long-delayed launch of Apple Intelligence in the country. Updated network access permits for the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and several earlier Apple models from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology now include three approved AI systems: Apple Intelligence... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3370893/china-approves-alibaba-ai-models-use-iphone-duo-and-other-apple-handsets https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3370893/china-approves-alibaba-ai-models-use-iphone-duo-and-other-apple-handsets Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:06:20 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Apple executive chairman Tim Cook has begun his third visit to China this year, following the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro line-up and the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable device, in one of its biggest markets. Cook met Meng Fanli, governor of the southern province of Guangdong, on Sunday and said Apple was willing to expand its presence, including in smart manufacturing and sales channels. As an important manufacturing powerhouse, Guangdong had been essential to Apple’s growth in China,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3370500/apples-tim-cook-kicks-china-visit-amid-mixed-signals-new-iphone-demand https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3370500/apples-tim-cook-kicks-china-visit-amid-mixed-signals-new-iphone-demand Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng When I took out the US$3,500 Huawei Mate XT 2 over a family dinner during China’s “golden week” – the long National Day holiday in early October – the trifold phone quickly became the centre of discussion: my father and his peers took turns playing with the device, marvelling at the sleek design while debating whether it was true innovation or pure luxury. It wasn’t the first time unfolding its massive 10.2 inch display raised a few eyebrows at dining tables during the week I spent trying out... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369988/reporters-notebook-my-golden-week-spent-huaweis-new-us3500-trifold-phone https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369988/reporters-notebook-my-golden-week-spent-huaweis-new-us3500-trifold-phone Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:00:06 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese researchers have developed a “lifelike” shape-changing hydrogel they say could provide a platform for next-generation developments, such as flexible tissue engineering scaffolds, brain-computer interfaces and humanlike robots. Inspired by living organisms, the team created a light-triggered system called STERS, which uses liquid metal particles to generate slow, self-sustaining chemical reactions that allow a hydrogel to change its structure over time. Capable of growing and changing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369897/chinese-team-creates-lifelike-hydrogel-changes-shape-smart-devices https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369897/chinese-team-creates-lifelike-hydrogel-changes-shape-smart-devices Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Zoe SL Chan Zoe SL Chan Shenzhen Transsion Holdings has begun to take investor orders for its Hong Kong listing, with the maker of Africa’s bestselling phones offering 86.6 million shares at a maximum price of HK$38.8 per share, according to the company’s prospectus on Wednesday. The public offering will run from October 7 to 12, with the company expected to list on October 15, seeking to raise up to HK$3.36 billion (US$428.1 million). With the overallotment option, the deal size may grow to the equivalent of about... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/3369908/chinas-transsion-africas-top-phone-maker-targets-us500-million-hong-kong-listing https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/3369908/chinas-transsion-africas-top-phone-maker-targets-us500-million-hong-kong-listing Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:28:07 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies is making rapid progress in rolling out a new breed of advanced chip based on its self-developed Tau Scaling Law, with the Chinese company set to adopt the processors across the newly released Mate 90 smartphone series. The roll-out marks another step forward in the Chinese tech giant’s push to overcome stringent US export curbs, which has seen Huawei rewire its smartphone business to run on home-grown technology. Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Huawei consumer... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369400/huawei-steps-tau-chip-roll-out-mate-xt-2-track-1-million-sales https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369400/huawei-steps-tau-chip-roll-out-mate-xt-2-track-1-million-sales Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Emma Ma Emma Ma Apple has claimed the top spot in China’s smartphone market following the release of its iPhone 18 Pro series, giving a potential boost to a sluggish handset market weighed down by weak consumer demand and soaring component costs. Sales of the new Pro models in their first three days after launching on September 18 were 12 per cent higher than sales of the iPhone 17 Pro line-up during its entire first week last year, according to a report published on Wednesday by Counterpoint Research. That... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369323/apple-leads-china-smartphone-sales-after-launch-iphone-18-pro-can-momentum-last https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369323/apple-leads-china-smartphone-sales-after-launch-iphone-18-pro-can-momentum-last Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:45:05 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Tens of thousands of people thronged Apple stores in India this month to snap up the newest iPhone models – the 18 Pro and Pro Max – but the frenzy has kicked off public debate in the country about affordability and consumer debt. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at 164,900 rupees (US$1,700) and goes up to 179,000 rupees, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at 179,900 rupees and maxes out at 329,900 rupees. Apple also unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first-ever folding smartphone, essentially setting a new... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3369235/sell-family-jewels-latest-iphone-india-craze-dials-debate https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3369235/sell-family-jewels-latest-iphone-india-craze-dials-debate Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:44:10 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Huawei Technologies’ latest smartphone processor, the Kirin 9050 Pro, unveiled earlier this month, has narrowed its gap with Apple’s chips to about three years, from roughly four years in the previous generation, according to equity research firm Bernstein. The chip, which Bernstein estimated was produced using technology equivalent to a 7-nanometre process node, outperformed Apple’s 3nm A17 Pro in Geekbench 6 multicore tests, a widely used benchmark that measures how effectively processors... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3368404/chinas-huawei-trims-mobile-chip-gap-apple-tau-scaling-law-pays-bernstein https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3368404/chinas-huawei-trims-mobile-chip-gap-apple-tau-scaling-law-pays-bernstein Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:00:06 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Chinese memory chip giant Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) said on Sunday that it adopted its new-generation technology platform for mass production, narrowing the advantage of global leaders including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in manufacturing nodes. CXMT’s fifth-generation technology platform, dubbed G5, achieved a “quantum leap” in storage density, with the number of dies produced per wafer increasing by at least 50 per cent from the previous generation while maintaining better... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3368154/chinas-cxmt-touts-new-chip-manufacturing-platform-close-worlds-most-advanced https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3368154/chinas-cxmt-touts-new-chip-manufacturing-platform-close-worlds-most-advanced Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:30:05 +0000 Coco Feng,Minxiao Chang Coco Feng,Minxiao Chang Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone market, the iPhone Duo, has drawn immediate attention in China over its eye-watering price tag and exclusive dual-eSIM design, as the American tech giant targets entrenched domestic rivals Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi. Unveiled on Wednesday, the iPhone Duo – Apple’s thinnest and most expensive flagship model yet – captured the attention of Chinese consumers with its smooth transition between inner and outer displays. By Thursday morning,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3367021/apple-enters-crowded-foldable-smartphone-market-china-can-it-beat-huawei https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3367021/apple-enters-crowded-foldable-smartphone-market-china-can-it-beat-huawei Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:13:25 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first-ever foldable smartphone, at its annual product launch event on Wednesday in Cupertino, California, following months of mounting anticipation. Presented by CEO John Ternus, the sleek, passport-style device stole the spotlight at the Apple Park event. Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on September 1, said the handset would “redefine the experience of using a foldable phone”. Starting at US$1,999 – or HK$17,499 (US$2,231) if bought in Hong Kong – Apple’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366983/after-apples-launch-its-foldable-iphone-what-are-caveats-chinese-buyers https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366983/after-apples-launch-its-foldable-iphone-what-are-caveats-chinese-buyers Thu, 10 Sep 2026 02:11:38 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Huawei Technologies introduced the first smartphone fitted with LogicFolding processors after addressing concerns about a new chip-design approach at least partly driven by US sanctions. The 19,999 yuan-plus (US$2,980-plus) Mate XT 2 trifold smartphone uses Kirin 9050 Pro chips designed by Huawei’s HiSilicon unit, the company said at a launch event on Monday. The phone is also the first device to run on HarmonyOS 7, the latest version of Huawei’s self-developed operating system. Using the new... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3366924/huaweis-new-chip-philosophy-gets-run-out-debut-smartphone https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3366924/huaweis-new-chip-philosophy-gets-run-out-debut-smartphone Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:33:29 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen US cybersecurity researchers have demonstrated how artificial intelligence could help hijack WeChat accounts via unanswered voice calls, intensifying concerns about AI-driven cyber threats and prompting renewed calls for bilateral cooperation between the United States and China. US security firm Calif said on Tuesday that its AI system identified a critical flaw in Tencent Holdings’ widely used messaging and payments app in July. In just a little over a week, researchers developed WeWorm – an... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3366898/us-firm-used-ai-hijack-wechat-account-spurring-call-cyber-cooperation-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3366898/us-firm-used-ai-hijack-wechat-account-spurring-call-cyber-cooperation-china Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:01:12 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies went on trial on Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York, on criminal charges after eight years of legal wrangling with the US government. The Shenzhen-based company has pleaded not guilty to all 14 counts, including bank fraud, wire fraud, trade secret theft, and racketeering, with the alleged criminal activity dating back to 1999. Jury selection began on Tuesday, local time, with US District Judge Ann M. Donnelly of the Eastern District of New York instructing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366831/huawei-goes-trial-us-racketeering-after-nearly-decade-litigation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366831/huawei-goes-trial-us-racketeering-after-nearly-decade-litigation Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:57:10 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Xiaomi unveiled a series of new products on Monday – from a flagship foldable phone featuring proprietary chips to new models of its premium Skynomad SUV – underscoring the Chinese giant’s intensified push to compete against rivals including Tesla, Apple and Huawei Technologies. Beijing-based Xiaomi launched the 18 Fold, a foldable phone featuring a 7.58-inch inner display, a proprietary Xring O3 system-on-chip (SoC), and LPDDR6 memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), said Lei... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366682/chinas-xiaomi-unveils-folding-phone-home-grown-chip-it-takes-apple-huawei https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366682/chinas-xiaomi-unveils-folding-phone-home-grown-chip-it-takes-apple-huawei Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:39:35 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Huawei Technologies has unveiled its first smartphone powered by a next-generation mobile processor based on the company’s proprietary Tau Scaling Law, continuing its push to boost chip performance while reducing reliance on advanced foreign semiconductor equipment. Speaking at a launch event in Guangzhou on Monday, Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, described the Kirin 9050 Pro as the company’s “most powerful Kirin chip ever”. The processor is based on Huawei’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366650/huawei-unveils-new-trifold-smartphone-powered-tau-scaling-law-based-kirin-chip https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366650/huawei-unveils-new-trifold-smartphone-powered-tau-scaling-law-based-kirin-chip Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:32:07 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Huawei Technologies has released a new research paper showing its Tau Scaling Law-based semiconductor architecture can avoid overheating, which analysts view as a key technical hurdle for its anticipated Kirin 2026 smartphone chip. The paper, authored by He Tingbo, chairwoman of the Huawei Scientist Committee and president of the company’s semiconductor business department, rebutted scepticism that vertically stacking logic circuits would create an insurmountable thermal bottleneck. It was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366543/huawei-paper-shows-tau-scaling-law-chip-solves-overheating-ahead-kirin-2026-launch https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366543/huawei-paper-shows-tau-scaling-law-chip-solves-overheating-ahead-kirin-2026-launch Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:06:42 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Apple’s next flagship smartphone, the iPhone 18 Pro, could cost as much as US$1,319 for the base configuration as skyrocketing memory costs push smartphone prices to record highs, according to a recent report. Prices for the new iPhone line-up were projected to rise by 10 to 20 per cent, driven by soaring memory costs, market research firm TrendForce said in a report released on Thursday. Compared with the baselines of US$1,099 for the iPhone 17 Pro and US$1,199 for its Pro Max variant,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366363/apple-poised-unveil-most-expensive-iphone-yet-fuelled-memory-price-surge https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366363/apple-poised-unveil-most-expensive-iphone-yet-fuelled-memory-price-surge Fri, 04 Sep 2026 07:58:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Apple’s new CEO John Ternus takes the helm of the iconic tech giant on Tuesday, ending Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure during which the company’s value skyrocketed to US$4.6 trillion thanks to the iPhone’s enormous popularity. The transition to a new CEO comes at a pivotal time for Apple. Artificial intelligence has unleashed the greatest upheaval within the industry since Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007. Apple has got off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3366022/apples-new-ceo-ternus-takes-over-tim-cook-after-15-years https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3366022/apples-new-ceo-ternus-takes-over-tim-cook-after-15-years Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:27:55 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies poured more than a quarter of its first-half revenue into research and development, prioritising long-term technological independence over short-term earnings as first-half profit plunged 36 per cent. R&D expenses jumped 25 per cent year on year to 121.4 billion yuan (US$18 billion) for the six months through June, accounting for over 25 per cent of total revenue, according to a filing on Monday with the Shanghai Clearing House, the primary central clearing counterparty in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3365852/huawei-eye-self-reliance-ploughs-25-revenue-rd-expense-profits https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3365852/huawei-eye-self-reliance-ploughs-25-revenue-rd-expense-profits Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:40:42 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Highly anticipated foldable launches from Apple and Huawei Technologies next week are expected to offer a much-needed lifeline to a subdued global smartphone market, which is bracing for an estimated 17 per cent decline in 2026. Apple’s September 9 event has the industry watching closely, with expectations building for its first foldable iPhone to take centre stage alongside standard model refreshes and the keynote debut of new CEO John Ternus. The US tech giant’s biggest product showcase of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3365598/huawei-and-apple-bend-tougher-market-foldable-phones-memory-crunch-bites https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3365598/huawei-and-apple-bend-tougher-market-foldable-phones-memory-crunch-bites Mon, 31 Aug 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Two major Chinese suppliers to Apple posted divergent first-half results, underscoring how soaring memory prices are squeezing profits even as component makers pin their hopes on upcoming iPhone releases for a second-half rebound. Lens Technology, a Shenzhen- and Hong Kong-listed maker of smartphone glass screens, saw its net income nearly halve to 577 million yuan (US$85.8 million) in the six months through June, as revenue dropped 12.4 per cent to 28.9 billion yuan. The company blamed the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3365236/divergent-results-apple-suppliers-highlight-memory-price-squeeze-ahead-new-iphone https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3365236/divergent-results-apple-suppliers-highlight-memory-price-squeeze-ahead-new-iphone Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:30:06 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Xiaomi’s long-term push into proprietary silicon is laying the groundwork for complex artificial intelligence workloads on smartphones and cars, analysts say, as the Chinese tech giant doubles down on self-developed chips despite an earnings slump and soaring component costs. On Monday it unveiled its flagship Xring O3 3-nanometre AI processor for smartphones, which is scheduled to debut in September aboard its Xiaomi 18 Fold smartphone. The company has also introduced the Xring O100 – a 6nm AI... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3365179/why-xiaomi-doubling-down-house-chips-despite-profit-slump https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3365179/why-xiaomi-doubling-down-house-chips-despite-profit-slump Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:31:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Music made by artificial intelligence will be banned from Australia’s top charts under new guidelines aimed at protecting “the human nature of artistry”, an industry body said on Tuesday. Under new rules in force from Friday, music must be “substantially human made” to be eligible for the charts, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) said. “Wholly AI-generated tracks will not be eligible for the ARIA Charts,” the group said. It said its charts would exclude songs that use AI “to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3365121/australias-top-music-charts-ban-ai-songs-protect-human-artists https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3365121/australias-top-music-charts-ban-ai-songs-protect-human-artists Tue, 25 Aug 2026 01:05:10 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun In the second instalment of a five-part Health Matters wellness series on Hong Kong’s growing wellness trends, Fiona Sun looks into how residents are embracing digital detox, as experts warn that excessive screen use is linked to anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. For Robert Broad, stepping away from electronic devices has become part of a self-care routine he developed after the Covid-19 pandemic. The 56-year-old recalled how spending long hours in front of screens while working remotely... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3364915/divorcing-devices-how-digital-detox-helps-hongkongers-carve-out-moments https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3364915/divorcing-devices-how-digital-detox-helps-hongkongers-carve-out-moments Sun, 23 Aug 2026 11:01:50 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi Chinese technology giant Xiaomi has said it is “in no rush” to convert its large investments in artificial intelligence into profit, after recording another decline in net profits in the second quarter amid intense competition and cost inflation. “Our investment in AI is currently still in a phase of large-scale input. However, as a large corporation, Xiaomi is in no rush to pursue immediate monetisation,” said Alain Lam, the firm’s vice-president and chief financial officer, during an earnings... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-evs/article/3364458/xiaomi-no-rush-turn-vast-ai-spending-profits-despite-earnings-slump https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-evs/article/3364458/xiaomi-no-rush-turn-vast-ai-spending-profits-despite-earnings-slump Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:21:27 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal CK Hutchison Holdings, one of the flagship companies owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s family, reported a 3,046 per cent increase in its first-half profit amid a period the firm’s chairman called “turbulent and uncertain”. Meanwhile, CK Asset Holdings, the group’s other flagship company that focuses on residential and commercial property, registered a 37.8 per cent jump in net profit during the same period. CK Hutchison, the port-to-telecoms conglomerate, said on Thursday that its... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3363924/ck-hutchison-holdings-reports-31-fold-surge-first-half-profit https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3363924/ck-hutchison-holdings-reports-31-fold-surge-first-half-profit Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:59:17 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese smartphone maker Honor has launched a handset with a motorised robotic camera that nods back at users, betting that its interactive hardware will spark growth in a cooling global market for the devices. The new Robot Phone, unveiled on Wednesday, features a three-axis mechanical gimbal with four degrees of motion, allowing for video stabilisation and interaction via nodding and tilting. Activated by a hand gesture, the gimbal camera unfurls from the back of the device – a mechanism that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3363738/honors-new-robot-phone-looks-boost-global-appeal-its-nodding-camera https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3363738/honors-new-robot-phone-looks-boost-global-appeal-its-nodding-camera Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:30:11 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Apple is taking its first concrete steps to roll out initial artificial intelligence (AI) features in China, but CEO Tim Cook warned that a full integration of a revamped Siri AI there would take longer. Mainland Chinese consumers would first get a targeted suite of original Apple Intelligence capabilities, including the Clean Up photo-editing tool, which allows users to erase unwanted objects in photos, according to Cook. “We are working now through the roll-out of those, and there will be more... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3362464/tim-cook-warns-slow-siri-ai-roll-out-china-worsening-memory-crisis https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3362464/tim-cook-warns-slow-siri-ai-roll-out-china-worsening-memory-crisis Fri, 31 Jul 2026 02:31:02 +0000 Peggy Ye Peggy Ye China’s largest second-hand electronics platform, ATRenew, plans to use its technology and trading standards to modernise Hong Kong’s huge wholesale market for pre-owned devices, as it seeks to make the city a springboard for its global expansion. The New York-listed company on Tuesday launched FoneSquare – a cross-border business-to-business online marketplace for used electronics – as well as ReRe, a new consumer brand making its debut with a store in Hong Kong. While the bricks-and-mortar... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3362225/chinas-atrenew-has-big-plans-hong-kongs-little-known-phone-trading-hub https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3362225/chinas-atrenew-has-big-plans-hong-kongs-little-known-phone-trading-hub Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:00:12 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng When Apple set its sights on India as its next promising market, CEO Tim Cook planned to take a leaf out of the company’s China playbook – a retail and manufacturing strategy that had paid hefty dividends to the US tech giant. “We are, in essence, taking what we learned in China years ago and how we scale to China and bringing that to bear,” Cook told investors in February 2023. The company had just seen record quarterly sales in the Indian market, and was just weeks ahead of the opening of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3361752/apples-biggest-ever-leak-happened-india-will-firms-rethink-their-china-relocations https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3361752/apples-biggest-ever-leak-happened-india-will-firms-rethink-their-china-relocations Sat, 25 Jul 2026 22:00:07 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Huawei Technologies founder Ren Zhengfei has thrown his weight behind the Chinese tech giant’s Tau Scaling Law, framing the new chip-design principle as an existential necessity to survive tightening US sanctions. “The Tau Scaling Law is the only path forward for Huawei to break the siege,” Ren said in recent internal remarks posted on Huawei’s Xinsheng Community intranet, according to a report on Friday by the state-backed Science and Technology Daily. Unlike companies with other technological... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3361772/huaweis-ren-zhengfei-backs-tau-scaling-law-beat-us-sanctions https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3361772/huaweis-ren-zhengfei-backs-tau-scaling-law-beat-us-sanctions Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng As the memory chip shortage persists, budget smartphone makers are taking the hardest hit, with analysts warning that low-priced handsets have become “impossible to manufacture” profitably. The cost of memory for handsets priced under US$100 is expected to surge 400 per cent in the third quarter of 2026, with the bill of materials for the most common configuration reaching US$70 from just US$14 in the same period last year, according to data from research firm Omdia. Current memory prices have... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3361769/surging-memory-chip-prices-make-profitable-budget-phones-impossible-analysts-say https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3361769/surging-memory-chip-prices-make-profitable-budget-phones-impossible-analysts-say Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:30:05 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Samsung has revamped its foldable phone line-up, introducing a new entertainment-focused model that will compete with Apple’s imminent entry into the market. The South Korean technology giant is now offering three models: the US$1,200 Galaxy Z Flip 8, US$1,900 Z Fold 8 and US$2,100 Z Fold 8 Ultra. While the company has kept its long-running foldable design on the high-end Ultra model, the mid-tier Fold 8 – the version aimed at most consumers – has a shorter and wider style that is more ideal for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3361581/latest-samsung-folding-phones-and-watches-including-new-z-fold-8-rival-apple https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3361581/latest-samsung-folding-phones-and-watches-including-new-z-fold-8-rival-apple Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:45:06 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese handset vendor OnePlus is retreating from the US and European markets amid deepening woes from a memory crisis hammering the global smartphone industry. “After thorough evaluation, OnePlus has decided to conclude product roll-outs in Europe and North America,” the brand operated under Chinese smartphone maker Oppo said on its website on Thursday. OnePlus said it would continue to support existing devices with software updates, security patches and after-sales service, without providing a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3360829/chinas-oneplus-bows-out-western-markets-memory-crisis-hammers-smartphone-industry https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3360829/chinas-oneplus-bows-out-western-markets-memory-crisis-hammers-smartphone-industry Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:45:32 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang As Apple’s latest legal battle with OpenAI complicates the Silicon Valley race to reshape the consumer tech market, one Chinese start-up is taking a leap forward after unveiling what it claims to be the world’s first agentic smartphone. At a launch event in Shanghai on Monday, Tencent Holdings-backed StepFun introduced the StepX Neo. The device runs on Step AOS, an operating system designed specifically for artificial intelligence agents, and was launched under StepX – which the firm billed as... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3360544/chinas-stepfun-claims-it-has-unveiled-worlds-first-ai-smartphone https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3360544/chinas-stepfun-claims-it-has-unveiled-worlds-first-ai-smartphone Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:30:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Apple on Friday sued OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of orchestrating a campaign to steal the iPhone maker’s trade secrets as it tries to develop its own consumer hardware device. The lawsuit – filed in a federal court in San Jose, California – paints a picture of an aggressive effort by OpenAI to poach Apple employees and extract confidential information to build its own device. The lawsuit marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between two companies that partnered in 2024... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3360196/apple-sues-openai-stealing-trade-secrets https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3360196/apple-sues-openai-stealing-trade-secrets Fri, 10 Jul 2026 22:27:02 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies’ coming smartphone processor is on track for a performance boost, without the need for more advanced processing nodes or lithography technology, according to new production data unveiled by the firm. Using Huawei’s LogicFolding architecture, the Kirin 2026, a mobile processor set to power the firm’s coming flagship Mate handsets launching this autumn, has increased transistor density by 55 per cent compared to last year’s Kirin9030 Pro, according to an updated paper on the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3359592/huaweis-next-smartphone-chip-taps-new-scaling-law-performance-boost-paper https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3359592/huaweis-next-smartphone-chip-taps-new-scaling-law-performance-boost-paper Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:30:13 +0000 Rick Boost Rick Boost From modest bus shelter posters to the giant billboards beside the city’s cross-harbour tunnels, a distinctive element of Hong Kong’s cityscape is its sheer abundance of outdoor advertising. This aesthetic was already so embedded in popular consciousness by the 1980s that it served as the inspiration for the look of a futuristic Los Angeles in Blade Runner, whose grim skyline in 2019 was then imagined to be dominated by vast adverts for the likes of Pan Am and Coca-Cola. Today, this same outdoor... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/special-reports/article/3358172/hong-kongs-outdoor-ads-stand-firm-digital-era https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/special-reports/article/3358172/hong-kongs-outdoor-ads-stand-firm-digital-era Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng A group of Chinese developers has filed a complaint against Apple over its allegedly “unfair” App Store commission rates to China’s market watchdog, in a fresh challenge to the US tech giant’s lucrative smartphone ecosystem. The 48 iOS developers claimed that Apple failed to fulfil its promise to offer the lowest commission rate to the Chinese market, according to an open letter to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation. The developers asked the antitrust regulator to investigate and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3358024/apple-faces-fresh-antitrust-complaint-chinese-developers-over-unfair-app-store-fees https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3358024/apple-faces-fresh-antitrust-complaint-chinese-developers-over-unfair-app-store-fees Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:00:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Government workers in different parts of Afghanistan have started switching off their smartphones, following an order imposed on Wednesday that they said came from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. A letter announcing the ban on smartphones for all government employees started circulating on social media last week under the emblem of the Supreme Court, which has not responded to requests to comment. “All the heads of departments in their respective provinces are advised to inform their... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3357466/afghan-government-workers-face-sack-jail-after-smartphone-ban-begins https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3357466/afghan-government-workers-face-sack-jail-after-smartphone-ban-begins Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:36:29 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies unveiled HarmonyOS 7 on Friday, a major upgrade to its self-developed mobile operating system that the company said marks its entry into the “agent era”, as the Chinese technology giant ramps up competition with Apple’s latest iOS 27 software. The new platform introduces an “agent-friendly” architecture and a significantly enhanced voice assistant capable of understanding context, remembering past interactions and connecting with more than 2,000 specialised AI agents,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356952/huawei-arms-harmonyos-2000-ai-agents-challenge-apple https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356952/huawei-arms-harmonyos-2000-ai-agents-challenge-apple Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese memory module maker Biwin has signed a two-year agreement worth US$1.86 billion to secure flash memory chips, a deal larger than its annual revenue, as demand from artificial intelligence servers and data centres squeezes supply. Under the locked-volume, locked-price arrangement, Biwin would buy enterprise-grade chips in batches from the third quarter of 2026 through the second quarter of 2028, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The supplier was not... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3356752/beat-chip-crunch-chinese-firm-inks-memory-deal-bigger-its-sales https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3356752/beat-chip-crunch-chinese-firm-inks-memory-deal-bigger-its-sales Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:00:28 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng As demand for AI servers soars, leading Japanese and South Korean multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) makers are shifting further upmarket, opening the door for Chinese competitors to gain share in lower-end segments despite lagging their rivals in advanced technology. MLCCs – often referred to as the “rice of the electronics industry” because of their ubiquity – are tiny electronic components that regulate and stabilise electrical currents in devices ranging from smartphones and electric... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356652/japanese-and-korean-giants-move-upmarket-chinas-mlcc-firms-see-their-chance https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356652/japanese-and-korean-giants-move-upmarket-chinas-mlcc-firms-see-their-chance Thu, 11 Jun 2026 02:00:10 +0000 dpa dpa Apple and Google have been given a three-month ultimatum to make it impossible for children to take, share or view nude images on their smartphones, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday. The government wants firms to activate built-in features on their devices or come up with technological solutions on phones and tablets to detect and block such content. It means all adults will need to verify their age if they want to take or view nude images. Firms must implement changes or face... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3356412/uks-starmer-gives-apple-google-3-months-stop-children-sending-nude-images https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3356412/uks-starmer-gives-apple-google-3-months-stop-children-sending-nude-images Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:41:11 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang Tencent Holdings is opening WeChat to smartphone artificial-intelligence agents, as the Chinese tech giant fights to keep the app’s 1.4 billion users locked into its ecosystem in the AI era. The new feature would allow a phone’s built-in voice assistant to send messages or start voice and video calls inside WeChat, according to a report on Thursday by Chinese financial news outlet Yicai. WeChat had been working with the country’s biggest phone makers – including Huawei Technologies, Honor,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3355953/wechat-take-commands-ai-assistants-major-shift-tencent https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3355953/wechat-take-commands-ai-assistants-major-shift-tencent Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:00:17 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese smartphone makers are preparing for their most challenging year since the Covid-19 pandemic, as analysts say skyrocketing memory chip prices are forcing brands to make a difficult choice: absorb the higher costs, raise retail prices or downgrade storage configurations. In a report published on Monday, market research firm Counterpoint projected that global smartphone shipments would plunge nearly 14 per cent this year to about 1.08 billion units – the industry’s lowest volume since... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355655/huawei-defies-memory-chip-squeeze-hurting-xiaomi-smartphones https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355655/huawei-defies-memory-chip-squeeze-hurting-xiaomi-smartphones Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:18:08 +0000