Danielle, Author at Gigarefurb Refurbished Laptops News

Korean smartphone vendors lead 5G market share compared to Chinese rivals

Even though Chinese vendors account for more than half of the global smartphone market, their share in the 5G market is still way behind the South Korean vendors as of the third quarter.

Samsung and LG are in a commanding lead in the nascent 5G smartphone market with 84% market share while Chinese vendors such as Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi had only 16% total share.

Samsung’s shipments more than doubled in the third quarter to 3.2m compared to 1.5m units in the second quarter while LG’s shipments increased from 300,000 to 400,000 in the third quarter.

The main factor for the growth of Samsung and LG was due to South Korea’s wireless operators commencing 5G services in April.

Samsung accounted for three-quarters of worldwide shipments in the third quarter, representing 74% of the 4.3m unit shipments during the third quarter but its market share fell from 83% share in the second quarter as many Chinese vendors launched their devices after the second quarter.

Gerrit Schneemann, senior analyst for smartphones at IHS Markit, said that Samsung came out of the gate running in the initial stage of the 5G smartphone business and moved quickly to fill out its 5G smartphone line, giving it the largest portfolio of any brand.

Both Samsung and LG, he said have offered aggressive promotions in South Korea, allowing them to quickly claim the top market share positions.

Samsung has more 5G models than others

Samsung currently has five 5G models in the market, leading all OEMs. The Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G was the leading 5G model in the third quarter, shipping 1.6 million units.

Jusy Hong, smartphone research and analysis director at IHS Markit, said that Samsung is integrating 5G connectivity in a broad range of devices, from the Galaxy A90 to the Galaxy Fold 5G.

Shipments from Chinese OEMs stood at 700,000 units in the third quarter.

Hong said that the small share of the Chinese vendors is due to the fact their 5G models were mostly shipped to overseas markets, where the majority of smartphones these OEMs sell are mid-range and low-end devices and they don’t enjoy the same level of recognition as high-end brands, which consumers believe they can trust to be suppliers of first-generation 5G devices.

Having said that, he added that as 5G services in China begin to roll out, 5G smartphone shipments from Chinese OEMs will start to increase significantly.

Furthermore, he said that Samsung is a non-factor in the Chinese smartphone market, eliminating a key competitor for the domestic brands as its share is less than 1%.

Average 5G smartphone price is three times higher

The research firm IHS Markit expects 13.5 million 5G smartphones to be shipped this year.

Moreover, one biggest hurdle is the higher prices of 5G smartphones when compared to LTE devices.

The average price of a 5G smartphone in the second quarter was $1,153 and it dropped slightly in the third quarter to $994. However, the pricing range is becoming more diverse, with some OEMs targeting high-end prices around $600 for their 5G phones, while flagship devices like the Galaxy Fold push pricing ever higher.

Although the prices have declined, the average 5G smartphone price is still more than three times higher than the average smartphone price of $309 in the third quarter and is far too high to generate larger sales volumes.

As more telecom operators launch 5G networks next year, the devices will get cheaper and a broader range of 5G-enabled devices will soon be available as chip makers expand their 5G connectivity options beyond flagship hardware to reach mid-range devices.

The research firm expects 5G smartphone demand in 2020 to reach 253m units globally.

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This is the cheapest 50-inch 4K monitor around, and it costs less than $200

4K displays are enjoying a surge in popularity, coupled with low prices, but the Sceptre U515CV-U breaks new ground with a sale price of $199.99 at Walmart, down from $399.99.

This is a 50-inch behemoth and by our calculation the one with the cheapest per-inch price we’ve seen. Don’t expect the sort of color reproduction and fidelity or smart features of more expensive models; as there is no HDR here.

Need an affordable large format display? A single screen to replace existing full HD ones on a financial trading desk? Or even a visual display unit for a small business CCTV setup – all you need to know is that this is a bargain basement, cheap-as-chips TV that can seamlessly transform into a monitor.

Cut-price

Given the price, you won’t be surprised to see that this is a LED-based television with only three HDMI connections, one of which supports HDMI 2.0 for 4K resolution at 60Hz. It does support MHL connectivity plus has component/composite ports, a 3.5mm audio connector, an optical out and a USB port.

Its two speakers deliver 10W each and Sceptre claims that this 4K display has a dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000:1. Oh and let’s not forget the VESA mount at the back which will allow you to fix it on a wall.

For those not familiar with the brand, California-based Sceptre is one of the biggest TV sellers in the US, ahead of the likes of Vizio and TCL.

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The Realme Buds Air will support wireless charging

Realme will be joining the noisy true wireless earbuds space next week with the launch of the Realme Buds Air. These budget earphones will apparently also feature wireless charging.

At the Realme X2 Pro launch, the company also teased the existence of truly wireless earphones which will be unveiled in December. These were later confirmed to be called the Realme Buds Air and are confirmed to share the stage alongside the Realme X2, on December 17.

Not much is currently known about the Realme Buds Air except that they will be unapologetically similar to Apple AirPods and its charging case. Colour options will include Black, White, and Yellow. On the inside, they will be fitted with 12mm bass boost drivers and will bring seamless connectivity with Realme devices.

A new report by GSMArena states that the Realme Buds Air will also support wireless charging out-of-the-box, without the need of a special case (unlike the AirPods Pro). Wired charging over USB Type-C should remain unchanged.

Leaked Huawei P40 Pro render shows off significant camera bump

We know that Huawei’s P40 range is slated for a global launch despite Google services lockout, and aside from an alleged specs list that was posted on Twitter yesterday, there has been little else to go on in regards to what the Chinese manufacturer has planned for its upcoming flagship.

Now, a render has landed on Chinese gadget reviews site GizChina which purports to offer our first real look at the Huawei P40 Pro – even if it is just a side-on view of the handset.

An alleged render of Huawei's P40 Pro — (Image credit: GizChina)

Although the image above is low-res and somewhat pixelated, we’re still able to surmise a few things about the phone’s design that lend more weight to the aforementioned Twitter post by leaker Yash Raj Chaudhary.

The tweet stated that the Huawei P40 Pro would feature the same Waterfall OLED display that was featured on this year’s Huawei Mate 30 Pro, and we can clearly see that the above render shows a phone with exactly that kind of curved screen.

We can also see a fairly significant camera bump on the handset, leading us to believe it may carry a Leica Penta Camera as mentioned in Chaudhary’s specs list. Specifically, a Sony IMX686 1/1.7 inch with OIS, along with a 20MP ultra wide camera, 12 MP (Periscope) telephoto lens, macro camera and ToF sensor.

Not much else is offered by the render when it comes to tantalising information, however if the image is to be believed, the Huawei P40 Pro will sport a power button and volume rocker along its right edge – just like the P30 Pro. We probably won’t hear anything more concrete until early in the new year.

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You can now buy the Asus ROG Phone 2 with 12GB RAM in India

Asus ROG Phone 2 with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage will be available in India starting December 11. The maxed-out variant of the gaming phone comes two months after the phone was announced in India.

When it was unveiled, the ROG Phone 2 was the first of its kind to feature a 120Hz AMOLED screen and Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus under the hood. Since then, we’ve seen a lot of recent flagship smartphones rocking the 855 Plus chip.

Asus is shipping this variant of the ROG Phone 2 with a 30W ROG Hyper Charger and the AreoActive Cooler II in-the-box. If purchased separately, the 30W ROG Hyper Charger is priced at Rs 1,999 while the AeroActive Cooler II sells for Rs 3,999.

The ROG Phone 2 was announced in India as a single 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant with a promise that the maxed-out version of the gaming phone will be made available at a later date.

Asus bundles a 30W ROG Hyper Charger, which supports Quick Charge 4.0 and Power Delivery 3.0, taking less time to recharge the phone while also keeping it cooler. On the other hand, the AeroActive Cooler II has been designed to boost the airflow in the ROG Aerodynamic System and features redesigned fan blades that are also four times quieter than the previous generation.

Asus ROG Phone 2 with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage is priced at Rs 59,999 and goes on sale from December 11 on Flipkart.

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Abundance of cybersecurity tools puts enterprises at risk

New research from the enterprise security firm ReliaQuest has revealed that a rapid increase in the number of security tools used by enterprises is limiting their return on investment while also increasing the risk of cyber threats.

To compile its new 2019 ReliaQuest Security Technology Sprawl Report, the firm surveyed 400 security decision makers at companies with over 1,000 employees to discover there is a “security tool tipping point” where the number of cybersecurity solutions becomes overwhelming and increases organizational risk levels.

As a result, enterprises are under utilizing their technology, wasting valuable security resources and leaving their teams overwhelmed. Security teams are also spending more time trying to manage their wide range of tools than proactively defending against threats.

Of those surveyed, almost three quarters (70%) of respondents said their organization has invested in more than five new technologies in the last year while 19 percent said they’ve invested in more than 20.

Teams are struggling to implement these new tools and 71 percent said that they are adding security technologies faster than they are adding the capacity to proactively use them. This added complexity is also compromising their threat response with 69 percent of security decision makers surveyed saying that their security team currently spends more time managing security tools than effectively defending against threats.

To make matters worse, a majority of enterprises are less secure today as a result of security tool sprawl and over half (53%) say their security team has reached a tipping point where the excessive number of security tools in place adversely impacts their organization’s security posture.

ReliaQuest’s CEO, Brian Murphy provided further insight on the report’s findings, saying:

“Cyber threats continue to rise and require companies to mitigate risk. While it’s tempting to think another piece of technology will solve the problem, it’s far from true — in fact, this survey proves more tools can worsen enterprise security by adding complexity without improving outcomes. Enterprises need to shift focus to getting more out of the investments they’ve already made while becoming more selective with new technology acquisitions and ensuring fit with their existing security models. The ultimate goal: tight integration and transparency across their entire environment.

“Ultimately, security technologies help enterprises stay a step ahead of rapidly evolving threats. Vendor sprawl and the financial and operational pains it causes are avoidable. But to ensure technologies collectively deliver greater transparency, security leaders should reassess overarching business goals, align tools to their security models and then recalibrate the process and people to achieve the best outcomes.”

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EU backs 3.2bn euro battery research project

The European Commission has approved 3.2bn euros of state aid from seven EU countries to help fund new research and innovation in battery technology.

Projects in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden have all received financial approval to support research and innovation in the common European priority area of batteries.

The overall project is slated to be completed in 2031 and in addition to the 3.2bn euro in public funding, private investments are expected to bring in an extra five billion euro.

Battery research

Executive vice-president in charge of promoting technology in Europe and the EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager recently announced the new initiative during which she explained how important battery production is to Europe, saying:

“Battery production in Europe is of strategic interest for our economy and society because of its potential in terms of clean mobility and energy, job creation, sustainability and competitiveness. The approved aid will ensure that this important project can go ahead without unduly distorting competition.”

According to the European Commission, the project involves “ambitious and risky” research and development into all parts of battery production including mining and process raw materials, producing advanced chemical materials, designing battery cells and modules as well as recycling and repurposing used batteries.

Demand for batteries is at an all time high thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and increased consumer interest in electric vehicles.

Via Reuters

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