Report

The global smartphone market suffered its fifth consecutive quarterly decline, falling by 12% YoY in Q1 2023, according to a Canalys survey. That said, iPhone sales have grown year over year from 18% to 21% due to the solid demand for the iPhone 14 Pro series after supply constraints made the company sell fewer models during the last holiday quarter.
Another interesting piece of information regards Samsung, which was the only leading vendor to achieve a quarter-on-quarter recovery and struggled back to number one with a 22% market share. That said, the South Korean company still sold fewer phones than last year when it had 24% of the market share.
“The smartphone market’s decline in the first quarter of 2023 was within expectations throughout the industry,” said Canalys Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia. “The local macroeconomic conditions continued to hinder vendors’ investments and operations in several markets. Despite price cuts and heavy promotions from vendors, consumer demand remained sluggish, particularly in the low-end segment due to high inflation affecting consumer confidence and spending.”
While Canalys predicts the inventory of the smartphone industry can reach a relatively healthy level by the end of the second quarter of 2023, it’s still too early to predict the recovery of overall consumer demand.
Image source: Canalys Of all the top vendors, only Apple and OPPO had a YoY increase with their flagship phones during the first trimester. Samsung and Xiaomi had a decrease in market share, and Vivo retained its 8% from last year.
“The sell-in volume of the global smartphone market is expected to improve due to the reduction in inventories in the next few quarters. In addition, vendors have focused more on innovations and raising production and channel efficiencies after a round of fluctuations, shifting from growing for volumes and shares to growing for quality. 5G popularization and foldable phones are also becoming the new driving forces in the industry,” said Chaurasia.
For Apple, the company could be preparing for new highs with the iPhone 15 series. Without the fear of supply constraints for another quarter, the company is still selling iPhone 14 models while preparing a solid lineup of four new iPhone versions.
With a new design, better cameras, and processors, the Cupertino firm could see a new high during the holiday quarter later this year, which could also positively impact the first quarter of next year.
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It’s been four months since Apple released the iPhone 14 Pro with the A16 Bionic chip. While the company already touted that this was the fastest smartphone available, a Geekbench score shows even the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is still behind Apple’s premium smartphone.
According to Compare Dial, the previous iPhone 13 generation also beats every Galaxy S22, or S23 released. For comparison, Galaxy S23 Ultra is 21.02% slower than the iPhone 14. It scores 1480 for single-core performance, while the iPhone 14 Pro clocks at a higher 1874.
In multi-core performance, Samsung’s new flagship is 14.86% slower than Apple’s iPhone, averaging at 4584 against 5384.
For Samsung users, on the other hand, the spec bump from Galaxy S22 Ultra to S23 Ultra is expressive, as the new model has boosted speeds by 59.83% in single-core performance and 57.47% for multi-core performance. That said, Apple will likely continue to differentiate from the competition when it introduces the iPhone 15 Pro later last year.
Image source: Compare Dial According to rumors, the next iPhone will use a 3nm process technology, meaning we’ll see a more expressive spec bump as the company still uses a similar 5nm process available with the iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic chip released in 2021.
The A17 Bionic processor is expected to be faster and 35% more power-efficient than its predecessor. With that, Apple will continue as the best chip maker in the smartphone industry.
Apart from the fastest chip, the iPhone 14 Pro models have a new design with the Dynamic Island cutout, integrating software and hardware in a seamless experience. This phone also introduces a 48MP main camera and larger sensors for better photos and videos in low-light conditions.
The iPhone 14 Pro also adds a new Cinematic Mode in 4K and Action Mode, which stabilizes a recording when you’re running or biking while filming.
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While the global smartphone market recorded its third consecutive decline this year, Apple remains the only company to register positive growth. This time, the new iPhone 14 lineup, in addition to the previous models, helped Apple to be the only vendor in the top five to record this positive growth.
According to Canalys, Q3 2022 registered a drop of 9% in a year-on-year comparison, marking the worst Q3 since 2014.
Samsung still maintains the leading position with a 22% market share. Apple, as pointed out by the analysis, “was the only vendor in the top five to record positive growth, improving its market position further with an 18% share during the market downturn thanks to relatively resilient demand for iPhones.”
Image source: Canalys While iPhone 14 Pro models are surely helping Apple to maintain its position, several reports show the company is struggling with the base models iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. A new DigiTimes story (via MacRumors) shows that “several supply chain makers” received a notification from Apple to cut iPhone 14 Plus production by around 40%.
Not only that, but DigiTimes’ sources show that Apple will revise downward the total shipments of iPhone 14 Plus to around 10 million units for 2022. At least, it seems the company is moving its production efforts to the iPhone 14 Pro models.
Recently, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple failed with its product segmentation for the base model iPhones as the iPhone 14, the iPhone SE 3, and even the iPhone 13 mini sold poorly.
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Samsung formally announced its new 3nm chip technology a few weeks ago. But the Korean giant will reportedly showcase the world’s first such processor next week. Samsung unveiled the 3nm chip’s new Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistor architecture, which is supposed to be significantly more efficient and faster than current 5nm chips.
While Samsung has started mass-production on the new 3nm chips that will hopefully power flagship phones like the Galaxy S one day, it’s unclear what these devices might be. It’s also not clear if Samsung has a chance to actually steal any business from TSMC. The Taiwanese foundry builds the most important mobile processors in the world right now.
Samsung’s new 3nm chips look good on paper
Samsung said in its original announcement that the new 3nm GAA chips will offer plenty of reasons to upgrade from the current 5nm tech. The GAA tech will bring substantial efficiency gains that should improve battery life. That’s on top of significant performance improvements and size reduction:
But the specs alone aren’t enough to guarantee the success of Samsung’s semiconductor business in winning 3nm chip orders from major companies.
TSMC continues to be the main Samsung rival. Among others, TSMC manufactures all the A-series and M-Series chips that Apple uses in iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Even the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chips that will power many Android flagships in the second half of 2022 are coming from TSMC plants.
Samsung’s 3nm GAA chip tech compared to 5nm FinFET. Image source: Samsung Not to mention that Samsung dropped the ball on the Exynos 2200, the equivalent of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The processor powers some Galaxy S22 versions, having caused a major PR nightmare for Samsung earlier this year.
Samsung also mass-produced the original Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor before Qualcomm moved to TSMC.
When will Samsung use 3nm chips in its Galaxy S smartphones?
Samsung vowed to create a new flagship chip for future flagship phones after the Galaxy S22 throttling disaster. The company didn’t offer specifics, and it’s unclear whether the chip will be based on the new 3nm GAA technology.
A report from Korea indicates that Samsung has scheduled a launch ceremony for the 3nm chips for July 25th. But the first company to purchase the new Samsung chip will be a Chinese cryptocurrency mining company. That’s not the kind of customer that will help Samsung steal business from TSMC.
Moreover, reports say that Samsung is still struggling to increase the yield of its 3nm chips to make them profitable. And Samsung is far from ramping up production of the new processors.
Meanwhile, TSMC will start manufacturing 3nm FinFET chips this month. GAA chips will follow in 2025.
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After a long day, even an extra five minutes of sleep in the morning can feel fantastic. When you finally manage to open your eyes and start the day, that’s when the rush to get ready truly begins. After going through your morning routine, putting on clean clothes and having a hearty breakfast, before you know it, it’s time to dash out the door.
 
To help you get through your busy day, Samsung Electronics has put together a team. With the SmartThings app on the Galaxy Z Fold3 leading the way, Samsung’s latest washer and dryer, Neo QLED 8K and the Bespoke Jet Bot AI+ are ready to team up to help you get ready.
 
Read on to find out how Team Samsung helps its user ‘A’, breeze through his busy morning.
 
 
Good Morning Mode Opens the Curtains and Displays the Weather
A was watching his favorite movie last night and fell asleep late. He ended up missing the alarm on his smartphone, but there’s no need to worry. All he needs to do to get ready for the day is simply unfold his Galaxy Z Fold3 and activate Good Morning Mode in SmartThings.1 Once he’s done that, the curtains that were closed so he could get a good night’s sleep automatically open up and the lights in his home switch on to help him begin his morning in a bright mood.2
 

 
One of the most important factors to consider when getting ready to go out is the weather. It’s the first thing to check before choosing your outfit and deciding whether or not to take an umbrella with you. Because Good Morning Mode displays the weather automatically through A’s Neo QLED, there’s no need to use the remote to check the weather.
 

 
 
A Washer That Chooses the Best Wash Cycle While Staying Eco-Conscious

 
A has picked out an outfit of the day that’s appropriate for the weather, but he forgot to start his laundry. Luckily, Team Samsung can select the best wash cycle and get his laundry done on time even when he’s not around.
 
Here’s how it works. First, open up the SmartThings app, tap on Laundry Recipe and choose the color, soil level and types of clothes you want to wash in your washer. Wash cycles will differ depending on the color and soil level of the clothes, and whether you want to wash shirts or things like socks. The feature will automatically choose the best wash cycle based on your input.
 
The Laundry Planner feature allows you to specify when you’d like the load to finish, so your clothes will be fully dry and looking good to go when you need them.
 

 

 
 
Whipping Up a Delicious Breakfast With SmartThings Cooking

 
A hearty breakfast is a must for starting off the day with lots of energy. Luckily for A, Team Samsung makes it easy to pick out a recipe for a great meal.
 
After receiving a recommendation on his Galaxy Z Fold3 using SmartThings Cooking, A automatically sends the recipe to the smart oven and starts cooking. When it’s all done, he can receive a notification through his Galaxy Watch, Family Hub or TV.
 

 
 
Forgot to Turn Off Your Lights or Devices? Don’t Worry With Away Mode

 
After putting on some fresh, clean clothes and finishing a delicious breakfast, it’s finally time for A to head out the door. With SmartThings’ Away Mode,3 if A realizes that he forgot to turn off a light or the TV as he’s heading out the door, he won’t need to head back inside to do so. The feature allows you to control not just the lights and the TV, but devices like robotic vacuum cleaners (RVC) as well. In addition, if you have a pet who’ll be left alone at home, SmartThings Pet4 offers peace of mind by allowing you to monitor your furry friend.
 

 
 
Monitoring Energy Usage With SmartThings Energy

 
After Team Samsung helped him get ready and he headed out the door, while on his way to his destination, A became curious about how much energy he’d been consuming this month. Once he unfolded his Galaxy Z Fold3, he accessed the SmartThings Energy5 service, which offered him detailed insights on his energy usage.
 

 
For those who can’t afford to miss work or skip chores in this busy world, Team Samsung is here for you. Experience a smarter and more relaxing start to your day with SmartThings.
 
For more information on Team Samsung, please visit samsung.com.
 
 
1 SmartThings application must be installed and connected to devices in order to utilize its features. Application requirements may differ depending on the device.
2 The electric curtains and lights described are products of a partner company, not Samsung. Therefore, quality assurance depends on the partner company’s standards.
3 SmartThings application must be installed and connected to devices in order to utilize its features. Application requirements may differ depending on the device.
4 SmartThings Pet is available for Bespoke Jet Bot AI+.
5 How much detergent, water and energy can be saved can differ depending on the actual usage environment and the types of items being washed. SmartThings Energy service may not be supported by some devices.
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