Samsung is reportedly considering to relocate smartphone production from China to India and other countries. The company is aiming to move out of China, probably triggered by potential tariffs by the Donald Trump administration.

The South Korean tech giant is pushing forward a plan to move the production base of budget phones from China to “outside of China”. With this move, Samsung aims to respond to the intensified Trump tariffs on China.

The company is said to be checking the production capacity and technological situation of possible companies for the JDM transfer. It’s worth mentioning that Samsung is particularly considering JDM production in India.

Why India?

Samsung is considering options as the global business environment is transforming. As there are potential tariff risks not only for products from China but also from Vietnam in the future, it is putting India on the list of strong candidates.

That said, the company is sounding out the possibility of supply chain realignment to respond to the second-term Trump tariff policy. A considerable portion of the current production given to Vietnam will also be distributed to India.

Well, Samsung has not yet taken a final call on shifting its JDM production out of China. The plans are at an early stage and we may see major shifts in the smartphone supply chain as Trump has kicked off his second term of US Presidency.

Joint Development Manufacturers

JDM (Joint Development Manufacturers) is different from ODM (Original Design Manufacturing). The former involves the orderer and manufacturer jointly developing a product and the manufacturer takes on the production.

Compared to ODM, JDM is a cost-effective manufacturing strategy. JDM has the advantage of being able to increase cost competitiveness by reducing fixed cost burdens as production is entrusted to a partner company.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G

Galaxy smartphone users will soon be able to unlock their Volvo Cars and Polestar using the Samsung Wallet‘s Digital Key feature. Today, the company announced that the Digital Key support for select Volvo Cars and Polestar is coming to Samsung Wallet.

Samsung Wallet Digital Key will ensure a seamless unlocking experience with select Volvo Cars and Polestar. The company revealed that users with compatible Galaxy devices can effortlessly unlock, lock, and even start their vehicles.

Volvo Cars Digital Key will rollout to Samsung Wallet this month in Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. Polestar vehicle owners will also get eligible starting this month in regions including Europe, North America, and Asia.

Woncheol Chai, EVP and Head of the Digital Wallet Team, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics said:

“Our partnership with automakers such as Volvo Cars and Polestar marks another exciting step forward in making everyday activities like driving hassle-free for more Galaxy users worldwide.”

Image – Samsung

Samsung Wallet’s Digital Key offers three ways to control the car:

1. Ultra-wideband (UWB) for hands-free access
2. Near Field Communication (NFC) for tap-to-unlock and start
3. Bluetooth low energy (BLE) control via Samsung Wallet

Back in 2022, Samsung merged Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass to introduce the Samsung Wallet. Secured by Samsung Knox, Samsung Wallet offers services like digital payments, digital ID, tickets, boarding passes, and digital car keys.

Galaxy devices come pre-installed with the Samsung Wallet app. The company is rapidly expanding the app’s availability to markets globally. The app’s features differ on devices based on the hardware requirements such as NFC and UWB.

Samsung has acknowledged bugs in Galaxy S25 Plus and Ultra’s Superfast Charging. It appears to be a widespread problem as the social platforms and Samsung’s Community forums have exploded with similar complaints.

Recently, Samsung Italia acknowledged bugs in Superfast Charging on the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. The vanilla model remains excluded as it doesn’t support 45W superfast charging functionality and is capped at 25W.

The official release has started on February 7 and consumers are gradually receiving their new Galaxy devices. Several owners reported on X, Reddit, and Samsung Community that the new S25 +/Ultra doesn’t properly support 45W charging.

The reason is suspected to be a lack of support for the 5A cable. Samsung’s Italia subsidiary asked a user, while pledging a fix with future One UI 7 update, whether they are using a 5A cable instead of the 3A cable that arrived in the box.

Galaxy S25 Plus and Ultra feature a new charging profile. The company has made hardware-level tweaks to end the necessity of a 5A cable for Superfast charging. The in-box cable of 3A is also capable of charging the phone at 45W.

Samsung fans having a 5A cable and 45W brick may have been charging their S25+ or Ultra with the same products. The shift in the charging profile was probably overseen by the software team resulting in bugs in the Superfast Charging.

It’s worth noting that the lock screen shows Superfast Charging 2.0 but the real experience isn’t the same. The flagship models allegedly take hours to recharge the battery with the same adapter and cable used to charge existing Galaxy devices.

Image – SammyFans

Nvidia is reportedly in talks with Samsung and SK Hynix for a SOCAMM AI chip. The company is accelerating its collaboration with Korean chip makers amid the AI boom.

According to BusinessKorea, Nvidia is pushing Samsung and SK Hynix for commercialization of SOCAMM (System on Chip Advanced Memory Module) AI memory technology.

A report from another trusted outlet suggests that Nvidia, Samsung, and SK Hynix are exchanging SOCAMM prototypes for testing, with mass production expected to start by the end of 2025.

SOCAMM uses low-power LPDDR5X for better efficiency and performance. It can dramatically boost data transfer speeds, which would be crucial for AI computing with extra I/O pins.

SOCAMM’s detachable module design is the biggest strength that lets users easily replace the memory. NVIDIA’s push for its memory standard marks a major shift from the JEDEC framework.

Earlier this year, the US chip giant introduced GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip and Project DIGITS. SOCAMM could be the next-gen HBM with superior performance and power efficiency.

An industry source noted:

“Memory standards have traditionally been determined by a consensus among multiple PC, memory, and server companies at JEDEC, but NVIDIA is pursuing its own memory standard, reflecting confidence in its innovation and influence.”

Samsung is about to appoint semiconductor experts to the Board of Directors tomorrow. Eyeing the AI era, Samsung is fortifying the Board with semiconductor veterans to regain competitiveness in the market.

TheChosunDaily reports that Samsung will take the final call on appointing chip experts to the Board tomorrow. In late 2024, the company operated a major executive-level reshuffle – centered on chip business growth.

Samsung is now appointing multiple chip specialists to its Board as part of efforts to restore competitiveness. The Board meeting is set to be held on February 18 to finalize the appointment of internal and external directors.

The Korean tech giant is considering tripling the number of semiconductor experts on the Board from one to three. Currently, Samsung’s Board has nine members including three internal directors and six external directors.

Jun Young-hyun, head of the DS Division (vice chairman and CEO) who oversees semiconductor operations, will be appointed as an internal director.

For the remaining position, technical experts such as Song Jai-hyuk, CTO of the DS Division, and Nam Seok-woo, CTO of the Foundry Business, are being considered.