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Honor’s surprise attack to Samsung foldable empire in Europe
In a big blow, Honor defeated Samsung in the Western Europe foldable market in Q2 2024. The company has sold the most book-type foldable phones across the markets, excluding the Huawei-dominated China.
Counterpoint Research reports that Honor outpaces Samsung foldable in West Europe in Q2. Samsung will reclaim its dominance in the third quarter given the recent launches of its new model – Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Analysts at Counterpoint believe that Samsung will reclaim the leading global position with the launch of the new Z6 Series in Q3 2024. However, the intensified competition will likely result in a significant YoY decline in its market share.
It was the first time when Samsung ranked second in the Western European foldable market. However, the Korean tech giant has fierce competition in the foldable segment outside the Chinese market as well.
Notably, Western Europe is the second-largest market for foldables after China. Honor saw its foldable shipments soar a whopping 455% in the second quarter year-over-year. The company is all set to launch the new Magic V3 in the global market this week.
Magic V3 is said to be the world’s slimmest foldable smartphone at 9.8mm thick when folded. Samsung is also bringing a slimmer Galaxy Z Fold this year, which could be 10.6mm thick and launch in China and South Korea only.
Samsung today announced that it will hold a press conference on January 6, 2025, a day before the opening of the world’s largest information technology (IT) and consumer electronics exhibition, CES 2025, in Las Vegas, USA.
The event, featuring Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, CEO of Samsung and head of the DX division, as the keynote speaker, will reveal Samsung’s Home AI innovations and strategy under the theme “AI for All: Everyday, Everywhere.”
The press conference will be streamed live on Samsung Newsroom.
Samsung’s CES 2025 invite also reveals that the Press Conference is open to all credentialed members of the media with a CES badge, and there is no need to register or RSVP.
However, it is highly recommended that participants arrive early as seats are very limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Samsung CES 2025 Invitation | Image: Samsung
CES 2025 is a great opportunity to showcase technological innovations. Rather than mobile, Samsung prefers Home AI and appliances to be showcased at the exhibition. It solidifies the Galaxy S25 unveiling to happen separately.
Samsung could introduce the new flagships in late January next year. Korean media reported that a Galaxy Unpacked could be held on January 22. The next-gen Galaxy flagships are expected to gain a positive response in the market.
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Samsung One UI 7 beta program to start on December 5, Android 15 is coming for the Galaxy phones
After months of waiting, we have an official confirmation. Thanks to Samsung Germany, we now know the specific release date for the Android 15-based One UI 7 beta program for Samsung Galaxy users.
The Samsung One UI 7.0 beta is scheduled to launch on December 5, 2024, initially for the Galaxy S24 series, including the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra.
This beta release will start in Germany, with expectations of a broader availability to other eligible countries soon after. The update is expected to bring visible design changes and new features to the user interface, enhancing the overall user experience.
However, specific details about all the new features in the One UI 7.0 beta have not been fully disclosed. Still, it’s set to be a significant update in terms of UI redesign and functionality.
The One UI 7 beta program is set to start initially in:
- Germany
Other countries expected to follow in subsequent phases, based on historical patterns, include:
- Korea
- United States
- India
- United Kingdom
- Poland
- China
However, the exact timeline for these countries can vary, and official announcements would provide the definitive schedule for each region.
Note: You can check the latest Samsung One UI 7 beta program banner on the Samsung Members app.
Samsung Electronics named a new CFO and announced plans to establish an AI Center for the future. The company has also strengthened AI R&D and deployed R&D personnel to the site to strengthen communication.
According to the info, Samsung appointed Park Soon-cheol as the CFO of the DX Division and unveiled the AI Center. As the chip process competition has intensified, Samsung has taken this special measure to build a foundation.
As the business environment surrounding Samsung is not easy, the message is that it will strengthen its internal stability. The DS division in charge of semiconductors significantly strengthened:
- AI research functions
- Established a responsible development system
- Implemented follow-up personnel
- Reorganization in the direction of integrating
- Development and support organizations.
The new Chief Financial Officer will coordinate communication between each business department and top management, and efficiently manage business strategies and financial operations.
The new AI center will be led by Vice President Song Yong-ho. VP Song plans to lead over 60 people to develop next-gen storage devices and lead technological innovation given the AI era.
In addition, the system LSI division appointed Vice President Choi Jin-hyuk as the head of the SoC business team. Vice President Choi plans to lead the development of application processor (AP) chips, which are Exynos.
Apart from this, Samsung has also divided the Foundry Division into two categories: Manufacturing and Technology. Technical organizations such as production process (Fab) and cleaning and diffusion were placed under the subsidiary.
- The message is for R&D personnel to communicate directly on the spot.