Earlier in August, Foxconn announced the plan to expand its overseas investments, with the total amounting to roughly USD 840 million. Now the expansion plan seems to be more materialized, as the Taiwanese tech giant is reportedly evaluating an investment of around USD 1 billion to set up a smartphone display module assembly unit in Tamil Nadu, India, according to a report by The Economic Times, cited by Taiwanese media the Economic Daily News.

The blueprint, if it comes to fruition, would mark Foxconn’s first panel module assembly plant in India, which targets to supply Apple for its iPhone production, The Economic Times notes. Sources cited by the report note that Foxconn aims to have the facility “up and running as soon as possible,” though there has yet to be any specific timeline.

India has emerged as a crucial destination for tech giants seeking to diversify their supply chains away from China amid rising geopolitical tensions with the West. A previous report by BBC reveals that Google is set to manufacture Pixel smartphones at an existing Foxconn facility in India, which is also located in Tamil Nadu.

The new panel assembly business, therefore, is seen as a strategic move to streamline related processes for Foxconn.

In terms of the scale of the assembly unit, The Economic Times suggests that Foxconn has secured approximately 500,000 square feet at the ESR Oragadam Industrial & Logistics Park, adjacent to its smartphone assembly facility near Chennai in southern India.

It is worth noting that according to The Economic Times, Foxconn’s facility is expected to allow other contract manufacturers, such as Pegatron or Tata Electronics, to use the components locally produced, instead of importing pre-assembled modules from China.

Foxconn did not respond to The Economic Times’ request for comment on the 24^th.

An industry consultant cited by the report noted that having a manufacturer assemble panel modules in India matters a lot for the country, as India currently relies heavily on imports for its panel demand, which would further increase the total cost and supply chain complexity.

According to the report, around 60% to 65% of panel module imports come from China, followed by South Korea, which accounts for 20% to 25% of the imports.

In India, the largest smartphone panel module assemblers are TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology and India’s TXD. CSOT has been assembling panel modules for Samsung and Xiaomi, while TXD supplies Vivo and Oppo, the report says.

Read more

• [News] Apple Reportedly Doubles iPhone Production in India, while Foxconn Holds 67% Share
• [News] Foxconn Expands Investment in the U.S., Mexico, India, and Europe, Approaching USD 840 Million

(Photo credit: Foxconn)

The iPhone 16 series officially launches globally today, and according to MacMagazine, Apple has expanded production beyond China and India, with Foxconn now assembling iPhone 16 units in Brazil. This marks the first time a new Apple model is being produced in South America during its initial launch phase, which helps the company overcome Brazil’s steep import tariffs, boost sales, and mitigate potential supply chain disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions.

Brazilian regulatory filings confirm that Foxconn’s factory in Jundiaí, São Paulo, is mass-producing the iPhone 16.

MacMagazine reports that while Foxconn’s Brazilian plant has previously assembled iPhones, it mainly focused on older models. This time, for the first time, the factory is part of the assembly lineup for the new iPhone 16, though it’s only producing the basic model and not the higher-end Pro variants.

Supply chain sources cited by Economy Daily News indicate that previous models like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 were also assembled in Brazil to avoid the country’s high import duties. However, these units were initially produced in China before being assembled in Brazil later in the product cycle. The iPhone 16, on the other hand, is being produced in Brazil much earlier, reflecting Apple’s ongoing efforts to diversify its supply chain and reduce its dependency on China.

Foxconn’s Brazilian facility is currently assembling only the base iPhone 16, not the iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max models. This is largely due to the high cost of iPhones in South America, where entry-level models tend to be more popular.

In contrast, this year marks the first time Apple has launched India-made iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models, a major milestone for both Apple and India’s manufacturing industry.

(Photo credit: Apple)

Huawei’s Mate XT, being the world’s first tri-fold smartphone, has created a buzz as it got over 4 million preorders even before the formal launch. However, the tech giant might not enjoy the monopoly for long. Citing a recent patent filing published by China’s State Intellectual Property Office, a report by Gizmochina notes that Xiaomi is also working on the technology.

Earlier In August, Weibo tipster “Smart Pikachu” also brought up Xiaomi’s progress on this new design, while rumors suggest that Xiaomi could release the tri-fold phone as early as 2025.

Gizmochina suggests that though the patent itself does not disclose the model name, it does reveal a design featuring a Z-shaped fold, which is similar to that of Huawei Mate XT.

To elaborate, the report notes that the model is equipped with a horizontally positioned rear camera island, which is narrower than that of the Xiaomi Mix Fold 4. The image shown in the patent application also suggests that the tri-fold phone will feature three rear cameras, compared to the four found on the Mix Fold 4 model.

According to Gizmochina, Xiaomi’s tri-fold device may be slightly thicker than the Huawei Mate XT, which has a 12.8mm thickness when folded. However, there’s still time for Xiaomi to refine the design, the report notes.

It is interesting to note that this isn’t the first time the market heard about Xiaomi’s ambition on a tri-fold phone, as related patents could be dated back to 2019, the report indicates. However, the latest patent features a completely new design with a dual inward folding mechanism, suggesting that Xiaomi has been exploring various possibilities and folding techniques for some time.

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• [News] Huawei’s Tri-Fold Phone Revealed Hours after Apple, with Pre-Orders Reportedly Exceeding 4 Million
• [News] A Comparison between Apple iPhone 16 and Huawei Mate XT

(Photo credit: Huawei)

According to Money DJ, citing the latest data from Japanese gaming media Famitsu, overall console sales in Japan (including Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S) dropped 19% to 79,962 units during the week of September 2-8, compared to the previous week (August 26-September 1), driven by a sharp decline in PS5 sales.

Famitsu reports that sales of Nintendo’s Switch series (standard Switch, Switch Lite, and OLED Switch) rose 6% week-over-week to 67,473 units. The standard Switch saw a 14% drop to 5,723 units, while Switch Lite sales jumped 12% to 15,271 units, and OLED Switch sales increased 7% to 46,479 units.

Sony’s PS5 series (standard disc version and digital edition) saw Japanese sales plunge nearly 70% during the same week, hitting a new low for 2024. Total PS5 sales slumped 67% to 11,007 units. The standard PS5 dropped 66% to 9,097 units, and the digital edition saw a 73% decline to 1,910 units.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S sales in Japan surged 90% week-over-week to 1,482 units, with Xbox Series X sales jumping 87% to 759 units and Xbox Series S up 94% to 723 units.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Sony’s gaming subsidiary, announced on August 27 that it would raise PS5 prices in Japan starting September 2. The standard PS5 price was hiked 19% (an increase of ¥13,000) to ¥79,980, while the digital edition saw a 21% increase (also ¥13,000) to ¥72,980.

Meanwhile, rumors of a new Nintendo console have been making the rounds. According to Notebookcheck, leaked details regarding the price and launch date of the anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 have surfaced, fueling speculation that Nintendo could be gearing up for another blockbuster release.

(Photo credit: Sony)

Ahead of AMD’s October launch of Instinct MI325X, the U.S. chip giant is said to have several issues with its laptop OEMs, which results in poor execution, a report by Tom’s Hardware notes. Citing remarks from analysts, the report describes the two parties’ relation now as a “Cold War ice age,” hurting their mutual trust.

The report, citing AC Analysis, says that the main contradiction arises from AMD’s current strategy of prioritizing enterprise chips over consumer products, with laptop OEMs complaining about the “miscommunication, unfulfilled promises, and generally poor treatment.” The situation, according to them, is similar to Intel’s behavior during its peak years.

It is interesting to note that the situation seems to coincide with AMD CEO Lisa Su’s recent exclamation that AMD is a “data center-first company,” as data center contributed to over 50% of the company’s revenue last quarter.

Another report by German media outlet ComputerBase also reports that AMD is still suffering from the same challenges it has had in the past. For instance, problems with supply and related issues have delayed the release of new Strix Point laptops. According to ComputerBase, one source even accused AMD of probably leaving billions of US dollars on the table with its partners over the years.

Tom’s Hardware observes that due to the aforementioned reasons, the reaction of AMD’s Strix Point chips among OEMs has been somewhat tepid, despite consumer interest.

The report notes that currently, BestBuy offers only three brands with AMD’s latest chips—Asus, HP, and MSI. HP and MSI each have one model, while Asus has 13 models featuring the AMD Ryzen AI 300 series chip.

This is in sharp contrast with Qualcomm, the report notes. Even the company is a latecomer in the laptop market, the smartphone chip giant’s launch of the Snapdragon X processor generated significant excitement among both the public and laptop manufacturers, as seven brands have already released 12 different models featuring the new Arm chip.

AMD is also lagging behind its rival Intel, which still dominates the laptop market despite its recent slump. According to Intel, its Lunar Lake, manufactured with TSMC’s 3nm, is expected to power more than 80 new laptop designs across more than 20 original equipment manufacturers, delivering AI performance at a global scale for Copilot+ PCs.

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• [News] AMD MI325X Reported to Debut in October, Claiming AI Supercycle Has Just Started
• [News] AMD Could Emerge as a Prospective Buyer for Intel’s Potential Sale of Altera

(Photo credit: AMD)