While Apple launched iPhone 16 on September 10^th, the smartphone giant has not set up a specific date for the release of Apple Intelligence. Now, according to the latest report by Bloomberg, iPhone buyers would have to wait a few more weeks, as Apple Intelligence is expected to arrive on October 28^th.

The long-awaited function will be arriving then as part of the iOS 18.1 operating system, Bloomberg suggests.

The market had previously anticipated that the AI platform would be released in mid-October, according to another report by MoneyDJ. However, as Apple would like to take a more cautious approach to ensure that all major issues have been addressed, and that the increased traffic on its AI cloud servers can be adequately supported, the company has postponed the schedule a bit.

According to a previous report by Reuters, Apple Intelligence will first launch for U.S. English users, with other localized English versions set to follow in December. Additional language versions, including Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish, are anticipated for next year. However, it is worth noting that Apple has not yet announced an AI partner in China for the iPhone 16 series.

According to Apple’s official website, Apple Intelligence will only support devices with the built-in M1 or newer processors (such as iPad Air, iPad Pro, and Mac), as well as the 2023 iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro, but not the entry-level iPhone 15. Additionally, it is expected to be compatible with the upcoming iPhone SE, according to The Verge.

For more details, the report by Bloomberg notes that the initial release of Apple Intelligence will feature notification summaries, with later updates such as iOS 18.2 set to introduce ChatGPT integration and support for Genmoji custom emojis.

In March next year, iOS 18.4 will bring other enhancements to the Siri digital assistant, allowing it to manage applications with greater precision and utilize personal information to respond to inquiries, the report notes. Moreover, additional features following iOS 18.1 may include automated email filing in the Mail app and an Image Playground app for creating custom images, according to Bloomberg.

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(Photo credit: Apple)

On September 10, two major smartphone manufacturers, Apple and Huawei, held new product launch events simultaneously. Apple’s iPhone 16 is powered by the A18 series Bionic chip, which is said to make it the first truly native AI smartphone.

Meanwhile, Huawei’s Mate XT, the world’s first triple-foldable phone, redefines the future standard for foldable devices.

• iPhone 16 Hit the Market, Backed by a Powerful Chip

On September 9, Apple held its product launch event, introducing the iPhone 16 series, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. All models in the new series are equipped with the new 3nm A18 series processor, with the standard iPhone 16 featuring A18 chip, and the flagship iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max powered by A18 Pro chip.

Compared to A16 Bionic chip used in the iPhone 15, iPhone 16’s processor makes a leap forward by two generations, offering a gaming experience on par with console-level performance.

The A18 and A18 Pro chips in the iPhone 16 series use the world’s first second-generation 3nm process and the latest Armv9 instruction set architecture. They have a built-in 16-core neural engine, with smaller transistors that increase speed and efficiency.

The memory subsystem has been uniformly upgraded, increasing total system memory bandwidth by 17%.

The A18 chip in the standard iPhone 16 features a 6-core CPU (2 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores), which is 30% faster than the A16 Bionic in the iPhone 15 and 60% faster than the A14 chip in the iPhone 12.

Its GPU is more efficient, consuming 35% less power for the same performance. A18 chip adopts Apple’s latest desktop-class GPU architecture, with a 5-core GPU that supports key functions like Apple Intelligence, photography, and graphically intensive games. It’s 40% faster than the A16’s GPU and twice as fast as the A14’s GPU.

The A18 Pro chip, debuting in the iPhone 16 Pro series, delivers up to 15% faster performance and 20% less power consumption compared to the A17 Pro when running the same workloads.

Additionally, Apple Intelligence’s running speed improves by 15%. Fitted with brand new 6-core GPU, A18 Pro optimizes graphics performance, features a GPU speed of up to 20% at the fastest and supports hardware ray tracing.

A18 Pro also supports faster USB 3 and ProRes video recording, along with a new video encoder and image signal processor, which double data throughput, boosting encoding speed and video processing efficiency.

Apple emphasized that the iPhone 16 series will introduce new generative AI features centered around Apple Intelligence for the first time. Apple Intelligence is set to launch in beta this fall as part of the iOS 18 update on all iPhone 16 models, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with Siri and the device language initially set to U.S. English. Some functions and additional languages will be rolled out next year.

TrendForce previously noted that Apple Intelligence is a major highlight of the iPhone 16 series this year. While the LLM parameters on Apple’s devices are not as extensive as those on Android phones, Apple is expected to achieve superior system integration thanks to its closed ecosystem, self-developed processors, and strong control over app development.

The company is also focusing on improving Siri’s accuracy and has partnered with ChatGPT to boost AI performance. TrendForce points out that Apple Intelligence will gradually roll out more features and support for additional languages.

However, its functionality in China remains unclear, and the lack of significant AI-centric applications could potentially impact sales of the iPhone 16 series this year. 

From a production perspective, TrendForce’s research on September 6 pointed out that the excitement around Apple Intelligence has been building since WWDC24, and with a relatively low base in 2023, Apple’s four new models are expected to have a combined production volume of 86.7 million units in the second half of 2024, marking an 8% year-on-year increase.

Looking at total production for 2024, Apple is currently close to Samsung, the market leader, and could potentially surpass Samsung by the end of the year to become the top smartphone manufacturer by market share for the first time.

• Huawei’s World-First Triple-Fold Design Sets a New Standard

At the Huawei Extraordinary Brand Event and HarmonyOS Product Launch, Huawei officially unveiled the world’s first mass-produced triple-fold smartphone, the Mate XT. Prior to Huawei, companies like Samsung, TCL, and even Africa’s smartphone leader Transsion had already showcased triple-fold “concept phones.”

According to official reports, Huawei Mate XT measures 156.7mm in length. When unfolded, its width is 73.5mm in single-screen mode, 143mm in dual-screen mode, and 219mm in triple-screen mode.

When folded, the device is just 12.8mm thick and weighs approximately 298g. Mate XT boasts the world’s largest foldable screen at 10.2 inches, with a high resolution of 2200 x 2480. With a thickness of just 3.6mm, the Mate XT offers a user experience rivaling that of a small tablet, while still being compact enough to fit in a pocket when folded.

TrendForce reports that shipments of foldable phones are expected to reach 17.8 million units in 2024, making up only 1.5% of the smartphone market. Despite high repair rates and costs, market penetration is projected to climb to 4.8% by 2028.  

Samsung, which held a dominant 60% market share in foldable phones between 2023 and 2024, is facing more intensive competition from multiple smartphone brands, pushing its market share down to 50%, and Huawei has become its fiercest competitor.

The launch of Huawei’s 4G foldable Pocket S in 2023 performed exceptionally well in the market, driving Huawei to break into double digits for the first time in foldable phone market share, reaching 12%.

In 2023, Huawei also introduced upgraded 5G foldable phones, including the Mate X5 and Pocket 2. With the recent release of the Mate XT, Huawei’s foldable phone market share is expected to approach 30% by the end of this year.

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• [News] Fuelled by AI Features, Apple’s iPhone 16 Shipments Reportedly to Increase by 10%

(Photo credit: Apple)

Apple is set to unveil the highly anticipated iPhone 16 on September 9, with many expecting that the AI platform “Apple Intelligence” will spark a supercycle in iPhone 16 sales. However, Bloomberg suggests that the slow rollout of Apple Intelligence may make such a supercycle unlikely.

The report notes that while Apple Intelligence will be a major highlight of the iPhone 16 launch, a more refined version might not be available for some time. The initial release is expected to lack several features, including ChatGPT. Additionally, Apple Intelligence will not be launched in the EU (including Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany) or China.

Even if Apple successfully convinces consumers to adopt its AI platform, reportedly, Apple Intelligence will not be available with the iPhone 16 at launch. It is expected to roll out with the iOS 18.1 update in October.

Furthermore, ChatGPT integration is scheduled for later this year, and significant new features for Siri will not be available until next year, as Apple has also decided to delay the release of its latest image generation features to the iOS 18.2 update in December, rather than in iOS 18.1.

With many features expected to be introduced gradually, the AI platform may not be sufficient to drive a large-scale upgrade cycle this year. For these reasons, the report believes that the iPhone 17, slated for next fall, is more likely to generate a supercycle.

According to Apple’s official website, Apple Intelligence will only support devices with the built-in M1 or newer processors (such as iPad Air, iPad Pro, and Mac), as well as the 2023 iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro, but not the entry-level iPhone 15.

For the first quarter this year, TrendForce reported that Apple faced a decline in sales in the Chinese market, resulting in a drop in annual production to 47.9 million units.

This decline prompted several adjustments within the component supply chain, although production plans for processor chips remained unchanged. TrendForce posits that the second quarter falls within a product iteration gap for Apple, and production is expected to decrease by approximately 10%.

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• [News] Fuelled by AI Features, Apple’s iPhone 16 Shipments Reportedly to Increase by 10%

(Photo credit: Apple)

As September draws closer and iPhone 16’s release date is nearing, suppliers have been ramping up their production of iPhone 16 OLED panels in preparation. According to the reports by ETNews and MacRumors, Samsung Display and LG Display started initial production of iPhone 16 OLED panels as early as in June, and have substantially boosted production over the past month.

ETnews notes that Apple is forecasting shipments of approximately 90 million iPhone 16 units this year, while the production of OLED panels is estimated to be around 30% higher, totaling about 120 million units.

Among them, Samsung is said to have the lion’s share by supplying around 80 million OLED panels by the end of this year, while LGD is projected to provide approximately 43 million panels, according to ETnews. Both companies are on track to meet these production targets.

The reports states that the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a design similar to the iPhone 15 models, but Apple is increasing the sizes of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The iPhone 16 Pro will feature a 6.3-inch display, up from 6.1 inches, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch display, an increase from 6.7 inches. The display sizes for the standard iPhone 16 models will remain unchanged, with the iPhone 16 maintaining a 6.1-inch display and the iPhone 16 Plus featuring a 6.7-inch display.

Earlier in May, both LG Display and Samsung Display secured orders for OLED panels for Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro, according to a previous report from The Elec. Subsequently, LG Display also has acquired orders for iPhone 16 Pro Max panels.

It seems that Apple tends to release more OLED orders to LGD and counts on it to be a solid second supplier. Another report by The Elec reveals that Apple is likely to use LGD as the second supplier for the OLED screens of next year’s iPhone SE 4. The iPhone SE series is Apple’s budget-friendly option, traditionally sourcing screens exclusively from the Chinese manufacturer BOE.

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(Photo credit Apple)

Huawei’s Consumer Business CEO, Richard Yu, has publicly revealed plans for Huawei’s next-generation tri-folding phone for the first time. He stated that this product, widely considered challenging to achieve in the industry, is finally about to be launched after five years of development.

According to a report from the Chinese technology website ” Chinaz,” the tri-folding phone features an innovative inside-out folding mechanism and a dual-hinge design, with the screen size expected to reach approximately 10 inches.

Richard Yu pointed out that this new design will not only revolutionize the way phones are used but also broaden their use cases. When fully unfolded, the phone can rival a tablet, meeting basic office needs such as text and spreadsheet processing.

The latest industry news cited by the report further suggests that Huawei’s tri-folding phone will be unveiled in September, set to compete with Apple’s iPhone 16 series. Although the price of Huawei’s tri-folding phone is expected to be very high, potentially starting at nearly CNY 20,000, significantly surpassing the price of an iPhone, it showcases Huawei’s top-tier domestic technology and innovation in China.

However, despite the relatively noticeable growth in shipment volumes, the base number of foldable phones is very low, and the overall market size remains small.

Compared to the traditional smartphone market, which easily reaches sales volumes of over one billion units, TrendForce previously estimated that the shipments of foldable phones are expected to reach 17.8 million units in 2024, making up only 1.5% of the smartphone market. Despite high repair rates and costs, market penetration is projected to climb to 4.8% by 2028.

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• [News] Apple Reportedly Joins the Foldable Phone Market, Setting Stage for Three-Way Competition
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(Photo credit: Huawei)