HTC FORCASTED TO PRODUCE ONLY 13 MILLION UNITS

HTC FORCASTED TO PRODUCE ONLY 13 MILLION UNITS

New forecast numbers report that HTC could be producing fewer smartphones for the year. Since HTC is also focusing (and arguably leading) the VR industry with its HTC Vive, forecasters suggest that HTC could only be making 13 million units this year, returning a YoY difference of -26.8% from 2015’s production volume of 18 million units.

With HTC’s estimated production numbers falling, Asus, another Taiwanese phone maker, is said to be rising up 34.4% up from 2015 at 21.5 million units estimated to be produced this year. This drastic increase in production numbers could come from ASUS’ decision to switch from Intel-based mobile CPUs to Qualcomm CPUs which are more efficient and emit less heat than Intel’s mobile CPUs.

The same report suggests that the HTC 10 will likely receive very heated competition from Chinese brands therefore only producing 1 million units of the flagship for the whole year. We hope the success of the HTC proves these numbers wrong, as it was a great regrouping of HTC’s efforts to release a flagship.

The forecasts also outlined the fierce competition going on with Chinese phone makers and these manufacturers are starting to see popularity in Chinese smartphones rise up significantly with the highest forecasted YoY change seen in Oppo which is said to rise 59.2% over 2015’s number of 49 million units produced.

BBK Electronics-owned company, vivo, is also expected to see a sharp increase in production up from 47 million units in 2015. The same report also expects Huawei to produce 11 million more units in 2016. From these numbers, it seems that Huawei’s growth is slowing down, but its expected entry into the US market is not far off and could offset these numbers more.

It’s really difficult to exactly predict any industry when you’re only armed with previous year’s performance numbers. This is why we should take these kinds of forecasts with a grain of salt. There are too many variables in the world’s economy to accurately predict these kinds of performances.

ASUS Zenfone 3 release date: Three impressive smartphones in the series to be available this month

ASUS is set to release three new devices belonging to the Zenfone 3 series: the Zenfone 3, Zenfone 3 Deluxe and Zenfone 3 Ultra. Although the Taiwanese company has not officially announced an exact date for the United States, the three phones are expected to arrive in Asia on July 12.

The specifications of each device have already been revealed. The base model, the ASUS Zenfone 3, runs on a Snapdragon 625 chipset, while the Ultra edition  runs on a Snapdragon 652 processor. The former has a small screen size measured at 5.5 inches. On the other hand, the Ultra edition has a much larger display measured at 6.8 inches.

Under the hood, the Asus Zenfone 3 has an internal storage capacity of 32 GB and a RAM of 3 GB. There is also a 64 GB variant, which is assumed to be priced higher compared to 

the 32 GB variant, which will have a price tag of $249.

As for the Ultra, it has 4 GB of RAM and a 64 GB internal storage, which is expandable to up to 128 GB via a microSD card slot. When compared to the Deluxe variant, the Ultra costs lesser ($479), although it has a bigger display size, since it runs on a less powerful chipset.

The Zenfone 3 Deluxe has the most powerful processor of the three variants, using a Snapdragon 821 chipset coupled with 6 GB of RAM. Given the impressive specs of the  3 Deluxe, it is also the most expensive among the three, priced at $499.

Asus takes pride in the fact that the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is the first smartphone to have an all-metal, unibody with invisible antenna to do away with ugly gaps in the design.With the specs of the devices in the series, it is expected that many Android fans will be looking forward to Zenfone 3's release. However, those in the US may need to wait for the announcement regarding the release of the device in the region.

Iphone 7's got a tough challenge ahead......

Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 7 Late Changes

According to multiple accounts the iPhone 7 is done and dusted (for better or worse) and mass production is already underway for a big September launch. But new leaks suggest some last minute upgrades – both internal and external.

1. Back To Black

First up is the very simple but welcome news that Apple AAPL +0.35% is set to offer the iPhone 7 in ‘Space Black’. Both prolific Japanese site MacOtakara and the ever reliable 9to5Mac cite independent sources which agree on this and it would be the first time Apple has used this finish since the iPhone 5S in 2013.

iPhone 7 concept in Space Black. Image credit: Martin Hajek

Given Apple is expected to retain all current iPhone 6S finishes for the iPhone 7 as well – Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, Space Gray – it doesn’t come at any cost and is a safe play which should pay off.

2. Goodbye 64GB

In addition to this, leak goldmine Weibo has revealed Apple will scrap the 64GB storage option for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

On the surface this could be seen as a bad thing, but it is actually to allow Apple to upgrade storage for both phones with a new (and hugely welcome) 32GB entry level model followed by a 128GB midrange and 256GB top end.

iPhone 7 concept front and back in Space Black. Image credit: Martin Hajek

This move would be widely applauded as Apple has been rightly criticised by many (including myself) for sticking to the 16GB tier for so long on such a premium range.

Meanwhile the jump to 128GB retains Apple’s love of upsell with the $100 more expensive middle tier long being the sweet spot for most buyers.

The Importance Of Hidden Gems

As welcome as both these leaks are, I suspect there will be a steady stream of additional ‘small surprises’ between now and September.

Why? Because word is already out that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus look just like the iPhone 6/6S and iPhone 6 Plus/6S Plus – the third year Apple won’t have made visual changes to its iPhones and the first time this has happened since the first iPhone in 2007. The models will also controversially drop the headphone jack.

iPhone 7 concept with Lightning jack and touch sensitive home button in Space Black. Image credit: Martin Hajek

This all makes for a tough sell, especially with the 2017 iPhone 8 (yes, Apple will skip the ‘7S’) looking set to be a radical and exciting reinvention.

So expect regular splashes of good news to ‘magically’ appear over the coming weeks in an attempt to change the narrative of ‘same old, same old. Especially with Galaxy Note 7 leaks wowing crowds

Now the big hope is that Apple can step up and the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are every bit as good as they will need to be…