Quantcast
Jump to content


Recommended Posts

Posted
Samsung iPhone OLED
  • A report from South Korea illustrates the unseen tech war between Samsung and China.
  • Samsung has strict practices to prevent employees from stealing sensitive information that could be sold to Chinese companies.
  • China is targeting Samsung engineers with better job offers.
  • The report notes that the South Korean government is also involved in protecting what it sees as “national core technologies” from reaching China, including the OLED displays that Samsung makes for Galaxy phones and iPhones.

It’s a known secret in the mobile industry that Samsung can’t prevent Galaxy leaks. All of its phones leak months ahead of release, with little mystery left for the actual Unpacked press conferences where the next-gen Galaxy S, Note, or Fold is unveiled. The Galaxy S21 went through the same process in the months preceding the mid-January announcement. Perhaps it’s just a case of Samsung not really caring enough to really prevent those leaks.

The leaks might ruin the surprise, but the hype can help with sales even if the mystery is lost. While Samsung might seem complicit to some extent with those leaks, it turns out the company is fighting what appears to be a fierce war against the kind of leaks that matter far more, leaks that could hurt its bottom line.

Unbeknownst to most people, Samsung is under attack from China, where local companies target Samsung employees with lucrative job offers. Also, corporate espionage campaigns attempt to steal trade secrets from key sectors where Samsung has immense expertise. This includes Samsung’s OLED tech that’s used in Galaxy phones and iPhones alike, as well as Samsung’s semiconductor business.

Today's Top Deal

Amazon shoppers are obsessed with these black AccuMed face masks - now at the lowest price ever!

Amazon shoppers are obsessed with these black AccuMed face masks - now at the lowest price ever!

Price: $19.99
You Save: $6.26 (24%)
Buy Now

Nikkey Asia explains in a detailed report that the South Korean government is very much aware of the corporate espionage, helping local companies guard their tech secrets. The report focuses on Samsung, but Chinese companies are also targeting other South Korean companies, like LG.

In the five years ending in 2019, 123 cases of tech leaks from South Korea were recorded, according to data from the nation’s top intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Most of those leaks (83) went to China, many involving technologies where South Korean companies have a lead on competitors, including semiconductors, displays, and shipbuilding.

Three men were caught last August attempting to leak Samsung OLED secrets to China. They are currently facing at least three years in prison as a result, according to the report.

Samsung has strict security practices in place to prevent employees from stealing sensitive data. The camera and audio-recording functions of smartphones belonging to employees are disabled in labs and factories. The printing paper at one laboratory includes metal foil so metal detectors placed at the doors will prevent employees from leaving with sensitive information. Samsung also forbade employees from taking documents with technical data out of the office during the novel coronavirus pandemic, even though many people were working from home.

But Samsung can’t force employees to stay at their jobs. Samsung has a workforce of over 287,000 workers worldwide, and headhunters from China are targeting these individuals with better job offers. Nikkei explains:

Openings posted on online job-hunting sites in South Korea often include such phrases as “Work location: inland region of China” or “Wanted: workers from display-related companies,” alongside the promise of “favorable treatment for workers from companies S and L.”

The S and L stand for Samsung and LG. The employees who do accept job offers in China attempt to hide that they’re working in China. Some adopt aliases to keep authorities and former employers from tracing them. And they might use particular routes to return home, like flying from Hong Kong or Shanghai, busy destinations that allow them to blend in.

The report notes that Chinese display maker BOE, which has been vying for Apple’s iPhone business for years, has hired around 120 South Koreans, including more than 50 former Samsung engineers who led the development of OLED screens for the iPhone. A BOE plant in Chengdu has production lines set up just like Samsung Display’s main plant in South Korea. BOE supplies OLED screens for the iPhone repair market, but it’s not a certified iPhone screen provider. The South Korean government has designated OLED technologies as “national core technologies,” with NIS having a section dedicated to making sure those secrets stay in Korea.

The report also notes that China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), which is on a US government blacklist, has also hired many South Koreans, with at least 62 people appearing in SMIC-related patents. Headhunting of Samsung employees with expertise in chip production tech has increased just as the US-China tech tensions started heating up.

The full Nikkei story is available at this link.

Today's Top Deal

N95 masks made in the USA are on Amazon for $1.16!

N95 masks made in the USA are on Amazon for $1.16!

Price: $57.90
Buy Now

View the full article



  • Replies 0
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Similar Topics

    • By Samsung Newsroom
      Start Date Nov 21, 2024 - Nov 21, 2024
      Location Online
      Samsung Developer Conference Korea 2024 (SDC24 Korea) will be held online on November 21st.
      Since its inception in 2014, SDC24 Korea has been emphasizing the importance of software by expanding from open source to all areas of software development. It's now celebrating its 11th anniversary.
      This year's SDC24 Korea features a variety of exciting events including keynote speeches from our CTO and other renowned speakers as well as more than 29 technical sessions.
      Furthermore, we are excited to share that SDC24 Korea will incorporate content from the recent SDC24 conference held in the US on October 3rd (US time), providing attendees with even more opportunities to learn, connect, and engage.
      Anyone can attend SDC24 Korea through pre-registration, and keynotes and major sessions will be announced on the SDC24 Korea website. For more information, please visit the SDC24 Korea website!

      Visit SDC24 Website View the full blog at its source
    • By Samsung Newsroom
      Start Date Nov 14, 2023 - Nov 15, 2023
      Location 온라인/ 삼성전자 서초사옥 다목적홀
      View the full blog at its source
    • By BGR
      Samsung will unveil its next-gen foldable phones on August 10th as it continues to try to make the most of a market where it has no real competition. The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 have appeared in numerous leaks so far, to the point where we think we know everything there is to know about the two handsets. The newest rumor comes from Korea, providing price and preorder details for both the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4.
      How much will the Galaxy Z Fold 4 cost?
      Recent rumors from Europe gave us somewhat good news about Samsung’s pricing plans for the new foldables. We learned that the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold 4 might be €50 (about $50) more expensive than last year’s model.
      This implied the 256GB Fold 4 might not start at $1,799 in the US as the Fold 3 did. However, unlike last year, Samsung will reportedly have a 128GB Galaxy Z Fold 4 version in stock. If the European price leak is accurate, the Fold 4 might still start at $1,799 in the US before deals and discounts. But buyers will only get half the storage for that price.
      A new report from Naver details the pricing structure for the Fold 4 and Flip 4 in Korea. According to the site, Samsung will not raise the prices for the Fold 4.
      Galaxy Z Fold 4 press image leak. Image source: 91mobiles/Evan Blass The 256GB model will sell for 1,998,700 won in the region, just like its predecessor. If the report is accurate, the 512GB model will cost 2,097,700 won in Korea. That implies Samsung will set the starting price for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 at around $1,799. That’s what the cheapest Fold 3 cost last year, before preorder deals.
      Samsung is reportedly looking to push sales of foldable devices despite inflation concerns. That’s why it’s keeping prices in place for one more year. However, the report says pricing might vary depending on the market and exchange rate.
      Flip 4 price also leaked
      The Galaxy Z Fold 4 might not see a price bump in Korea, but Samsung will raise the price for the Flip 4.
      Prices start at 1,299,000 won for the 256GB version, or 45,000 won (about $35) more expensive than last year. The report is in line with at least one report from Europe that suggested a price increase might be in order.
      This could translate to a price hike of about $50 for the US market. As a reminder, the Flip 3 started at $999 last year. Any price hike would get the starting price over that $1,000 mark.
      Samsung expects to sell more Galaxy Z Flip 4 units than Fold 4. This could explain the higher price. It’s more expensive to manufacture phones in this economy. Also, Samsung might be looking to raise revenue from the foldable handsets.
      Galaxy Z Flip 4 press image leak. Image source: 91mobiles/Evan Blass Preorder details leaked
      As high as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 prices might be, Samsung will do everything it can to drop them via preorder promotions. The company already offers up to $200 Samsung credit for reservations, which do not force buyers to commit to purchase anything. However, only half of that creditcomes with a Fold 4 or Flip 4 preorder.
      Once the phones launch, Samsung will have additional preorder deals in place. The offers for Korea have leaked, according to the same Naver. Buyers who preorder one of the two foldable flagships after the August 10th event will get a free pair of Galaxy Buds 2, a protective case, and one year of Samsung Care+ extended warranty.
      The post Galaxy Z Fold 4 price and preorder deals leak in Korea appeared first on BGR.
      View the full article
    • By BGR
      As the global economy reels, it’s no surprise smartphone demand is down. Spending $1,000 on a phone isn’t nearly as appealing with a potential recession looming. Earlier in the month, IDC projected that smartphone shipments would decline by 3.5% in 2022. Samsung seems to be feeling the effects of this slowdown as much as any phone maker, as a new report claims the company has millions of unsold phones in stock.
      Samsung struggling to unload new phones
      The Elec reports (via SamMobile) that distributors have 50 million Samsung phones currently sitting in their inventory. The mid-range Galaxy A series is said to make up “a huge portion” of this unsold supply. Sources tell the site that Samsung wants to ship 270 million phones in 2022, but the 50 million unsold phones represent 18% of that sales goal.
      According to The Elec, unsold inventory usually represents about 10% of any company’s total shipments. The fact that Samsung’s is so much higher shows just how significantly the South Korean tech giant overestimated sales in the first half of the year.
      The report goes on to note that Samsung was producing around 20 million phones a month in January and February. That number dropped to 10 million in May, presumably in response to inventory growing while demand was dropping.
      We can’t verify this report, but it isn’t the first to spell trouble for Samsung this spring. Last month, South Korea’s Maeil Economic Daily reported that Samsung was slashing smartphone orders for 2022. A source said that Samsung was lowering its order volume from 310 million units to 280 million units — nearly 10% fewer than planned.
      Apple isn’t immune to low demand either
      iPhone SE 3 color options. Image source: Apple Inc. Of course, Samsung isn’t the only smartphone maker lowering expectations due to inflation, supply chain disruptions, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
      In March, Nikkei Asia reported that Apple would make 20% fewer iPhone SE units in the next quarter than planned. Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that production issues were not to blame, but rather demand was simply lower than expected.
      Samsung and Apple each have major phone launches planned for the second half of 2022. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, Samsung will announce the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 on August 10th. A month later, we expect Apple to host an event of its own to pull back the curtain on the highly-anticipated iPhone 14 line.
      Both companies are certainly hoping that the economy is in better shape later this summer. Otherwise, we might see unsold inventory continue to grow.
      The post Samsung has 50 million unsold phones in stock, new report claims appeared first on BGR.
      View the full article





×
×
  • Create New...