Growing signage market boon for Samsung, LG

[THE INVESTOR] The growing global digital signage market is becoming a new battlefield for Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, each vying to gain the upper hand.The shipment volume of digital signage displays in the global market is forecast to grow from 4.4 million in 2015 to 7.7 million units by the year of 2020, according to a recent report by market research firm IHS.The signage market will grow 8.3 percent per year on average, the market researcher forecast. Samsung E

July 20, 2016

China to review safety of Samsung, LG batteries

[THE INVESTOR] The Chinese government has recently decided to review the safety of nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide batteries, or NMC, that are produced by leading battery-makers like Samsung SDI and LG Chem. Industry watchers say it is highly likely that the decision is politically motivated to offer benefits to China’s less experienced battery-makers that are still focusing on lithium-ion-phosphate batteries, or LFP.The NCM manufacturing improves battery life and performance but requires more adv

July 20, 2016

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to feature 64GB memory only

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is expected to release the upcoming Galaxy Note 7 with a 64-gigabyte internal storage capacity only, ditching its existing marketing strategy of offering two storage options. According to industry sources, Samsung has decided to do so considering the latest trend of bigger smartphone storage as mobile users are increasingly enjoying multimedia functions, including high-resolution photos and videos. Its predecessor Galaxy Note 5 came with 32GB and 64GB memory op

July 20, 2016

Samsung to offer 12,500 Galaxy S7 Edge phones to all Olympic athletes

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics said on July 19 it will offer 12,500 Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones to all athletes participating in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. The phone model to be offered is the company’s latest Olympics-themed Galaxy S7 Edge. It will be offered together with the Gear Icon X, the new wireless Bluetooth earbuds. The total amount is estimated at about 15 billion won (US$13 million). Samsung’s Olympics-themed Galaxy S7 EdgeDuring the 2014 Sochi Winter

July 20, 2016

[EXCLUSIVE] Samsung to adopt loyalty rewards program for Samsung Pay users

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is seeking to lure more users to its mobile payment service Samsung Pay with a new loyalty rewards program, tentatively called Samsung Pay Rewards, industry sources said on July 19. The Korean tech giant has been pouring resources into expanding Samsung Pay’s presence globally, which it believes is crucial for its device sales. Since its launch in August 2015, the number of subscribers has reached 2.5 million globally, with the total transaction volume surpassi

July 19, 2016

[DECODED: SAMSUNG] Ownership structure

July 18, 2016

US Supreme Court to hear Samsung’s iPhone patent appeal on Oct. 11

[THE INVESTOR] The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a drawn-out legal battle between Samsung Electronics and Apple on Oct. 11, the court announced recently as it posted its schedule for the October 2016 term. In March, the court announced it would hear the case, the first time the top court has looked at a design patent case since the 1800s. The rare decision comes after Samsung filed a request with the court last year to reexamine the case that it lost to Apple, which resulted in th

July 18, 2016

Samsung SDS denies merger with Samsung C&T

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung SDS, the IT solutions unit of Samsung Group, on July 18 once again denied speculation that it will spin off its logistics business to merge it with Samsung C&T, the group’s construction and trading unit and de facto holding company. “We have not been considering selling or splitting our logistics business to be merged with Samsung C&T,” the company said in a regulatory filing in the day. “We have no plan to do so in the future.” Samsung SDS headquarters in Jamsil, southern

July 18, 2016

Samsung to supply connected car solution to AT&T from August

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics will supply its own connected-car solution Samsung Connect Auto to US telecom behemoth AT&T from August in its latest push to make inroads into the futuristic car market.According to news reports on July 18, AT&T will offer the service based on a monthly payment plan. After gauging market reactions, Samsung aims to diversify corporate clients in the coming months. Samsung Connect AutoThe Korean tech giant first unveiled the Connect Auto solution during the Mobi

July 18, 2016

Samsung joins US gov’t body for next-generation tech

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics announced on July 18 that it will become a board member of the Advanced Wireless Research Initiative, led by the US government to facilitate next generation wireless technologies and develop a faster 5G mobile network.The new project will include contributions from over 400 researchers and tech and mobile majors like Nokia, Qualcomm, Intel, Oracle, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.Samsung Electronics will share its expertise in 5G network architecture and the

July 18, 2016

Samsung’s PCs rank No. 1 in Brazil

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics has become the most popular PC brand in Brazil, according to local media on July 17. The Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, based on its annual brand survey, reported that Samsung grabbed the top spot among all PC brands, beating its American rivals Apple and Dell. Last year, Apple ranked No. 1, while Samsung and Dell shared second place. Samsung’s feat came amid a slump in the local and global PC markets. The sales of all desktops and laptops

July 17, 2016