Most South Koreans are well aware that the country has the world’s two biggest memory chip giants -- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. As of the third quarter of last year, the combined market share of the two Korean chipmakers for DRAM, worldwide, stood at 74.4 percent, according to data from market researcher TrendForce. For NAND flash, together they accounted for 45.2 percent of the global market. But not everyone has a clear understanding of the product details that enabled these K

Technology Feb. 19, 2020

Questions are emerging about the UK nanotechnology company Nanoco and its past relationship with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics since the British company filed a patent infringement suit against Samsung on Friday. The UK firm filed suit against Samsung with the Texas Eastern District Court, alleging that the Korean tech giant infringed patents for five technologies related to nanoparticles and quantum dot technology that Nanoco claims to have developed. Founded in 2001, Nanoco was s

Technology Feb. 18, 2020

PALO ALTO, California -- After the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip phones were unveiled in San Francisco on Tuesday, aspiring tech leaders studying and working in Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley, flocked to a Samsung shop in the area. Samsung Experience Store in Stanford Shopping Center saw its visitor traffic surge about 80 percent on the day of the “Unpacked” event compared with usual Tuesdays, owing to display shelves spruced up with new devices.  Opened in December, it is on

Technology Feb. 16, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO -- After the big reveal of the impressive Galaxy Z Flip at Unpacked, Samsung Electronics’ smartphone business head Roh Tae-moon on Wednesday flew to New York to attend an exclusive event hosted by Thom Browne, the company’s new partner. Roh was invited by the New York-based fashion company as one of the guests for an event prepared for the Fashion Week.  The Samsung executive’s participation in the fashion industry’s major show was made based on t

Industry Feb. 13, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO -- For Samsung Electronics, which already offers two foldable smartphone models, it is no longer a challenge to make a phone that folds even more. The South Korean tech titan, rather, is mulling how the folding experience brings value to consumers, said Roh Tae-moon, president and head of Samsung’s mobile division, during a press conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. “Technologically, we are capable of designing phones that fold even more times, but what’s

Technology Feb. 12, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO -- Around 3,000 industry officials and tech aficionados including some famous Twitterians gathered at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Tuesday for the unveiling of the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20 lineup, despite persisting fears over the novel coronavirus outbreak. Some attendees at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event were spotted with masks on throughout the hourlong show, being aware of the continuously spreading virus across the world, particularly in the Asian region,

Technology Feb. 12, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO -- There are more things that can be done on a tiny 1.1-inch display on the cover of Samsung Electronics’ palm-sized foldable Galaxy Z Flip than many would have thought, which maximizes both fun and convenient elements of the brand new mobile form factor. The Korea Herald got a chance to check out the new flip-type foldable gadget at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 held in San Francisco on Tuesday. The tech giant highlighted that its foldable device can now be folded into a sma

Technology Feb. 12, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO -- Samsung Electronics has reset the tone for the upcoming decade in the mobile world with catchphrases “5G, AI and foldable” by unveiling an enhanced Galaxy S smartphone lineup and a new foldable form factor in San Francisco on Tuesday. At the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event held at the Palace Fine Arts in the city, the South Korean tech titan introduced the global audience comprising 3,000 industry officials and tech aficionados to its vision for the upcoming dec

Technology Feb. 12, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO -- By unveiling the Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone, Samsung has introduced some fresh technologies and features that could possibly be benchmarked by competitors. The flagship Galaxy S20 series boasts the enhanced camera system among others. The Galaxy S20 introduces an entirely new camera system -- powered by AI and with the biggest image sensor yet -- to bring out the best in every image and every moment.  With larger image sensors available

Technology Feb. 12, 2020

Samsung Electronics aims to ship a total of 2.5 million units of its second foldable Galaxy Z Flip phones this year, according to news reports Monday. Some industry sources said the South Korean tech giant is preparing to roll out an initial batch of 500,000 units of the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip that is anticipated to be unveiled at its “Unpacked” event on Tuesday in San Francisco. Its first hands-on image was leaked by some tech aficionados ahead of the unveiling. In total, Samsun

Technology Feb. 10, 2020

Who was the true winner in the global smartphone market last year? The answer is Apple in terms of profit share, and Huawei Technologies in terms of growth. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, on the other hand, seems to be sandwiched between its American and Chinese rivals as it could neither reap a larger profit than Apple nor grow more than Huawei. Data released by market researchers Strategy Analytics, Canalys and Counterpoint support the conclusion, showing Apple and Huawei perform

Technology Feb. 9, 2020

Samsung Electronics said Sunday it will provide 2.6 trillion won ($2.18 billion) worth financial support for its subcontractors who are facing difficulties in procuring parts due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The company will lend them 1 trillion won at lower-than-usual interest or zero rates, while providing 1.6 trillion won worth goods payments in advance by using its existing funds raised for contractors, the tech giant said. Logistics costs of express deliveries of major raw mater

Industry Feb. 9, 2020

A joint panel of electric engineering experts at public and private institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy concluded on Thursday that four out of five energy storage systems of Korean battery makers caught fire last year due to defects in the battery cells. The five ESS sites that caught fire last year involved the battery systems built by LG Chem and Samsung SDI across the country. Both companies refuted the ministry panel’s findings immediately. The panel conc

Technology Feb. 6, 2020

LG Electronics announced Thursday it will supply digital cockpit systems made with flexible organic light-emitting diode displays for General Motor’s premium brand Cadillac. Known as Plastic-OLED, LG Display’s proprietary flexible OLED display will be the main material for the 38-inch dashboard and infotainment system integration that offers 4K content for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade model, according to the company. The P-OLED-based digital cockpit system, consisting of audio-vid

Technology Feb. 6, 2020

Rumors about specifications of upcoming mobile devices by Samsung Electronics usually turn out to be true at the firm’s annual unveiling event in February. The same may be true for the debut of the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the special foldable device Galaxy Z Flip, slated to be unveiled Feb. 11 in San Francisco, as rumors have been rampant among tech aficionados for weeks. Samsung will unveil four devices at its Galaxy Unpacked event held on the turf of US archrival Apple. Three of th

Technology Feb. 4, 2020