It is always interesting to talk about the future. But in the absence of any magical crystal ball, getting your prediction right needs experience, vision and good judgment. Now, a lot has changed over the past couple of years, with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic driving some new use cases of technologies. Many of these use cases will shape the digital future. 

These two years have seen the fall of big smartphone brands like LG and Huawei, even as the pandemic-triggered pent-up demand helped boost other OEMs’ sales. COVID-19 has also caused semiconductor shortages across industries. Then there are geopolitical issues that are expected to slow down some technological advancements while accelerating others. 

We discuss all this and more in this special edition of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’ that focuses on our tech predictions for the next decade and beyond. Host Peter Richardson is joined by Tom Kang and Neil Shah to discuss some of the disruptive technology trends that we will see in the future. Partners at Counterpoint and friends, Tom, Peter and Neil share their views on 6G, smart glasses, foldables, OEM strategies, mobile network operators, quantum computing, tech cold war, and much more. 

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As home security solutions such as security cameras are now used in several households, there is an increasing need for AI (Artificial Intelligence) inferencing at the edge. Typically, the security solution relies on machine learning models to identify objects or faces in the CCTV footage – for example differentiating between a cat and a human. The data is then sent to the cloud for analysis and sent back to the device. But this can be problematic when there is poor internet connectivity. 

Ergo, a tiny 7x7mm AI chip from a company called Perceive, aims to solve issues with AI inferencing at the edge. The chip enables rapid processing on edge devices, for example facial recognition, or alerting to certain sounds, such as glass breaking or a dog barking. This can trigger actions without resorting to cloud-based systems. This type of solution can also offer enhanced data security and user privacy, as the data does not leave the device. The edge AI inference chips can be used in connected devices such as smart speakers as well, where many commands can be processed on the device, rather referring to the cloud. There can be many other applications in the future including drones, autonomous vehicles, and much more.  

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by David McIntyre, VP of Marketing at Perceive. David talks about AI inferencing at the edge using a tiny chip called Ergo. He deep dives into problems solved by inferencing on edge devices over the cloud, use cases, and savings made related to space onboard, costs and power. The podcast discussion also focuses on potential applications where solutions like Perceive’s Ergo chip can be used. 

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The global smartphone market has been through a bumpy ride during the last couple of years — US sanctions on Huawei, COVID-19, ongoing component shortages and LG’s exit to name a few. Some smartphone makers, such as Huawei, LG and Samsung, have been impacted more than others by these events. At the same time, Chinese smartphone makers like Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo and OnePlus have benefited from the events by filling the void.

The US postpaid market is heavily dominated by Apple and Samsung, whereas the prepaid market has players like Nokia HMD, Motorola and Alcatel. LG’s exit from the market has opened opportunities for others. Similarly, in the absence of Huawei, Xiaomi has been dominating in Europe, driven by CIS markets. It also briefly surpassed Samsung to become the top smartphone vendor globally. OPPO, realme and vivo are also gaining share in Europe, China, India and the SEA. The MEA market is also getting interesting where Transsion Group’s TECNO, itel and Infinix are gaining share.

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by senior analysts Harmeet Singhwalia and Aman Chaudhary to discuss the changing dynamics of the global smartphone market. The discussion deep-dives into different regions, from the US to Europe, Asia, SEA and MEA, to highlight the top smartphone vendors and their strategies.

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Mobile handsets have evolved with every new cellular generation, both in terms of form factor and capabilities. From advanced photography and videography to high-speed internet connectivity and the console-like mobile gaming experience, all these capabilities are unlocked by the system on chip (SoC). Qualcomm is the leading SoC company globally and is driving these advanced technologies and smart entertainment experiences across various devices, form factors and price tiers. 

In these ‘work and learn from home’ times, on-device AI enabled by the SoC is playing a crucial role. From adding background blur to photos and videos to making you look good, and canceling ambient background noise to optimizing the cellular signal strength and battery life, there are a lot many AI capabilities that SoCs deliver. As OEMs employ these intelligence and feature-packed SoCs in their devices, they strive to deliver the best and advanced experiences. Fast-growing OEMs like Xiaomi are working closely with Qualcomm to leverage AI and other features of the Snapdragon 7- and 8-series platforms and bring intelligent experiences to the end users.

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Neil Shah is joined by Kedar Kondap, Vice-president of Product Management at Qualcomm, and Adam Zeng, Senior Vice-president of Xiaomi and President of Xiaomi Smartphone Department. Kedar shares some interesting insights into the AI capabilities of the latest flagship Snapdragon 888 Plus mobile platform, how Snapdragon Elite Gaming enhances mobile gaming, and the evolution of foldable form factors. Adam also talks about how Xiaomi as an OEM and a key partner, is leveraging the platform capabilities in terms of AI, 5G, camera and display R&D to bring the best experiences to its consumers.

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The geopolitical tensions between the US and China disrupted supply chains after sanctions against ZTE and Huawei. The global pandemic and lockdown restrictions further added to the woes, creating a supply-demand imbalance along with other challenges. As smartphone and PC makers, automobile companies and other businesses heavily rely on Taiwan, South Korea and China for critical components and manufacturing, there is a risk in having such a consolidated supply chain.  

Manufacturers are now looking to diversify their supply chains to ensure events like COVID-19, natural disasters and geopolitical tensions don’t cause disruption. To encourage domestic manufacturers to increase production, the Indian government has introduced the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. It offers incentives to companies for increasing domestic production and reducing import bills. With this scheme, the government is also trying to position India as a critical electronics manufacturing hub.  

The ongoing semiconductor shortage has also convinced the US that it too heavily relies on foreign manufacturing for domestic semiconductor needs. To overcome the issue and also protect its economy, the US government has also taken a similar approach as India to leverage its technological prowess in AI, semiconductor design, and more. It will be offering subsidies of up to $52 billion for chip manufacturing in the US.  

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by research analyst Priya Joseph and research associate Matthew Orf to discuss how geopolitical tensions have disrupted global supply chains. The discussion focuses on India’s PLI scheme where Priya talks about its framework, major companies that are participating, and more. Matthew, on the other hand, talks about the Biden administration’s efforts to review the supply chains for critical products, such as semiconductors, and touches upon the US Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 that was passed by the Senate recently.

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Personal and home audio technology has greatly evolved over the years. We have moved from wired to mono Bluetooth and stereo wireless headphones to True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds. In the home audio segment, soundbars are becoming popular as they can deliver a great home theatre experience. But it is not just about the changing form factors, there have been improvements in audio delivery systems as well. Support for higher quality audio, such as lossless audio, is important in delivering music in its purest form. 

The TWS earbuds, in particular, include a lot of hardware and software features that enable Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), ambient awareness, and multiple mics to offer crisp call clarity. These features are quite helpful in the current work-from-home and learn-from-home scenarios. Also, 5G is here, enabling higher throughput and thus higher quality audio from streaming services like Tidal, Spotify, Amazon Music HD and Apple Music, which was not possible in the 3G and 4G era. So, why are these new technologies important in enhancing the audio listening experience? 

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Gyanendra Singh, Head of Audio Marketing for Sony India, to talk about trends in the audio space. Singh, with his 17 years of experience in Sony’s audio department, shares his thoughts on high-res and other audio formats, how the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a surge in demand for audio products, and more. He also touches upon the home audio segment and how it is growing due to the pandemic-triggered restrictions on visiting cinema halls.

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As India battles a more virulent second wave of COVID-19, lockdown-like restrictions have been imposed across several states. This has impacted several businesses and industries, including the country’s smartphone market, which had registered record growth in Q1 2021 due to pent-up demand. With the restrictions on, the smartphone growth story has not continued in Q2 2021 as smartphones are not considered an essential category. 

The number of COVID-19 cases has come down from its peak in the last two weeks of May, bringing some respite. But how much of an impact has the second wave created on India’s smartphone sales and manufacturing? There is also a looming uncertainty around a possible third wave in the next few months that could lead to another demand and supply disruption. 

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Research Director Tarun Pathak and Senior Analyst Prachir Singh. They discuss the current scenario in the Indian smartphone market, the global chip shortage, and how manufacturing capacity and inventory have been affected. The imbalance also raises questions about the forecast and outlook for 2021, where Prachir and Tarun have covered different scenarios and use cases that could guide the market this year.

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The beginning of 2020 was quite challenging for the smartphone market after the COVID-19 outbreak, which resulted in lockdowns across several countries. However, things eased in the second half with pent-up demand driving smartphone sales. The momentum continued through Q1 2021, with the iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy S21 series doing well in the premium segment. Even the telecom operators offered great deals and trade-in offers that helped in ensuring better sales. 

Prices of prepaid 5G smartphones in the US have come down in just under two years. With promotional offers from operators, we are even seeing these devices available under $150. So, operators are going all out with their marketing budget to push sales. Talking about this mid-range segment, LG has announced its formal exit from the smartphone market, which will leave a void to be filled in. It creates an opportunity for other smartphone makers such as Samsung, Motorola, Alcatel and TCL to increase their share. 

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by Research Director Jeff Fieldhack to talk about the US smartphone market, refurb channel, smartphone spec upgrades and more. The discussion highlights how the smartphone market is recovering after the COVID-19 impact, and touches upon the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage and its implications. Jeff also offers insights on how the prepaid and postpaid channels are performing, how 5G mobile broadband and home broadband are shaping up to ease work-from-home, and much more.

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We saw the first wave of 5G smartphone launches in H1 2019 with prices above $1,000. These premium smartphones gave way to a completely new pricing landscape in just around a year, with the most affordable 5G smartphone coming under $200 in China in 2020. Moving into 2021, we have the ongoing issue of component shortages across the semiconductor industry.  

In our previous podcast, we discussed the auto sector’s semiconductor shortage and how it may not ease until late 2021. But how will the chip and component shortage impact the smartphone market in 2021? Will we see the prices of 5G smartphones going down further or will they stabilize? While operators in the US are pushing for mmWave 5G, the other regions are mostly looking at Sub-6GHz. So, will Sub-6GHz 5G smartphones outsell the mmWave ones?  

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Associate Director Brady Wang and Research Analyst Parv Sharma to discuss our growth outlook for 5G smartphones, expectations for 2021 and a lot more.  

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