The coronavirus pandemic is hitting the hard the smartphone market, with components suppliers disclosing that orders from Huawei and Samsing for their high-end 5G devices have been weak. But chip vendors believe that demand for 5G smartphone solutions is recovering in China, and they are stepping up production for sub-6GHz offerings that will be the mainstream in 2020. For Apple, which may launch its 5G iPhone later than expected due to the impacts of the virus, its partners, TSMC and ASE Technology, reportedly are still ready for backend mass production as originally scheduled for the 5G iPhone's mmWave AiP modules.
Sales of Huawei, Samsung high-end smartphones stalled by pandemic: Shipments of 5G-enabled smartphone models from Huawei and Samsung Electronics reportedly have met with headwinds, with supply chain sources indicating that component orders for these high-end models have lost momentum in the wake of the coronaviurs pandemic.
5G smartphone chip demand recovering in China: With the coronavirus outbreak put under control in China, China's domestic 5G smartphone market has started recovering with chipmakers stepping up production for sub-6GHz solutions, according to industry sources.
5G iPhone mmWave AiP production schedule hinges on Apple strategy: Apple's assembly partners reportedly may defer volume production of 5G iPhones by at least one month amid high uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, but its mmWave AiP modules backend partners including TSMC and ASE Technology are still ready for mass production as originally scheduled, according to industry sources.
