Conflicting signals have emerged regarding the production of Apple's newest iPhone models, particularly the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Media reports on the volume changes appear to reflect an entrenchment of the company's premium segment during a year of rising component costs and sliding smartphone sales across the sector.

Following stronger-than-expected demand for its Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung Electronics submitted an expedited wafer production request to United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) that was ultimately turned down. As a result, Samsung scaled back its September 2026 component production volume by 10%. Amid persistent capacity tightness at mature process nodes, Samsung is now evaluating GlobalFoundries (GF) as a secondary foundry partner for its OLED smartphone DDIs, with potential adoption set for late 2027 at the earliest.

Largan Precision chairman En-ping Lin has questioned the viability of Micro LED-based optical links for AI data centers, citing concerns over power consumption, size, and transmission efficiency. Industry sources interviewed by DIGITIMES counter that while individual Micro LEDs transmit data more slowly than lasers, using hundreds of parallel channels could reduce overall system power consumption by simplifying the transmission architecture.

CyberTAN Technology's sale of its Hsinchu Science Park factory and auxiliary facilities signals a broader shift toward higher-growth networking and AI infrastructure. The move may reshape how the Taiwanese company deploys capital, and it underscores continued global demand for data center, enterprise, and telecommunications equipment.

Huawei's cumulative global foldable smartphone shipments have exceeded 20 million units, with the company capturing more than 70% of China's foldable phone market in the first half of 2026, according to Huawei Terminal BG CTO Li Xiaolong.

Taiwanese optical networking suppliers reported strong September and third-quarter 2026 revenue growth, with EZconn and LuxNet posting record monthly sales as demand for high-speed connectivity in AI data centers continued to rise. The results come as US optical component maker Lumentum warns that its production capacity is booked into early 2029, with significant supply shortages expected to persist for several years.

Taiwan's three leading telecom operators reported strong revenue and earnings growth in September 2026, driven by replacement demand following the launch of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro series and continued expansion in enterprise services, including AI data centers (AIDC), cloud computing, and information and communications technology (ICT) projects.

Fubon Multimedia, which operates the Momo e-commerce platform, reported consolidated revenue of approximately NT$8.59 billion (US$269.4 million) in September 2026, up 8.2% from a year earlier. Revenue for the first nine months reached nearly NT$80 billion, an increase of about 3.9%, setting records for the period on both a monthly and cumulative basis.

Taiwanese e-commerce operations provider HHGalaxy reported consolidated revenue of NT$621 million (US$19.5 million) for September 2026, up 31.74% from a year earlier, as brands prepared for the Single's Day shopping event. Revenue for the first nine months reached NT$4.925 billion, a 26.76% annual increase, while third-quarter revenue rose 34.43% to NT$1.774 billion, setting a third-quarter record.

Rising memory prices have forced smartphone brands to raise handset prices, hurting new-device sales in 2026. Global smartphone shipments are expected to drop 15-17%, while demand for N-1 generation and used smartphones is surging, potentially pushing the used-phone market beyond 300 million units and creating new orders for display, battery, and casing suppliers.

Largan chairman and CEO Adam Lin said October 2026 orders are tracking at roughly the same level as September's, but will begin declining in November as customers cut their forecasts after new phones went on sale. The comments signal that demand across the smartphone supply chain will weaken in the fourth quarter of 2026, creating challenges for handset chipmakers and other suppliers that performed strongly during the third quarter.