CONNECT WITH US
Sep 14
iPhone Duo's price opens room for Android rivals
Apple's new iPhone 18 series and first foldable, the iPhone Duo, could reshape smartphone demand worldwide by pushing some buyers toward Android rivals, channel players said. Higher launch prices may expand the premium market, but they could also slow some iPhone sales and intensify competition across midrange and flagship segments.

In 2026, major smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) vendors began moving selected flagship processors to 2nm technology, seeking not only to secure sufficient capacity but also to deliver meaningful upgrades in technical specifications.

Network equipment maker Edimax Technology and its subsidiary Comtrend were affected by changes in customers' shipping cycles in the first half of 2026. Coupled with rising costs for key components such as memory and passive components, both revenue and gross margin fell from the same period in 2025. The group plans to seek a turnaround through product mix adjustments and expansion into new markets.

The 2026 China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE) closed with 800G and 1.6T optical modules still dominating the show floor, while near-packaged optics (NPO), co-packaged optics (CPO), and eXtra-dense Pluggable Optics (XPO) gained a visibly larger presence.

Strong demand for AI and AI data centers, along with a wave of enterprise information and communications technology (ICT) projects moving into delivery, helped Taiwan's top three telecom operators extend growth in August 2026. Chunghwa Telecom posted record August revenue, operating profit, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), and earnings per share (EPS); Taiwan Mobile remained the telecom trio's cumulative EPS leader; and FarEasTone set monthly highs in revenue, EBITDA, and net profit.
Apple’s move into foldable smartphones is creating fresh business for Japanese component makers with expertise in thin, lightweight and compact designs. According to Nikkei Asia, suppliers that once helped shape Japan’s feature phone era are seeing renewed interest in foldable display materials, hinges and battery-related parts.
Apple has finally unveiled the long-anticipated foldable iPhone Duo, with former CEO Tim Cook making a brief appearance at the start of the launch video. The moment suggested the device was Cook's farewell act, rather than John Ternus' first turn as chief executive, even as Apple used the 2026 fall event to frame its next stage of AI strategy.
Apple has introduced its new in-house C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro, and the US specifications list support for the n258, n260 and n261 mmWave bands, marking the first time Apple's C-series modem has crossed the mmWave threshold.

Competition in the foldable smartphone market is intensifying as Huawei, Xiaomi, and Apple roll out or prepare next-generation foldable phones, each taking a different design path. The three brands are battling over screen size, body thickness, battery life, chips, and AI features.

Apple's latest iPhone launch could reshape premium phone demand, but the bigger question is whether the company can answer growing AI competition. While the new foldable iPhone drew the most attention, investors and channel players are watching pricing, repair costs, and Apple's dependence on Google-backed AI more closely.

Apple has unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, raising expectations that its entry will expand the foldable phone market and lift component prices. For Taiwanese suppliers, however, foldables are no longer the main growth focus.
Two things happened at Apple's September 9 launch that belong in the same story: the company raised the price of every iPhone it sells by exactly US$100, and it introduced a chip whose headline improvement is a wider memory interface, without saying how much memory sits behind it.