Hyundai Mobis M.Vision POP Concept model

 

Hyundai Mobis has released its Hyundai Mobis M.VISION POP concept mode. (click on the graphic for a full size version).  As reported by The Korea Times, the technology used in this vehicle is set to be commercialized within five years.  The report noted that "The vehicle's four wheels can be steered independently, even turning them 180 degrees, capable of moving sideways just like a crab," Hyundai Mobis said. "When linked with a smartphone, it personalizes the car settings through a digital display. For example, it detects when the driver is drowsy and moves the steering wheel to the passenger seat."  The report further noted that "The key description for the M.Vision POP is "PHOBILITY," a word that combines "phone" and "mobility." It has embedded a new technology that docks the smartphone on the steering wheel with the user able to steer the vehicle using the device." 

LG exits the smartphone market

 In a sign of the times, LG has announced that it will stop manufacturing smartphones.   As reported by The Korea Joongang Daily  and also widely covered in the Korean and international media, this move comes after 25 years in the business.  In a statement this week, LG explained that “The dominance of two companies was strengthening in the premium smartphone market, while competition in the affordable price segment was intensifying,” and “LG Electronics failed to actively respond [to such market conditions].” The company's statement also said that the move would “enable the company to focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services.”  

The manufacture and export of smartphones by Korea has been a major theme of this blog over the years, as shown by these search results.   Given the commoditization of smartphones, as mentioned in this post, it was perhaps inevitable that the global competition for their manufacture would pose a major challenge for Korean manufacturers.  In historical perspective, another factor to consider is the "smartphone shock" that affected Korea's ICT sector following the arrival of the i-Phone at the end of 2009-beginning of 2010.

Samsung led global smartphone shipments in 2019

China and Korea dominate 5G smartphone market

As reported in the Korea Joongang Daily, the global market for 5G smartphones is dominated by Chinese and Korean firms.  As shown in the figure (click to see a full size version), Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics ranked second, together accounting for 41.7% of the global market.   The Chinese firm Huawei ranked number one in market share.  Together with Vivo and Xiaomi, Chinese firms accounted for 54.1 percent of the global market.

Samsung sells more smartphone components in China

As reported by The Korea Times,industry analysts note that "Samsung Electronics is expanding its supply of smartphone components such as camera image sensors and display panels to Chinese phone makers to take advantage of their soaring market dominance in the highly competitive smartphone market there..."  As this blog has noted in numerous prior posts, (see for example these) smartphones are essentially modular computing and communications devices.  Although Google's Project Ara failed, the physical reality is that all smart phones are created by putting together modules.  This helps to explain why the recent Japanese restrictions on the export to Korea of materials necessary for the manufacture of semiconductors and displays are so potentially damaging to Korea's economy.  In China, companies like Huawei and Xiaomi have come to dominate the smartphone market, in the process taking market share away from Samsung.   This development provides an opportunity for Samsung to improve its overall business position by selling more components to the Chinese manufacturers.

Korea's continuing lead in speed

OpenSignal is out with a new report that compares smart phone user experiences across 73 countries.   As shown in the graphic at left (click for a full size version), South Korea continues to have the world's fastest mobile networks, as measured by both average upload and download speed using a high tier smartphone.
In making such cross-country comparisons it is well to keep in mind that these are averages and don't represent the user experience in any particular part of the nation.   The local press in Korea these days is full of reports about consumer disappointment with the actual speeds they experience with new 5G phones.  One reason is that the buildout for 5G networks is concentrated initially in the nation's larger cities.  Even in urban area, signal strength inside buildings is a challenge that requires additional network infrastructure.  Things will get better, but it will take time. The project to complete Korea's 5G networks will go on for several years.

Samsung is world's leading smartphone vendor

Rocky start for 5G service in Korea

As the Chosun Ilbo English edition reported yesterday, 5G mobile service in Korea is "off to a rocky start."  The three mobile service providers were unable to deliver the speeds expected by customers who purchased 5G compatible phones. 
The slower than expected speeds delivered by 5G compatible phones were widely covered in Korea's mainstream media.  The Korea Joongang Daily reported that "LG Electronics has been in talks with mobile carriers to delay the release of its first 5G smartphone to ensure stable service."