Podcasts Archives - Page 4 of 9

Podcast #51: Smartphone Battery – Not all mAh are Created Equal

Smartphones have become a big part of our daily lives. From advanced processing power to vivid high-refresh-rate displays and stunning cameras, there is a lot that modern smartphones offer. But whether you are at home, in office, or traveling, it is the battery that decides your smartphone’s ability to communicate, complete a transaction, or click photos at any given time.

Smartphone battery technology has evolved over the years. Smartphones now pack higher capacity batteries along with faster charging speeds and more. But when choosing a smartphone, the only available battery capacity information is the mAh (or milliamp hours) number, which is not enough. So, what are the other battery parameters that one should look for when buying a new smartphone?

In the latest episode of the ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by special guest Olivier Simon, DXOMARK’s battery unit director. Olivier shares some insights on DXOMARK’s smartphone battery evaluation, factors that affect battery life, and more. Olivier further deep dives to explain what mAh and watt mean and how do they translate into the experience when it comes to smartphone battery life. He also has some tips for OEMs on how to design smartphones keeping the battery aspect in mind. For consumers too, he has some advice on how to buy a smartphone with a battery life that fits their needs.

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You can download the podcast transcript here.

Podcast Chapter Markers

01:07 – Olivier talks about his experience and background.

02:22 – Olivier on the main driver for DXOMARK to cover the battery space.

04:59 – Olivier on battery specs, focusing on what mAh means.

07:52 – DXOMARK’s battery testing procedure.

10:32 – Olivier on smartphone battery testing process with radio environment.

15:56 – Testing battery charge and recharge cycles.

20:41 – DXOMARK’s battery scores and testing results.

23:10 – DXOMARK’s advice to OEMs for optimizing battery performance.

25:25 – Any clear winner between Android and iOS in battery autonomy?

27:44 – Does smartphone AP from a different manufacturer impact battery performance?

31:53 – Advice for consumers when buying a smartphone this holiday season.

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Podcast #50 – Disruptive Trends Shaping the Next Decade & Beyond

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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Chapter Markers for Counterpoint Tech Predictions

02:15 – Tom on changing dynamics of smartphone OEMs.

03:14 – Neil on the house of brands and strategies.

04:43 – Neil further talks about 1+N strategies.

05:45 – Tom on services play by hardware companies.

07:38 – Neil discusses brands focusing more on IoT space.

08:34 – Peter on Extended Reality (XR).

11:37 – Tom shares his predictions for 6G, smart glasses and foldables.

13:36 – Neil on existing 5G network, iterations and transition to 6G.

15:33 – Tom talks about drivers for 6G, smart glasses, and more.

18:56 – Neil on tech companies and operators.

21:10 – Peter talks about wearable devices and their importance in healthcare.

22:40 – Neil further talks about wearables, healthcare and e-commerce.

24:06 – Tom talks about the tech cold war getting intense.

26:36 – Neil on OEMs becoming more vertically integrated.

27:17 – Peter weighs in on the future of precision agriculture.

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Podcast: How a Low-Power Edge AI Chip Company is Driving Intelligence in Consumer Devices

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 Edge 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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You can download the podcast transcript here.

Podcast Chapter Markers

00:58 – A little bit about David, his role at Perceive, and what solutions the company offers.

02:31 – What is an edge inferencing device and what problems does it solve?

06:01 – How do you go about training the model for inferencing at the edge?

10:27 – The Ergo chip and its headline features?

13:17 – The number of sensors that can be used in Ergo chip-based devices?

14:09 – Does the solution need any external memory?

15:32 – Privacy and security aspects when keeping inference data locally?

18:21 – Where Ergo is being deployed?

20:38 – The support Perceive offers to device makers?

22:31 – What are you most excited to see with edge AI inferencing applications in the coming years?

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Podcast: Artificial Intelligence – Winter is Coming!

Podcast – Global Smartphone Market: Musical Chairs

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 analyst Harmeet Singhwalia and analyst 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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You can download the podcast transcript here.

Podcast Chapter Markers

01:50: Samsung has been the top smartphone vendor globally, but last year we saw Huawei surpassing it briefly, and this year it is Xiaomi. So, how are the dynamics changing globally?

6:22: How has LG’s exit impacted the US prepaid smartphone market?

11:14: Huawei was a big player in Europe, so who are the beneficiaries in the region, and how are the dynamics changing there?

15:52: China is the world’s biggest smartphone market where Huawei has control with over 30% share. But with Huawei facing production difficulties after the US sanctions, how has the China smartphone market changed?

20:51: We move to India where Xiaomi is holding steady for several quarters, and brands like realme are the fastest growing. While COVID-19 lockdowns affected offline sales, what are brands like Samsung doing to regain share?

26:32: The SEA region is getting very interesting as it is turning to be a production hub for companies like Samsung. The MEA region, on the other hand, is seeing a shift from feature phones to smartphones. What can you tell us about the smartphone market in these regions?

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Podcast: How Xiaomi, Qualcomm are Delivering 5G, AI-based Experiences to Consumers

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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You can download the podcast transcript here.

Podcast Chapter Markers:

2:02 – How is the Snapdragon 888 Plus different from the Snapdragon 888 in terms of features and capabilities it unlocks?

5:04 – How does 32TOPS AI performance transform experiences from camera to voice, battery life, and more?

8:21 – How is Xiaomi leveraging AI on Qualcomm chipsets to bring cutting-edge features across the Mi portfolio?

10:13 – As gaming has become a top use case in this 5G era, how does the Snapdragon 888 Plus SoC with Snapdragon Elite Gaming enhance the experience?

15:08 – How are things changing in China with 5G, and how is Xiaomi prepared as 5G unlocks cloud gaming and AR experiences?

16:40 – The Snapdragon 765G was the best-selling SoC that brought 5G experience to the mass market. So, what are your expectations with the Snapdragon 778G?

18:44 – With foldable smartphones, how do you see display and camera tech evolve?

23:14 – How does foldable form factor make it difficult from the engineering perspective when it comes to things like mmWave antennas and display?

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Podcast: US, India Look to Reshape Manufacturing Landscape

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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Podcast Chapter Markers

1:37: What convinced the Indian government to introduce a scheme like PLI?

3:32: Is PLI restricted to any sector?

4:17: Which are the major companies participating in the scheme?

5:36: The US government is also encouraging the domestic manufacturing of semiconductors. Is it like the PLI scheme or different?

8:15: President Biden recently issued an executive order to review supply chains. Can you tell us more about it?

11:52: Has component shortage affected PLI or its participants?

13:57: There is a possibility of a third wave of COVID-19 coming to India. So, what are the challenges PLI could face with that?

17:02: The US Senate recently passed the US Innovation and Competition Act. How will it help the US fulfill its ambitions of self-sufficiency?

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Podcast: High-res, Lossless Audio Crucial in Delivery of Music in its Purest Form

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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Read the podcast transcript here.

Podcast Chapter Markers

2:19 – How is the audio technology evolving on the hardware side with changing form factors?

4:25 – How do you see the demand changing among consumers for wireless audio in general?

7:33 – ANC is offered at different price points, so how does Sony stand apart from its competitors?

9:44 – What is the role of different audio standards within the high-resolution space?

13:45 – What are your thoughts on Alexa and Google Assistant being offered across personal audio, TV, and portable speakers?

15:35 – Has COVID-19 changed consumer spending habits when it comes to home audio products?

18:22 – Any final comments on coming audio technology changes?

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Podcast: COVID-19 Second Wave to Test Resilience of India's Growing Smartphone Market

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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Podcast Chapter Markers

2:23 – How India’s smartphone market performed in 2020, and how it progressed into 2021?
6:19 – How are the COVID-19 second wave and lockdown-like restrictions impacting smartphone sales in India?
8:22 – What impact does the second wave have on India’s smartphone production capacity?
10:55 – What is happening on the inventory side with a demand reduction?
12:16 – There is a looming possibility of a third wave in the coming months, so what kind of impact could that have?
14:53 – Is the reduced smartphone demand helping ease pressure on smartphone chipmakers and component players?
18:13 – Is COVID-19 impact further lengthening the smartphone replacement cycle?
24:47 – Where does our forecast for the Indian smartphone market stand currently?

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Podcast: Operator Promos Drive US 5G Smartphone Prices Under $150

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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Podcast Chapter Markers

2:10 – What are the key drivers for the US smartphone market?

6:20 – What is the demand like in mid-tier and budget devices, especially with operator promos and tax season coming up?

9:45 – What is the lowest price you’ve seen for 5G smartphones including promotions and discounts?

11:38 – First Huawei sanctions, now LG exiting the smartphone market. Who do you think will fill in that void that is left?

16:24 – How did the refurb market perform in 2020, and does the ongoing chip shortage create an opportunity for the refurb devices?

18:19 – What are the key smartphone specs upgrades and trends that you are seeing in the market?

22:33 – How is 5G shaping up in the US, and can you talk a little bit about what operators are doing?

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