Latest news with #HeekyongYang
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Samsung launches slimmest smartphone as races against rival Apple
By Heekyong Yang SEOUL: Samsung Electronics made public on Tuesday its slimmest flagship model to date, complete with enhanced artificial intelligence features, as it seeks to get ahead of rival Apple in the premium market. The S25 Edge launch is designed to tap increasing demand, especially from consumers in their 20s and 30s, for more portable smartphones. "The feedback was clear - users wanted something slimmer and easier to carry without sacrificing performance," said Samsung , which made structural changes to reduce the thickness of internal components, including the printed circuit board and thermal systems. Analysts said the launch was strategically timed to pre-empt Apple, which is expected to launch a thinner iPhone in the second half of this year. "By releasing the product a few months ahead, Samsung could inflict some impact on Apple and attract consumers looking for thinner smartphones. It appears to be a calculated decision to capture that segment of demand," Ryu Young-ho, a senior analyst at NH Investment & Securities, said. The S25 Edge will go on sale in South Korea on May 23 and in the United States on May 30, Samsung said, adding it will roll it out to about 30 countries, including China and in Europe. Starting at $1,099, the model has a 6.7-inch (170 mm) screen and a 5.8 millimetre-thick body, making it larger than the basic S25 model but only fractionally heavier. The S25 Edge has Samsung's latest built-in AI functions, including multimodal AI that allows users to interact with the device in real time through vision and voice, using the camera to ask questions. Samsung did not disclose the production site for the new model. At the launch event, Samsung dismissed concerns about potential performance and heat management issues with the device. "Some may worry that a thinner phone compromises performance or struggles with heat management," said Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President Moon Sung-hoon. "We managed to engineer a thinner vapor chamber to fit the slim design, and we put everything into making that happen. We're confident the S25 Edge can be used without concerns about overheating," said Moon. Samsung became the world's leading smartphone vendor in the first quarter of 2025, capturing 20% of the global market and narrowly surpassing Apple, which held a 19% share, data from Counterpoint Research showed. Samsung last month, however, said second-quarter shipments could be affected if tariff risks weaken demand.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Samsung launches slimmest smartphone as races against rival Apple
By Heekyong Yang SEOUL (Reuters) -Samsung Electronics made public on Tuesday its slimmest flagship model to date, complete with enhanced artificial intelligence features, as it seeks to get ahead of rival Apple on the premium market. The S25 Edge launch is designed to appeal to increasing demand, especially from consumers in their 20s and 30s, for more portable smartphones. "The feedback was clear – users wanted something slimmer and easier to carry without sacrificing performance," said Samsung, which made structural changes to reduce the thickness of internal components, including the printed circuit board and thermal systems. Analysts said the launch was strategically timed to pre-empt Apple, which is expected to launch a thinner iPhone in the second half of this year. "By releasing the product a few months ahead, Samsung could inflict some impact on Apple and attract consumers looking for thinner smartphones. It appears to be a calculated decision to capture that segment of demand," Ryu Young-ho, a senior analyst at NH Investment & Securities, said. The S25 Edge will go on sale in South Korea on May 23 and in the United States on May 30, Samsung said, adding it will roll it out to about 30 countries, including China and in Europe. Starting at $1,099, the model has a 6.7-inch (170 mm) screen and a 5.8 millimetre-thick body, making it larger than the basic S25 model but only fractionally heavier. The S25 Edge has Samsung's latest built-in AI functions, including multimodal AI that allows users to interact with the device in real time through vision and voice, using the camera to ask questions. Samsung did not disclose the production site for the new model. It became the world's leading smartphone vendor in the first quarter of 2025, capturing 20% of the global market and narrowly surpassing Apple, which held an 19% share, data from Counterpoint Research showed. Samsung last month, however, said second-quarter shipments could be affected if tariff risks weaken demand. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Star
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
SK Telecom shares plunge after data breach due to cyberattack
FILE PHOTO: The logo of SK Telecom is pictured at the GSMA's 2023 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo SEOUL (Reuters) -SK Telecom shares fell as much as 8.5% on Monday to hit their lowest level since August last year, after South Korea's biggest mobile carrier disclosed it suffered a leak of customer data earlier this month caused by a cyberattack. The company said in a statement it would take full responsibility for any harm caused as a result of the breach that was detected on April 18. It described the incident as a large-scale leak of data due to malware, without providing more details. SK Telecom also said it would start offering free universal subscriber identity module (USIM) replacements to all 23 million users for free at more than 2,600 retail stores nationwide from Monday following the cybersecurity breach. SK Telecom also urged customers to sign up for its USIM Protection Service, which it said provided the same level of prevention as replacing a USIM card. About 5.54 million people had signed up for the service, accounting for nearly a quarter of SK Telecom's 23 million subscribers as of Sunday, according to the company. SK Telecom shares closed down 6.7%, posting the biggest daily drop since March 2020, versus the benchmark KOSPI's 0.1% rise. (Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Jihoon LeeEditing by Ed Davies)
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Nvidia supplier SK Hynix's Q1 profit soars, flags H2 demand risks from tariffs
By Heekyong Yang and Joyce Lee SEOUL: SK Hynix 's quarterly profit more than doubled on strong AI chip sales and stockpiling ahead of potential U.S. tariffs, but it warned that macroeconomic uncertainties could create demand volatility in the second half of the year. The Nvidia supplier reported on Thursday a 7.4 trillion won ($5.19 billion) operating profit for the first quarter ended March, versus 2.9 trillion won a year earlier. That topped a 6.6 trillion won average forecast by LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward the more consistently accurate analysts. Quarterly revenue for the South Korean firm jumped 42% to 17.6 trillion won. In the first quarter, the "memory market ramped up faster than expected due to competition to develop AI systems and inventory accumulation demand", SK Hynix said in a statement, while cautioning about volatility stemming from "elevated macro uncertainties such as tariff policy" later in the year. The company, however, said it expects spending by big tech firms on server chips to continue as they seek to capture early opportunities in the artificial intelligence (AI) market. In smartphones, the advancement of AI features in new models is expected to drive replacement demand, boosting sales of high-performance mobile DRAM chips, it added. SK Hynix has been leading a global race to meet explosive demand for high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, a crucial component of AI chipsets made by the likes of Nvidia that help process vast amounts of data to train AI models. The firm has been a main HBM chip supplier to Nvidia as its cross town rival Samsung Electronics has struggled to keep up in the race.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hyundai Steel's $6 billion US investment draws investor ire, tests Seoul's tariff strategy
By Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) -In late March, as investors kept hammering Hyundai Steel shares after the South Korean steelmaker announced a $6 billion investment in the U.S., the company organised a call with a dozen investors to calm nerves over the project that lacked detailed funding plans. "We apologise that the plan was announced when some of the details are still under review," a Hyundai Steel official told them about the deal, part of a $21 billion U.S. investment package its parent Hyundai Motor Group unveiled at the White House on March 24. "But we had to move quickly in light of fast developing U.S. tariff situations and the limited capacity of our government to actively respond," he said, according to a transcript of the call seen by Reuters and confirmed by a person with direct knowledge of the closed-door meeting. The remark referred to the political vacuum stemming from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. Four Hyundai executives and government officials told Reuters that they hoped the investment would pave the way for Hyundai and South Korea to push for more favourable terms in tariff negotiations with the U.S. South Korean senior government officials are set to have talks with their U.S. counterparts in Washington on Thursday, as they seek exemptions or reductions on tariffs. But some investors, trade experts and workers are concerned over whether the hastily drawn-up plan will actually help South Korea win trade concessions. Two days after the White House event, President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on imported autos, with no exemptions on Korean products. "What would be longer-term benefits as U.S. tariff and trade policies could change again when the new plant is up and running in 2029 and Trump wouldn't be in office any longer?" asked one investor on the call. Other questions raised included why the plant would be built in Louisiana, which does not neighbour states where its client Hyundai Motor has auto plants, what concessions it is expecting from the U.S., and whether Hyundai would be able to secure enough customers to fill up the capacity. Hyundai Steel's stock has lost 21.2% of its value since the investment was announced, lagging rival POSCO Holdings' 18.3% loss and the benchmark index's 5.5% fall. Hyundai Motor shares fell 12.9% during the same period. The investment plan comes as Hyundai Steel grapples with weak domestic demand, an influx of cheap Chinese steel and labour strikes over a wage deal that was agreed only recently. It reports quarterly results on Thursday. Analysts warn the investment could also increase financial stress on the struggling steelmaker and it may have to scale back the capacity of the new plant, which is expected to produce enough steel to make 1.8 million vehicles a year, well above the combined production target of 1.2 million units by Hyundai and its affiliate Kia in the U.S. "If the project turns out to be financially unviable, the company is likely to scale it back or delay execution. At this stage, the announcement may be more about political signaling than a firm commitment," said Chan H. Lee, managing partner at Petra Capital Management in Seoul. Hyundai Steel said in a statement it expects "stable demand" for automotive steel in the United States, the world's largest car market, and that its planned U.S. facility will supply high-quality, low-carbon steel products to both Hyundai-Kia and other U.S. customers. The company added that its investments and tariff negotiations are "separate matters." Addressing concerns about its domestic operations, Hyundai Steel said it is working to enhance the competitiveness of its South Korean factories. Hyundai Steel said it would fund 50% of the U.S. investment with borrowing but has yet to disclose how the rest of investment would be split among potential equity investors. It said earlier this week local rival POSCO would make an equity investment in the project. UNUSUAL Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia, which together generate about one-third of their global sales from the U.S. market, have been courting Trump since his election win in November. South Korea is the second-biggest exporter of cars to the United States after Mexico. Hyundai Motor donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund and also invited him to an opening ceremony of its new Georgia car factory in late March, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung told reporters at the event in late March. After being briefed about Hyundai's U.S. steel factory plan, Trump invited the chairman and other Hyundai executives to the White House, Chung said. "It's quite unusual to announce an investment plan at the White House, as we would normally organise such events with state governments where we are investing," a person familiar with the matter told Reuters, declining to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media. "It appeared the White House wanted to tout our investment as an example showing that its tariff policy works." For Hyundai Motor Group, the investment plan has not gone any further beyond the flashy announcement for now, as South Korea is hoping to negotiate a reduction in the 25% tariffs Trump has imposed on South Korean goods (since suspended for 90 days) or give exemptions to a separate 25% levy imposed on imported vehicles and steel. Chung told reporters that he does not expect one company's investments alone to bring a major change in U.S. tariff policy and its new U.S. factory is to meet potential requirements for low-carbon steel rather to prepare for tariffs. "Tariffs are a state matter between a country and a country," he said, adding Hyundai and South Korean government will hold talks with the U.S. administration. "We are closely monitoring new policy developments and continually review various business strategies to ensure long-term profitability", Hyundai Motor Group said in a statement, adding it still plans to invest 24.3 trillion won ($17.05 billion) in South Korea this year. Some experts also had reservations about how big a role Hyundai's investment would play in tariff talks between Seoul and Washington. "Typically in trade negotiations, each side avoids making early unmatched concessions, preferring a package deal approach. But these are not normal times," said Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. Trade Representative chief negotiator who heads the Asia Society Policy Institute. She said Korean negotiators would need to remind the U.S. negotiating team of the need to get credit for their investment in any final deal. "If Hyundai had coordinated with the government and used the investment as part of Seoul's broader packaged offer later, who knows that the outcome might have been a bit different," former trade minister Yeo Han-koo told Reuters. As uncertainty over trade talks persist, some Hyundai workers in South Korea remain worried. Kang Do-hoon, a factory worker at Hyundai's Incheon production site that now faces a one-month operation suspension due to weak construction steel demand, said the company's U.S. investment plan is upsetting many workers as they have been calling for more investment in local factories. "This is the first time we have experienced such a bad situation ... so I am really worried," said Kang, who has been working at the plant for 15 years. "We feel a great sense of loss." ($1 = 1,425.0100 won)
