Global Smartphone Market Drops 20% in Q3 2026 Amid Memory Shortages – DTH

Global Smartphone Market Plunges 20% in Q3 2026

The global smartphone market declined 20% YoY in Q3 2026 due to severe memory shortages and rising component costs, pushing average retail prices up and creating a gap between resilient premium demand and struggling budget segments. Samsung led the market with a 23% share driven by strong demand for its Galaxy Z Fold8 series and steady mid-range supply, followed closely by Apple at 22% share behind solid iPhone 18 Pro momentum. Meanwhile, Chinese OEMs including Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo saw steep volume drops exceeding 20% as they scaled back lower-margin lines, raised prices, and prioritized profitability ahead of an uncertain market recovery.

Source: Counterpoint Research

WhatsApp Tests Message Scheduling Feature for Android

WhatsApp is testing a long-requested message scheduling feature in its Android beta (version 2.26.8.11). By press-holding the send button, users can schedule text, links, photos, and end-to-end encrypted videos for individual or group chats anywhere from 10 minutes to two weeks in advance. Scheduled messages will deliver even if the user’s device is offline, with a full rollout expected in the near future.

Source: Engadget

Microsoft Unveils Third-Generation Maia 300 AI Chip

Microsoft announced its third-generation in-house AI chip, the Maia 300, designed as the primary AI inference system for its cloud products and services starting in 2027. Built on TSMC’s N2P node with a chiplet architecture, Maia 300 delivers up to 40% more tokens per megawatt than leading GPU systems, optimized for long-context reasoning and multi-step agentic tasks. As Microsoft scales the Azure Maia family to multi-gigawatt deployments, the high-efficiency chip will allow the company to reduce its reliance on third-party GPUs from Nvidia and AMD while powering its proprietary AI models across the full tech stack.

Source: The Verge

Microsoft President Calls for Global AI Safety Regulations

Microsoft President Brad Smith urged the implementation of global safety rules for AI, pointing out that everyday items like milk and washing machines currently face stricter regulation than advanced AI systems. Smith’s call for mandatory independent evaluators, emergency kill switches, and strict reporting protocols places him at odds with President Donald Trump’s preference for industry self-regulation to maintain a competitive edge against foreign rivals. Championing a proactive approach over self-regulation, Smith highlighted the UK as uniquely positioned to lead international efforts in establishing comprehensive AI standards.

Source: BBC

Apple Strikes Deal With Personalized Audio Startup Huxe

Apple has entered into a reverse acqui-hire agreement with personalized audio startup Huxe, offering employment to key team members and licensing its intellectual property. Huxe, founded by former NotebookLM developers, recently announced it was shutting down its app and services. Following Huxe’s shutdown, Apple notified European regulators of the deal, which may allow Apple to integrate personalized audio or AI podcast capabilities into its services like Apple Podcasts.

Source: TechCrunch

Southeast Asian Nations Move to Restrict Social Media for Minors

Southeast Asian nations are increasingly taking steps to restrict social media access for minors due to growing concerns over child health, safety, and online risks. The Philippines is advancing legislation after its House of Representatives approved a bill banning social media access for children under 13, following a stricter Senate version that restricts anyone under 18 from creating accounts. Similarly, Malaysia has barred under-16s from registering on platforms and given companies until January 2027 to implement age verification, while Indonesia has already required high-risk platforms to deactivate accounts of children under 16, leading companies like TikTok and Meta to remove millions of underage accounts.

Source: Reuters

Google Expands Health Guardian and Activity Tracking Features

Google is rolling out updates to its Pixel Watches and Fitbit devices to enhance health tracking and feature availability. “Health Guardian,” previously exclusive to the Pixel Watch, is coming to the Fitbit Air and Edge for Google Health Premium subscribers, providing monthly blood pressure and insulin resistance trend summaries alongside AI coaching recommendations. Furthermore, Google is upgrading automatic activity tracking across recent Pixel and Fitbit models to improve accuracy and expand recognized workouts from 10 to over 100, while also launching a new $70 “Metal Mesh” band for the Fitbit Air.

Source: Engadget

Intel and Broadcom CEOs Warn of Financial Constraints on AI Boom

The chief executives of Intel and Broadcom warned that capital and high borrowing costs could become the primary constraints on the AI boom, despite near-term computing demand remaining strong. Speaking at a conference in Singapore, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan highlighted that while technical and supply bottlenecks like memory and wafer shortages will eventually ease, securing long-term funding and proving return on investment (ROI) will be critical as businesses evaluate the economic benefits of AI infrastructure.

Source: Engadget

Police Use AI Tool to Identify Home Locations From Photos

Law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, are using an AI tool called Raven (formerly GeoSpy), developed by Graylark Technologies, to instantly identify specific home locations from interior and exterior photos. By analyzing visual clues in images against data pulled from real estate and short-term rental platforms such as Zillow and Airbnb, Raven enables authorities to geolocate properties worldwide within seconds.

Source: 404 Media