GoKawiil
Tech News
Anduril and Qualcomm are partnering on a new laptop line called BlueChip, with the first ruggedized model using Snapdragon X series chips aimed at the US military. The initial laptops will be assembled at Anduril's Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio, though CEO Palmer Luckey said the exact percentage of US-made components remains undecided and likely won't reach full domestic sourcing at launch.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told employees the company will lay off workers globally following annual performance reviews, with affected staff to be notified starting in November. The memo, reported by Reuters, said the cuts target employees who have consistently underperformed, though it did not disclose which departments or how many jobs would be affected. Qualcomm had about 52,000 employees at the end of its 2025 fiscal year.
Leaks suggest OnePlus is developing a new phone built around an unreleased Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 'Pro' processor, with several specifications said to match those of the OnePlus 16. Details on pricing, naming, or launch timing have not been confirmed.
Tom's Hardware reviewed Microsoft's new Surface Laptop Ultra, which uses Nvidia's RTX Spark mobile SoC instead of a Qualcomm chip, making it one of the first non-Qualcomm Windows on Arm laptops. The reviewer praises its design, display, and port selection, but notes the device is heavy, costly, and offers little extra benefit to users who don't run AI workloads.
Sony has told UK customers it will not deliver the Android 17 upgrade it had promised for the Xperia 10 VI when the midrange phone launched over two years ago. The company cited a technical assessment that found the device's storage configuration couldn't support an adequate Android 17 experience. Sony says it will still provide security updates through June 2028 and that other Xperia models' update plans are unaffected.
GFiber, Qualcomm and Gemtek have announced a Wi-Fi 8 Premium Gateway for GFiber's 20 Gig fiber customers, using Qualcomm's Dragonwing NPro A8 Elite Platform, which combines a penta-core CPU and an NPU. Gemtek will manufacture the device, and GFiber says current 20 Gig subscribers using Actiontec Wi-Fi 7 gateways will be upgraded once certification is complete. The move follows TP-Link's recent preorder announcement for its own Wi-Fi 8 router, even though the IEEE 802.11bn standard hasn't been finalized.
A federal jury in Delaware ruled that Arm breached its Architecture License Agreement with Qualcomm and intentionally interfered with Qualcomm's business relationship with Meta, but awarded only $2 in nominal damages after a five-day trial. The jury rejected several other claims Qualcomm had brought against Arm. Both companies claimed victory in the ruling, which follows Qualcomm's earlier win in the related Nuvia licensing dispute.
A Delaware jury ruled that Arm breached its Architectural License Agreement with Qualcomm by withholding software patches and tools, and found it intentionally interfered with Qualcomm's business dealings with Meta. Despite siding with Qualcomm on these two claims, the jury awarded just $1 in damages for each, totaling $2, while ruling in Arm's favor on four other claims. Both companies issued statements claiming satisfaction with the verdict.
Apple has pushed a new carrier settings update, version 72.0.3, to iPhone 18 Pro Max users running the iOS 27.2 beta on AT&T, following last week's fix for devices on the stable iOS 27.0 release. The update addresses the same issue in which some users lost cellular service entirely, with affected phones showing an 'SOS' status indicator.
Qualcomm has agreed to a multiyear cross-license deal with Huawei covering patents tied to LogicFolding, the chip-stacking method used in Huawei's Kirin 9050 Pro, according to Bloomberg. The agreement reportedly spans 5G devices, AI services, optics and networking, and Qualcomm also plans to buy specific Huawei U.S. patents in compute, AI and networking technology. Neither company's public statements named LogicFolding or any specific chip, and the deal still requires approval.
Amazon has reduced the retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE from $699.99 to $574.99, offering an $125 discount during Prime Day. The device features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, triple rear cameras, a 5,000mAh battery, and runs on One UI 9 with Galaxy AI features, appealing to budget-conscious buyers seeking flagship-like features. The deal requires Amazon Prime membership to access the discounted price.
Qualcomm has entered into a multi-year agreement to license patents from Huawei, covering 5G, AI, and networking technologies, and will acquire some of Huawei’s U.S. patents pending regulatory approval. This marks a historic reversal, as Huawei previously paid Qualcomm for patents, but now Qualcomm is paying Huawei for the first time. The deal also includes cross-licensing of various technology portfolios without involving chip sales or other business cooperation.