Samsung Electronics is predicted to launch its new Tizen-powered smartphone Z2 in India this week, despite continued lackluster sales of the budget mobile products, according to analysts said on Monday. The South Korean electronics giant sent out invitations to the Indian press for a product launch event slated for Tuesday.Source: GSM ArenaThe invitations did not specify the product to be unveiled, but industry insiders say that the event will be about Samsung releasing its new Tizen-based phone

Infiniti, the luxury division of Japanese automaker Nissan, is slated to unveil its new luxury crossover QX60 later this month in the South Korean auto market, the company’s official said. Already having been a great crossover vehicle, the new QX60 is to offer some upgrades. “We aim to attract Korean consumers with QX60’s unique design, advanced safety systems and a reasonable price this autumn,” the company‘s official said.  Infiniti QX60The company said its new QX60, a key model of Infiniti’s

Amid reports that Apple is in talks with a small Korean firm to make batteries for a secretive car project, local experts said that it would take more than 10 years to be mass produced.A local news media recently reported that Apple is working with an unidentified Korean firm comprised of around 20 battery experts. The small Korean battery firm Orange Power is considered a strong candidate as it is the first and only Korean firm to have a patent on such technologies. An Apple store in Santa Moni

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 7, which was launched Friday globally, is the most expensive in Europe and cheapest in South Korea, according to the tech firms’ online stores Friday. The new phablet costs around 1.06 million won ($948) in Germany, 1.07 million won in France and Spain and 1.09 million won in the UK, according to Samsung’s online stores.  Korean consumers queue up to attend the Galaxy Note 7’s launch event in Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)The prices set for European consumers are around

More than 5,700 employees left Samsung Group in the first half after its five affiliates -- Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-mechanics, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung Engineering and Samsung C&T Corporation -- launched voluntary retirement schemes. According to their semi-annual reports released on Thursday, the number of total employees of the five firms has reduced around 10 percent from 54,988 in December to 49,259 in June, this year. By affiliate, Samsung SDI, which has recently separated its

The Korean government is relooking all documents submitted by foreign automakers, as there might be more carmakers like Audi and Volkswagen, which manipulated documents to move up release dates. The Environment Ministry said Thursday it requested the state-run National Institute of Environmental Research to review again all documents provided by 23 foreign brands including BMW and Mercedes-Benz. At a briefing session by the Environment Ministry last month, Volkswagen had reportedly said most of

A senior researcher at Samsung Electronics said automotive is the next big thing in the information technology sector, at a tech seminar in Seoul on Wednesday.“Automotive will ultimately be the next big thing in the information technology sector and it‘s just a matter of time,” said Kim Do-kyun, a senior researcher at Samsung Electronics’ memory business division, at the Mobile & IoT Forum held in Yangjae, southern Seoul. Automotive has a vast array of electronic components, which include system

South Korea’s second-largest tire-maker Kumho Tire is riding the wave of strong demand for sport utility vehicles led by growing popularity of family leisure and outdoor camping activities here. SUVs accounted for 34 percent of the total auto market last year, with steady growth since 2011. In line with the trend, tire companies are also shifting their sales strategy to meet growing demand for SUVs. Kumho Tire’s product sales for SUVs have grown 24 percent over the last three years. Among them,

The world’s biggest drone maker DJI is slated to open its first indoor drone arena on Thursday in South Korea. The 1,395-square-meter arena is to open in Yongin, a city in the south of Seoul’s greater metropolitan area, the company said. “We hope this place would be a venue where anyone can enjoy their drones with safety and ease,” said Moon Tae-hyun, DJI‘s manager in South Korea, at the media briefing held on Tuesday. “The diverse programs of DJI arena will help expand the base of drone and est

The chairman of the refinery and retail conglomerate GS Group, Huh Chang-soo, has emerged as the highest-paid executive in South Korea for the first six months of this year, according to statements disclosed on Tuesday. Huh received a pay package worth 5.2 billion won (US$4.7 million) during the January-June period, followed by Chung Mong-koo, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, with 4.2 billion won.Cho Yang-ho, chairman of the Hanjin Group, which has Korean Air under its wing, came third with 4.1

Hanwha Group’s succession race is underway with all of chairman Kim Seung-youn’s three sons involved in the group’s key businesses. Kim’s eldest son and heir-apparent Dong-kwan, 33, is chief commercial officer for the group’s solar power unit Hanwha Q Cells while his younger brothers Dong-won, 31, and Dong-seon, 27, are working for Hanwha Life and Hanwha Engineering & Construction respectively. Kim Dong-kwan, chief commercial officer of Hanwha Q Cell (Hanwha Group)Industry watchers predict that

Leading global DRAM-makers -- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix -- may face tough competition from 2018 as the mass production of Chinese chipmakers is predicted to raise oversupply concerns, according to industry reports. According to the latest report from market research firm IC Insights, the average selling price of DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, chips is expected to rise through the end of this year and into 2017 due to growing demand for enterprise systems -- for the use of “big dat

Renault Samsung’s mini electric car Twizy may be rolled out in South Korea as early as October, according to a local news report Monday. The compact electric car has a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour and is able to drive at a maximum of 100 kilometers on a single charge. Twizy (Renault Samsung)Twizy was not able to hit the road in the nation because of regulation issues on compact electric cars. In May, the Transport Ministry lifted these barriers amid rising demand for such cars and growing

The head of SK Networks has vowed to expand its business partnership and seek new opportunities in Brazil during his business trip to the nation this week, according to the company on Thursday. Chairman Choi Shin-won paid a courtesy call to Brazil’s Acting President Michel Temer in his office in Brasilia.  SK Networks chairman Choi Shin-won (right) poses with Brazil’s Acting President Michel Temer. (SK Networks)“As an honorary consul to Brazil and chairman of Korea-Brazil Society, I will make ef

The growth of South Korea’s big data industry is being hampered by strict regulations on personal data and lack of understanding of the technology, industry analysts say. The global big data market, which is expected to stand at around $27.3 billion this year, will more than triple by 2026, according to market research firm Statista.  (Bloomberg)However, tech-savvy Korea is still far behind in this industry. The local big data market was worth around 262 billion won ($239 million) last year and

Samsung Electronics’ mobile chief said Thursday that the iris technology used for its new smartphone Galaxy Note 7 is the safest security technology. “Iris-scanning is the safest security technology at the current level. Iris, which is fixed within 18 months to 20 months (since a baby is born), cannot be reproduced,” said Koh Dong-jin, the head of the tech giant’s mobile business, at a launch event for the Galaxy Note 7 in Seoul. Koh downplayed a recent hacking demonstration of Samsung Pay by se

China’s tech giant Huawei said Wednesday that it will launch a new computer product in South Korea, jumping into the fierce market race that has been led by home players as Samsung and LG.Huawei will launch its new device MateBook that combines the features of a laptop and a tablet on Thursday. This is the first digital device the Chinese firm rolled out here other than smartphones it has offered since 2014 in partnership with mobile carrier LG Uplus. Wu Bo, Japan and Korea regional head of Huaw

Korean automakers should push EV cars in China amid declining sales in the world’s largest car market, analysts said on Tuesday. The combined market share of Korean carmakers in China -- namely Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors -- declined to 7.3 percent in the first half of this year from 9 percent in 2014, while Chinese makers saw their share surge to more than 42 percent. Industry watchers said Korean automakers may further lose its share in the mid- to long-term in China if they fail to gain the

Samsung Electronics is facing competition from the Chinese companies Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, whose combined smartphone market share was 20 percent globally in the second quarter of this year, industry watchers said Monday.According to data from research firm IDC, Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone-maker, held a 22.4 percent share of the market and Apple’s share stood at 11.8 percent. Huawei took a 9.4 percent share, while Oppo had 6.6 percent and Vivo had 4.8 percent. When the ma

Star designers sided with Apple in a longstanding court battle with Samsung Electronics, according to news reports. More than 100 design experts told the U.S. Supreme Court that Samsung should pay the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to Apple for infringing the patented designs of iPhone, in a brief filed with the court on Thursday. The big names include Calvin Klein, Paul Smith and Alexander Wang and Lord Norman Foster, who is the designer behind Apple’s Campus 2 project.The Supreme C