Just after Sabrina Ionescu turned pro as one of the most decorated college athletes in NCAA history a year ago, the bidding war was off to the races. Nike, Under Armour and Puma all wanted to sign the former Oregon Ducks star, who was the all-time leader in triple-doubles and the only Division I player to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
Ionescu chose Nike. She now jokes she simply couldn’t tell Nike founder and fellow former Duck Phil Knight no.
Another key factor was the prototype sneaker Nike showed Ionescu in its official pitch meeting last spring. The brand had been working behind the scenes all along to feature the No. 1 overall pick as the headliner of a new sneaker series down the road, the first shoe in its Greater Than franchise that was slated to be Nike’s key hoops launch for 2021.
A detailed look at the Nike Air Zoom GT Cut launch colorway.
The New York Liberty point guard was already familiar with the concept, given that she had been involved in shaping and framing the insights that drove the design, even while still at Oregon.
“About 2½, close to three years ago, we started seeing the world a little bit differently,” said Ross Klein, Nike Basketball’s senior creative director, of the Greater Than concept’s starting points. “How great could an athlete be? How great could a person be?”
The result was a design approach to maximize every element, component and nuance of a basketball shoe around the performance needs for three of the game’s staple movements and abilities: cut, run and jump.
Sabrina Ionescu’s GT Cut, Run and Jump lineup for Nike
Nike
Klein and a team of product engineers from Nike’s innovation lab met with Ionescu and her Ducks teammates during her senior year, poking for nuggets and feedback that could help inform their vision for a perfect shoe. Ionescu is now the leading face of the first shoe in the series, the GT Cut.
“Being the headliner for the GT Cut is an honor because of how much insight I’ve been giving on the shoes they’ve been creating,” she said. “Also, just the learning process to figure out what I like, what helps me as a basketball player and what’s going to help other people that’re looking to find a shoe as well.”
At its core, the GT Cut’s design is tailored to the variables that floor generals value most, such as a lower court feel, protective fit and extra padding over the toes to provide more comfort on hard-stopping, step-back moves. There’s a full-length Zoom Air unit sitting under a React foam sockliner, all atop a computer-generated traction pattern optimized for screeching grip.
“I know that a big part that I honed in on was having a shoe that was comfortable and low to the ground, but also covered all the aspects of comfort – you’re able to jump, you’re able to run and having all of that in one – and not sacrificing one for the others,” she recalled. “That was a huge thing that I had said.”
All along, Nike’s designers focused on crafting the shoe with insights from both men and women, a notable difference from the way in which men’s preferences and input have long been prioritized over the last decade across the industry.
“When we dive deep into other genders, we can find things that’ll influence not only women’s products, but also men’s products,” said Klein. “It can be a really big unlock for us. … It’s not his game or her game – it’s their game.”
A player from both the WNBA and NBA will be featured as the headliners of each shoe in the GT series throughout 2021, with Ionescu and recently named Western Conference Player of the Week De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings leading the way for the GT Cut.
Fox and Ionescu’s relationship goes back to their high school playing days as fellow members of the Class of 2016 featured in both the McDonald’s All American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.
“She’s legendary,” Fox told The Undefeated’s Aaron Dodson. “She’s going to be up there with the Sue Birds and the Diana Taurasis – she’s definitely going to be up there. As a college player, she’s one of the greatest college players ever – [among] both men and women.”
The two will be debuting the GT Cut in the shoe’s launch colorways and their own exclusive editions. Ionescu’s pairs highlight her teal Liberty hues and the beloved green and yellow of the Ducks.
She also left the door open to honor the late Kobe Bryant through her footwear, as the bond with her late mentor, his daughter Gianna and the Bryant family will continue to be a driving force throughout her career.
Sabrina Ionescu wears Nike sneakers that pay tribute to Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and other victims killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020 as she plays against the Utah Utes during the Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament quarterfinals on March 6, 2020.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
“I’ll definitely still be wearing some Kobes at times as well,” she said. “That’s something that I really respect of Nike, being able to understand that I still want to rock those and pay tribute to him and Gigi with the shoes that I wear.”
Between the GT Cut and Kobes, whether that’s her recent favorites such as the Grinch and All-Star 6s or the Bruce Lee 5s, she’s looking forward to a strong sneaker rotation for the 2021 season.
“Understanding that this new shoe that I’ve inspired and that we’ve created is going to also impact a younger generation of girls and boys that want to wear the shoe, because of the people that are wearing them and the impact that they have, I’m excited to be able to wear both,” she said.
While this new shoe isn’t “The Sabrina 1,” the possibility of a true signature shoe also remains, though it’s a rare designation in the WNBA’s history.
Only nine women have had their own signature shoes in the last 25 years — six at Nike, and one each at Adidas, Fila and Reebok. The last women’s signature shoe was worn by Candace Parker in the early 2010s, meaning Ionescu’s generation of up-and-coming players grew up in an era entirely devoid of a female signature shoe.
Ionescu remembers wearing a Kevin Durant shoe once, a Chris Paul shoe early on and mostly Nike’s Hyperdunk series throughout her prep path. She laced up a variety of Bryant’s models throughout her college years and in her rookie WNBA season. She’s never owned a woman’s signature shoe.
“It’d be awesome,” she said. “It’d be awesome for me to do it, or for any other player to have that platform, and have little girls showing up to basketball practice wearing a woman’s shoe for once, and not wearing a men’s shoe. It’ll be really cool if I get that opportunity, and I’m going to just keep my head down and keep working.”
After playing just three games of her shortened rookie season in the bubble in Florida due to an ankle injury, Ionescu is looking forward to the prospects of playing in front of a New York crowd during the Liberty’s first season at Barclays Center.
Just a year in, the hype surrounding Ionescu is ramping up as the season nears. Last week, she was featured on the cover of SLAM Magazine, which declared her both “The Queen of New York” and “The Future of New York Basketball.” The issue sold out online in 36 hours.
The Sabrina SLAM Magazine sold out completely in 36 hours.
For brands/companies out there: invest in women's sports, the demand is there.
“I don’t think there’s any added pressure — honestly, I’m excited,” she said. “Especially coming off the injury, there’s going to be a lot more doubt and a lot more people that don’t think I’m going to come back better than I was. I’m just excited for the adversity and getting back out there, getting better than I was before and finding ways to grow my game.”
She’s been ramping up her workouts over the last month leading into training camp, cutting, running and jumping at full strength and playing in full contact 5-on-5 scrimmages.
Once she hits the hardwood again, she’ll have an added push with the new GT Cuts on her feet, the first of many shoes she’s hoping to lead, and a shoe representing the ability for an athlete to be “greater than” what they’ve been.
“This shoe can be a lot bigger than just a generic shoe,” she said. “I think it can be the source of inspiration for anyone that’s looking for some, and that wants to be great and achieve whatever it is that their heart and mind is telling them to do.”
Nick DePaula is a footwear industry and lifestyle writer at The Undefeated. The Sacramento native has been based in Portland, OR, for the last decade, a main hub of sneaker company HQs. He’ll often argue that ’How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days’ is actually an underrated movie — largely because it’s the only time his Sacramento Kings have made the NBA Finals.
A year and a half ago, the Brooklyn-based collectiveMSCHFchanneled the big man himself with their project “Jesus Shoes,” a series of altered Nike Air Max sneakers with holy water from the River Jordan injected into the soles.
For a follow up edition of kicks released last week, on the eve of Passover, MSCHF dropped its new collaboration with rapper and singer Lil Nas X: “Satan Shoes,” another series of Nike Air Maxes, this time with drops of human blood in the soles and a bronze pentagram adorning the laces—and now Nike’s suing them because of it.
Released in conjunction with the music video for Lil Nas X’s new song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”—a wildly lascivious journey through hell in which the musician gives a lap dance to the devil—the shoes were produced in an edition of, you guessed it, 666. They were priced at $1,018 per pair and sold out in less than a minute.
But he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon, as they say: MSCHF is now facing a trademark infringement lawsuit from Nike over the project.
“As an innovative brand that strives to push the envelope and do the right thing, Nike knows it may not please everyone all of the time,” reads the complaint, which was filed Monday in a New York district court. “But decisions about what products to put the ‘swoosh’ on belong to Nike, not to third parties like MSCHF.”
The filing urges the court to halt the sale of all unauthorized Satan Shoes and order MSCHF to deliver the remaining shoes to Nike for destruction. Representatives from the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told theNew York Times, “We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF. Nike did not design or release these shoes, and we do not endorse them.”
MSCHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
MSCHF’s “Satan Shoes,” created in collaboration with Little Nas X. Courtesy of MSCHF.
Six members of MSCHF donated their blood for the project, which was mixed with red ink before being mainlined into the shoes. Embroidered on each pair is the edition number and the words “Luke 10:18”—a passage from the bible that reads “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
In his new music video, Nas X recreates the scene by descending into hell via a stripper pole. It has been viewed nearly 55 million times since its release last Friday.
The musician was quick to hit back in response to both Nike’s claims andpublic criticism from people onlinewho have taken issue with the theme of the shoes. He released afake apology videoon YouTube wherein he begins to address the controversy before the footage cuts abruptly to the lap dance scene from the music video. It’s been viewed more than 5 million times.
Politicians have started weighing in too. “Our kids are being told that this kind of product is not only okay, it’s ‘exclusive.’ But do you know what’s more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul,” South Dakota governor Kristi Noemwrote on Twitter. To which Nas X responded, “ur a whole governor and u on here tweeting about some damn shoes. do ur job!”
MSCHF, a group of artists and designers who oncecut up a Damien Hirst paintingandsold off the parts, is no stranger to controversy. Since its founding in 2016, the collective has cultivated a brand known for its distinct blend of quasi-conceptual designs and edgelord attention tactics.
In sport performance, great design creates new opportunities for athletes. The design of a shoe should fundamentally help the athlete control space on the field of play. The new Nike Basketball Greater Than (GT) Series take essential movement principles from hoops and levels them up through a systems-based approach in three new silhouettes: the Air Zoom G.T. Cut, for cutting and change of direction; the Air Zoom G.T. Run, for energy return and running economy; and the Air Zoom G.T. Jump, for vertical jumping and impact protection, all of which are applied through new combinations of the Zoom Air Strobel.
Designers at Nike Basketball learned from the same findings that guided the ZoomX Vaporfly 4%: the type of movement being tested matters.
It makes sense that different sports with different movement patterns need different systems. For example, a runner who’s stretching space ahead of the field on the marathon course; the challenge is to design a shoe that will provide a propulsive feel in one direction. Now look at basketball. A rangy forward whose game is predicated on quick footwork in the post, a guard who has a slower player defending him and needs to exploit the matchup, a point guard who soars in for a rebound to get the critical put-back — they all need versatile systems that help enable special movements to their games, not just to their positions. That's in addition to having a superb all-court shoe, of course.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold, which looks a lot like Samsung's foldables.
The inside 4:3 display.
The front display is tall and skinny.
The sizable camera bump.
Xiaomi is resurrecting the Mi Mix model line with the Mi Mix Fold. The first Mi Mix was a futuristic-looking smartphone that kicked off the slim-bezel smartphone race. This new Mi Mix Fold is Xiaomi's first commercial foldable, and, like Huawei's efforts, represents the company doing its best to just copy the Samsung Galaxy Fold design.
Just like Huawei's clone, the Xiaomi Fold is a bit bigger than Samsung's 7.6-inch device and sports a 60 Hz, 2480x1860, 8.01-inch internal flexible OLED display. The outside display on Xiaomi's Fold is a 90 Hz, 2520x840, 6.5-inch OLED display, which is bigger than Samsung's 6.2-inch display and Huawei's 6.45-inch outer display. Interestingly, Xiaomi is taking the opposite approach to screen refresh rates that Samsung is taking. On the Z Fold 2, a fast 120 Hz display is the interior tablet screen on the device, while the phone-style screen is 60 Hz. Xiaomi made the big inside screen slow and the outside screen fast.
Xiaomi has settled on an iPad-like 4:3 aspect ratio for the inside screen, while Samsung switched from nearly 4:3 in the first generation (4.2:3) to a taller 5:4 aspect ratio in its second-generation foldable. Huawei landed around this 5:4 aspect ratio for its foldable, too. It's hard to know what the right screen dimensions are for an Android foldable, since Android tablets have been dead for so long that there's really no app support anymore. Today, most Android apps are phone apps, and they really struggle to adapt to bigger displays. Samsung's and Huawei's ~5:4 displays are nearly two regular 21:9 Android phones placed next to each other, so they can sidestep this issue by just running in split-screen most of the time. The 4:3 aspect ratio of the Galaxy Fold 1 was a bit too cramped for split-screen.
One of the things Xiaomi and every other vendor can't match is Samsung's foldable glass display. Devices like the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold 2 actually have an "ultra-thin" layer of glass in the display. It's not the top layer (that's still easily scratchable plastic) but it gives some much-needed rigidity to a flexible display, which otherwise can be a rippled, squishy, light-distorting mess. Xiaomi doesn't have any actual pictures of the device, just renders, which all pitch the inner display as perfectly flat. In real life, expect ripples in the display and a big crease in the display where it folds in half.
High-end smartphone parts make up the rest of the internals. The phone has a Snapdragon 888 SoC, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, 67 W wired charging, and a 5020 mAh battery. Xiaomi notes there are four speakers and a side fingerprint scanner. Disappointingly, Xiaomi is shipping the phone with Android 10 instead of the latest version, Android 11.
The camera features the debut of "Liquid Lens technology" in a smartphone. One of the camera lenses is literally a drop of oil instead of a glass lens, and by applying a voltage to it, you can change the shape and focal length of the lens. Liquid lenses are not a new idea—they show up in things like industrial barcode scanners—but they're new for a phone. Xiaomi says the lens allows one camera to cover two functions: the 8 MP sensor is both a 3x optical zoom and has a minimum focus distance of 3 cm for macro photos.
Your liquid lens needs to not freeze in low temperatures, but Xiaomi says you'll be good for a low of -40°C (-40°F) to a high of 60°C (140°F). The rest of your smartphone will probably stop working before the lens does in temperatures like that. There's also a 108 MP primary sensor and a 13 MP ultra-wide on the back.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold ships in China, (only, for now) on April 16 and starts at CNY 9,999, or ~$1,526.
It looks like a Samsung smartwatch packing Google's Wear OS really could happen. That's if revealing code pointing to a return to Google's OS proves to be true.
The folks at Android Police have been digging around in the latest update of Samsung's Galaxy Wearable companion app, and have found new codenames that refer to a change of operating system. Further digging, outlined in a tweet, revealed not only supposed codenames for new watches but a reference to a 'newos' as well.
The code also suggests that there will be large and small sized versions of these new watches with 40/41mm options for a new Galaxy Watch Active and 44/45mm Galaxy Watch.
So when I found the Buds 2 leak, I found a few things about upcoming Galaxy Watches.
There's a new plugin codename "water." I believe "water" is the Samsung wearable/WearOS compatibility layer. It mentions "merlot," which I believe is the chipset for "wise" and "fresh"...
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is available in 40 and 44mm size options while the Galaxy Watch 3 comes in 41 and 45mm options, so that would indicate Samsung sticking to similar sizes again.
There's also the suggestion there will be Bluetooth and cellular options, which Samsung has also offered on its current watch range.
While this is far from absolute confirmation it's happening, the evidence is starting to mount up. Samsung last dabbled in Wear OS back when it was known as Android Wear, and its Gear Live smartwatch was one of the launch devices for Google's foray into wearables.
It does still feel like an odd move for Samsung to make, especially when its own Tizen OS offers a better all-round experience, and it's just launched two of its best smartwatches running on in its in-house platform.
Whether it chooses to ditch Tizen entirely for Wear OS or offer it as an alternative is something we can still only speculate about. With Google having finally completed its acquisition of Fitbit, Samsung may well be privy to some radical changes to the platform that may have prompted a jump back to Google.
As we say, it's all speculation at the moment, but it will certainly be an interesting move by Samsung to turn the clock back for a Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 3 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 if it thinks it will help edge closer to the Apple Watch's dominance.
When Samsung announced the Galaxy S20 FE last year it gave people a choice – a Snapdragon 865 chipset with the S20 FE 5G model, even in countries that normally get Exynos in their S-series, or an Exynos 990 with the 4G model (which was cheaper). Now it looks like things are about to become a bit blurred.
The NBTC certified an SM-G780G / DS, labeled as Galaxy S20 FE, and certified only for 4G operation. There’s even a support page for it on Samsung.com (multiple support pages, in fact). That exact model number can be seen in Geekbench with the motherboard listed as “kona”.
This is the code name of the Snapdragon 865 chipset. Judging by the information collected by the benchmark, the phone has 6 GB of RAM. Which is to be expected of an S20 FE, the original two models came with 6 GB as standard and had an 8 GB option.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (4G but with Snapdragon 865): Geekbench result • Support page
Still, this will be a budget version of the device as Samsung will be able to skip pricey 5G components like the antennas. The S865 also uses an external modem, X55 in 5G phones, which may be swapped out for a 4G-only modem.
The timing of this is interesting – the Galaxy S20 FE 5G arrived in India earlier today, but the country is yet to launch its first commercial 5G network. This 4G-only model with the Snapdragon 865 may have been a more alluring proposition. As it stands, the 5G model costs INR 56,000 (with an early bird deal at INR 48,000).
According to Thailand's NBTC, the SM-G780G is a 4G only phone, no 5G
Besides cutting down the price, this new 4G model would extend the software support a bit. Samsung has committed to three major OS updates for its higher end devices and this new model will launch Android 11, unlike the original S20 FE duo, which arrived with Android 10.
Looking back at the support pages for a second, there are appear in multiple countries: Austria, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Russia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and so on and so on.
This gives us hope that this more affordable model will be available just about anywhere.
TV Plus will be available on Samsung Smart TV models from 2017 onwards
Consumers using Samsung Galaxy Smartphone & Tabs with O OS or higher software version will also be eligible for the services
Samsung today announced the launch of Samsung TV Plus, a service which offers consumers of Samsung Smart televisions free TV content, with ad-supported select live channels and on-demand videos, with no additional device such as a set top box. To access the service, all that the consumers will need is a Samsung Smart TV (2017 model onwards) and an internet connection!
With the introduction of TV Plus, consumers will get instant access to exciting content across genres such as news, lifestyle, technology, gaming and science, sports and outdoors, music, movies and bingeable shows, without any subscription.
TV Plus will also be available on most Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablet devices with O OS or higher software version. Services for Galaxy smartphones are expected in April 2021. The TV Plus app can be downloaded from both, Samsung Galaxy Store and Google Play Store.
The innovative service is being introduced keeping in mind the change in consumer behaviour during the pandemic led lockdown period, when consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, began to explore their televisions more and more for new and exciting content. In India, Samsung TV Plus will immediately be live across all Smart TV models from 2017 to 2021 and users will be able to access 27 global and local channels. More partners will be on-boarded soon to make the service more robust.
“Over the last one year, consumers have been spending more time at home. Their television sets and smartphones have become the centers of their lives, for both entertainment as well as information. We also noticed that consumers now immensely value great media content, reason why we chose to introduce Samsung TV Plus in India. Over the next few months, we expect to scale TV Plus to add more channels and content,”Reshma Prasad Virmani, Director, Services, Samsung India, said.
Samsung is India’s No. 1 brand of televisions for over a decade and offers a range of Smart TVs, ranging from INR 18,900 to INR 15,79,900.
With the launch in India, Samsung TV Plus is now available in 14 countries including the US, Canada, Korea, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, UK, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Brazil and Mexico.
Globally, Samsung TV Plus offers Samsung Smart TV and Galaxy smartphone user’s access to 800+ channels spanning news, sports, entertainment, and much more. For more details on Samsung TV Plus and the channel line-up, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/in/tvs/smart-tv/samsung-tv-plus/
Hidden code buried in the latest version of the Galaxy Wear app has given the best hint yet that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 will run Google's Wear OS watch software, rather than Samsung's Tizen.
While we reported on similar leaks back in February, this latest revelation further substantiates the expectation that Samsung’s next wearable will arrive running Google's Android operating system.
The code was spotted by tech writer Max Weinbach, who shared a tweet detailing various codenames including “water”, which he believes to be a reference to the Wear OS compatibility of Samsung’s upcoming watches.
So when I found the Buds 2 leak, I found a few things about upcoming Galaxy Watches. There's a new plugin codename "water." I believe "water" is the Samsung wearable/WearOS compatibility layer. It mentions "merlot," which I believe is the chipset for "wise" and "fresh"...1/2March 29, 2021
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In the same tweet, Weinbach refers to further codenames “fresh” and “wise”, which he suggests each represent the new watches that Samsung could release between April and June.
Those watches are expected to be the Galaxy Watch Active 4 and Galaxy Watch 4, successors to the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Galaxy Watch 3, respectively, which both run Tizen. We’ve already heard mutterings that the Active model would skip a numeric generation in 2021, so this latest rumor adds more fuel to that fire.
Despite the success of using Tizen in its existing wearables range, Samsung may be opting to switch to Wear OS given its potentially superior app support and wider choice of watch faces. Even so, there aren’t a whole lot of top-tier Wear OS smartwatches on the market right now – save for the likes of the Fossil Gen 5 and the TicWatch Pro 3 – so it’ll be interesting to see whether the next Galaxy wearables truly benefit from the change.
Not just a pretty face
A new OS isn’t the only change expected of the new Galaxy smartwatches watches, though.
In the same tweet, Weinbach makes reference to a "merlot" codename, which he believes could be a nod to the chipset used to power both devices.
The Galaxy Watch 3 didn’t make leaps and bounds with its chipset, using the same internals as the original Galaxy Watch, so it seems high time for Samsung to improve both the chipset and RAM capacity of its next offerings.
Galaxy Watch Active4 and Watch4:No major design changes No rotation bezel on the Active4, Watch4 still has the rotation bezelSame color options as this year Galaxy ZWear OSZ Fold3: splash resistance in works, don’t expect IP certified for now tho https://t.co/FoUOAFOGYxMarch 16, 2021
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While there might be big changes on the way when it comes to software and hardware, we also know, thanks to Twitter leaker @chunvn8888, that there’ll be relatively few design changes with Samsung’s next wearables. According to the leak, the Galaxy Watch 4 will have the rotating bezel of its predecessors, while the Galaxy Watch Active 4 will go without.
Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday that production at its US chip plant at Austin, Texas had returned to near-normal levels as of last week after more than a month of disruption that exacerbated a global chip capacity crunch.
Samsung and other chipmakers with production facilities in the area had seen shutdowns due to severe weather on February 16.
Samsung declined to comment on when production would be fully back to normal.
The disruption will have a definite impact on the global chip contract manufacturing industry that is already battling a severe capacity crunch, research provider TrendForce has said.
Qualcomm 5G radio frequency chips and Samsung display and image sensor chips account for about 65 percent of the monthly production at the Samsung plant, TrendForce added.
Other chips include power management integrated circuits (PMICs) and a small amount of chips that control electrical parts, Seoul-based analysts said.
The disruption is expected to hurt production of smartphones globally over the April to June period by about 5 percent and may lower this year's penetration rate of 5G smartphones, TrendForce estimated.
"This was a problem because it exacerbated a worldwide foundry capacity shortage. But at least it won't get worse as production resumes," said Park Sung-soon, analyst at Cape Investment & Securities.
"Smartphone makers have chip stockpiles, but because vendors' inventories of smartphone sets are currently low, smartphone production may see some impact from the plant's shutdown in the second half of this year."
Analysts have estimated losses from the disruption at the plant at around KRW 300 billion (roughly Rs. 1,950 crore) - KRW 400 billion (roughly Rs. 2,600 crore), which they expected Samsung to mostly reflect in its January-March quarter earnings, to be announced in April.
Earlier this month, NXP Semiconductors NV said it expected an impact of about $100 million (roughly Rs. 735 crore) of revenue from its Texas production shutdown.
German chipmaker Infineon said it expected a quarterly hit to revenues in the high double-digit million euro range from its Texas plant outage.
Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, has a double bill this week: the OnePlus 9 series, and Justice League Snyder Cut (starting at 25:32). Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man was arrested after being accused of stealing from the Nike distribution center where he worked.
Police said Rodergus Blakley stole $20,000 worth of sneakers from the warehouse in southeast Memphis back in August.
They said one employee used a forklift to move a pallet of shoes behind a dumpster. Blakley then allegedly pulled up in a white sedan, loaded the boxes in the vehicle and took off.
Nike Basketball has been unrivaled in regards to iconic design and revolutionary technology produced between 1970 and 2021. For its latest proposition, the hoops-focused imprint has looked to previous decades for inspiration on the future of its court-ready models. The result?: The new Greater Than (G.T.) Series.
Focused on the types of movement performed by different athletes in different scenarios, the latest collection from Nike Basketball includes three designs: the Air Zoom G.T. Cut, Air Zoom G.T. Run and Air Zoom G.T. Jump. Despite prioritizing cutting and change of direction; efficient energy return and running economy; and vertical jumping and impact protection, respectively, all three silhouettes utilize the Zoom Air Strobel system found in the existing KD 13 and PG 5.
“All basketball players cut, run and jump at various points in a game,” said Ross Klein, Senior Creative Director for Men’s Performance Sport. “The difference is that because on area is the focus for each silhouette, we’ll help augment the player’s ability to do that one thing greater than they’ve ever done before.”
The family of systems found throughout the inaugural G.T. lineup deliver solutions to athlete requests. Desire to be low to the ground or to jump higher without maximum effort are addressed by each design, which enables players the likes of Sabrina Ionescu and De’Aaron Fox to attack space like never before. A breakdown of each sneaker reveals future-thinking choices and implementation of the Swoosh’s best innovation. Zoom Air units already exist in other NIKE, Inc.-produced products, but their implementation in the forthcoming G.T. Series enables them to unlock new comfort, responsiveness and sensations. Nike React-sockliners and Pebax jump frames are worked into the G.T. Run and G.T. Jump, respectively, to proffer the necessary performance benefits to last a whole season, and at one’s utmost form at that.
Take a look at the forthcoming collection here below, and find pairs arriving to Nike.com throughout 2021, beginning with the G.T. Cut on April 1st (Greater China).
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4 could be the next big fitness-centric smartwatch. As a follow up to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, the Active 4 would likely introduce several upgrades and suit the company's newest smartphones.
Before you worry we've skipped a version, multiple leaks have pointed to Samsung soon launching two new smartwatches — the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Active 4 — under a sole generational number. We saw the company do this with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 last year, jumping from the original Samsung Galaxy Watch.
Currently the Galaxy Watch 3 is considered the best smartwatch for Android users, while the Galaxy Watch Active 2 has fallen in those rankings due to age. However, you can often find it for less than $200, making it one of the best cheap smartwatches right now.
The price cut could have something to do with the imminent launch of a new Galaxy Watch Active model. Although Samsung hasn't confirmed one is coming, there's enough evidence to speculate what a next-generation Galaxy Watch Active could look like, from a potential price and release date to possible features and wish-list upgrades. Here's everything we know.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4 release date
We'll know the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4 release date when the next Samsung Unpacked event is either leaked online or announced by the company itself. Samsung has introduced new wearables at its August keynote for three years in a row, so it could stick to its own precedent.
What's less certain is whether Note phones will headline the event as they have in the past. The Galaxy Watch 3 arrived alongside with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series while the Galaxy Watch Active 2 arrived with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, but the Galaxy Note 21 will likely not launch this year at all based on Samsung's own comments.
There's a slight chance the Galaxy Watch Active 4 comes sooner than expected, too. According to a Twitter thread from tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch Active 4 are due in the second quarter of 2021. This would mean Samsung is launching its newest smartwatch models earlier than usual.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4 price
Since the Galaxy Watch Active is a slimmer, more fitness-focused version of the Galaxy Watch, it's less expensive than Samsung's flagship. When the Galaxy Watch Active 2 launched, it cost $249 for the Bluetooth model and $299 for the LTE-equipped model.
We'd expect Samsung to stick to this pricing model. And if it does, the Galaxy Watch Active 4 price would make it a direct competitor to the $279 Apple Watch SE and $229 Fitbit Versa 3. But assuming it continues all the features found in the previous Galaxy Watch, it would have ECG readings, unlike its similarly-priced rivals.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4 specs and features
We don't know whether blood glucose monitoring will come to the Galaxy Watch Active 4, although the feature is rumored to debut with the standard Galaxy Watch. There is one interesting rumor circulating around that would likely impact both models of Samsung smartwatch: Leaker IceUniverse said next Galaxy Watch will replace Tizen with Android.
This means Galaxy Watches could be making the jump from Samsung's proprietary wearable OS to Google's Wear OS. We're not sure how this would impact Samsung Health's influence on the fitness-first smartwatch.
Software and interface aside, the next Galaxy Watch Active will probably feature some spec upgrades. It could build on the 4GB of storage currently offered to match the Apple Watch's large storage offerings. It could get fall detection, VO2 max readings and other tools that came with the Galaxy Watch 3, too — all things that are useful to runners.
We're most interested to see how Samsung handles the Galaxy Watch Active 4 battery life. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 lasts up to 60 hours, depending on workouts and display. Samsung could maintain the Active 2's stamina, or it could shorten it like it did the Galaxy Watch 3's battery life compared to the first Galaxy Watch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4: What we want to see
Slim design: We expect the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4 will bring the Galaxy Watch 4's key features to a smaller design that better suits those who work out often. With its physical bezel and premium materials, the flagship Galaxy Watch is rather bulky, especially compared to the Apple Watch. We hope the Galaxy Watch Active tries to achieve the same slimness as Apple's smartwatch, promoting a barely-there feel while on runs or moving around.
More mental health tools: Mental health plays a big role in physical health. We'd like to see Samsung expand its wrist-based mental health tools, whether it be stress monitoring or more sophisticated stress management options. Fitbit's recent watches and Fitbit Premium upgrades (users can now meditate with Deepak Chopra) are a good example to follow. A future Apple Watch is also rumored to get oncoming panic attack warnings to help you get out of dangerous situations, like driving.
FDA approval for blood pressure monitoring: We'd also like a feature that's already offered in the Galaxy Watch Active lineup finally earn FDA approval. Samsung has put blood pressure monitoring in the last two iterations of its smartwatch, but users in the U.S. haven't been able to take advantage of the health tool. That said, it recently went live in a slew of other countries, so the U.S. could be next.
Bookmark this page to see all the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 leaks and rumors. We'll update this page with the latest information leading up to the launch of Samsung's next fitness smartwatch.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun unveils the Mi Mix Fold foldable smartphone at a virtual event on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.
Xiaomi
GUANGZHOU, China — Xiaomi launched its first foldable phone on Tuesday as it looks to push further into the premium end of the smartphone market and challenge the likes of Samsung.
The Mi Mix Fold has an 8.01-inch display when fully open. And when closed, it has a screen on the back. It also contains the Surge C1, Xiaomi's first in-house camera chipset.
Other key features include:
Four speakers made by Harman Kardon.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 mobile processor.
5G-connectivity.
Triple-lens camera.
The Mi Mix Fold will start at 9,999 Chinese yuan ($1,521) and go up to 10,999 ($1,673). A special edition version of the phone with a special ceramic casing will retail at 12,999 yuan ($1,978).
Xiaomi follows a number of smartphone makers including Samsung and Huawei into the foldable phone category.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said the slew of foldable smartphones, "reflects the urgency" from phone makers to differentiate their premium devices.
"This remains a highly experimental segment where Samsung is leading the charge and it is interesting to see all the different approaches from various players," Wood said.
"Foldables remain an experimental niche. Although Xiaomi's new device will generate lots of interest, it is still unclear how to take the design concept to mass-market consumers. I expect several more generations of experimentation."
Xiaomi camera chip
The Mi Mix Fold contains a camera chip called the Surge C1 which was designed by Xiaomi. It's the Chinese firm's first image chip and CEO Lei Jun claims it "greatly improves" the image quality of photos taken with the foldable device.
He talked up the ability to take images in low light.
Lei said Xiaomi has been working on chips since 2014. In 2017, the company launched the Surge S1, its first smartphone processor which ended up being used in a mid-range device called the Mi 5C.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun unveils the company's first camera chipset called the Surge C1, during an event on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. It will feature in the company's Mi Mix Fold smartphone.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi joins the likes of Apple and Samsung in focusing on chip design. While it still uses Qualcomm processors in its high-end phones, the launch of the Surge C1 highlights its ambitions in the semiconductor space.
Xiaomi's Lei hinted at more to come from its chip unit.
"We want to climb the high peak of innovative technologies … and we will not stop our exploration (of chips)," Lei said in Mandarin, according to an official English translation.
Xiaomi's high-end push
Xiaomi has made its name and grown through selling high-spec phones at low prices. But now it is pushing into the premium segment of the market.
Xiaomi now has smartphones priced from 3,299 yuan to 12,999 yuan, according to Lei.
That could help the company appeal to a wider range of users across different price segments in its attempt to challenge Apple and Samsung, the two largest smartphone players.
Xiaomi is trying to attract users with premium services that go with the Mi Mix Fold. Buyers of the foldable device will be able to get perks including cheaper screen repair for the first break and a dedicated customer service assistant.
Nike is looking to create its own social shopping niche outside the bounds of TikTok and Instagram.
The athleticwear giant recently set up a landing page for what its dubbed Nothing but Gold, an app in “super stealth mode” aimed at young women shoppers. The project is clearly making an attempt to build something of a Nike community among the group, with the site calling for young women to “tell us why you’re nothing but gold on [Instagram] for a chance to build the future with us.” The site also has a moving banner that repeats “good vibes only” and “surround yourself with love.”
According to the landing page, the app will present a mix of “sport, style and self care,” but gives little other detail. The Instagram page it directs to has about 8,800 followers. Nike’s main Instagram page has more than 140 million followers while its main women’s page has nearly 8 million. A Nike representative could not be reached for comment on the new app.
However, a recent job posting for the app gives some more detail and makes clear that Nike is looking to create a branded space that operates similarly to the social media platforms Generation Z is already using to browse and shop, namely Instagram and TikTok.
The posting explains that Nothing but Gold is an outgrowth of Valiant Labs, Nike’s business incubator segment, started in 2018 by Hannah Jones, previously Nike’s chief sustainability officer. The shopping app marks one of the group’s first public launches in its almost three years of existence.
It also claims that the group is now “tasked with creating the future of shopping for girls” and that Nothing but Gold is a “native mobile app that takes social commerce in-house” for Nike. As of now, the app is set to be “a true mix of sport, style, activism and mindfulness” where young women can buy Nike products, see how other users style them and “get inspired.”
Between the job description and the landing page, it seems clear Nike is looking for a cadre of creators and/or influencers to make content for the app, but there is no mention of how or if such creators will get paid. Given Nike’s massive revenue and investment in advertising, it’s probable there will also be higher profile celebrity or influencer endorsements of the app once it is set to officially launch. In 2020, Nike spent about $3.6 billion on marketing.
Should Nothing but Gold get off the ground, it will be Nike’s second shopping-specific app, alongside Snkrs, launched in 2015. The company has repeatedly cited Snkrs, which offers exclusives and drops of new shoes, as a successful driver of online sales. But Nothing but Gold appears to be Nike’s first foray into developing its own social channel.
The new app comes notlong into the tenureof Nike chief executive officer John Donahoe, the former eBay executive who took over when Mark Parker left Nike not long after the company found itself accused by a number of women employees of fostering a sexist work environment. Parker’s exit came roughly a year after a string of other male executives, including those who reported to him directly, left Nike over such allegations, including Trevor Edwards, seen by many as Parker’s successor.
Since Donahoe’s arrival at Nike, the company has refocused on its digital efforts, along with its women’s business, even launching a maternity line and a hijab swim collection. Those efforts have only become more urgent given the explosion in e-commerce over the last 12 months during COVID-19. In its 2020 investor meeting, Nike said it expects digital and e-commerce sales to consistently be at least 50 percent of its revenue, leading it to be eager to develop more owned digital channels for shopping.
“Simply put, consumer behavior is shifting fundamentally during this pandemic,” Donahoe said in the meeting, “and we don’t think it’s going to flip back.”
Nike won’t suffer long-term fallout from the China matter, says Oppenheimer analyst Brian Nagel.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
Nike stock fell again on Tuesday, pressured by investors’ nervousness about diplomatic tensions over China’s alleged human rights abuses. But Oppenheimer has joined the chorus: Buy the dip.
Shares of Nike (NKE) were down 0.9% to $132.18 in midday trading Tuesday.
Analyst Brian Nagel reiterated an Outperform rating and $150 price target, calling the stock one of his top picks. While the conflict has weighed on the shares, he thinks the company will weather the storm without any major damage.
Still, there are near-term concerns about the current situation. Boycotts and negative online sentiment can hurt Nike, which gets about 20% of total revenues from China. Also, prominent Chinese influencers and brand ambassadors have ended their contracts, hurting the brand. And there have been reports that some online platforms are blocking Nike’s e-commerce business in China. Finally, with nearly a quarter of the company’s products sourced from the nation, the dispute could cause supply chain issues.
Nonetheless, Nagel thinks there won’t be long-term fallout from the China matter; other analysts have also argued that the China-related selloff is a buying opportunity.
Nagel was reassured after speaking with Nike management. “In our view, while the situation in China for Nike remains fluid and at least somewhat opaque, we expect dynamics to resolve over time given Nike’s history of managing well geopolitical issues elsewhere, including in the US, and the long-standing power of the company’s brand and consumer connections.”
While the situation may remain in the headlines, he argues that Nike is still one of the best-positioned, economic-recovery plays in his coverage, which explains his ongoing bullishness.
We’ll talk about dividend stocks, but we’ll get there through tax policy. The connection is simple: Government spending is going up, as exemplified by the $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus bill passed this month. Stimulative cash infusions into the economy are likely to boost consumer spending, and there are worries that the Biden Administration has no plans to pay for its increased spending. Several tax proposals made into the Democratic Party discourse in last year’s election, and President Biden was elected on at least an implicit promise to raise taxes on wealthier taxpayers. Should the progressive Democrats push these proposals into law, it could potentially make an immediate, and likely negative, impact on the stock markets. And that brings us to dividend stocks. These traditionally defensive investments offer investors a ready income stream through the dividend payments, no matter how the market moves. The key factor is the yield, or the return rate of the dividend. Wall Street’s analysts have been doing some of the footwork for us, pinpointing dividend-paying stocks that have kept up high yields, at least 8% to be exact. Opening up the TipRanks database, we examine the details behind three such stocks to find out what else makes them compelling buys. Arbor Realty Trust (ABR) The first dividend stock we’ll look at is Arbor Realty Trust, a direct lender in the apartment complex segment. Arbor funds small loans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; in the fourth quarter last year, ending on December 31, the company originated over $2.7 billion in loans. Arbor's business is growing, and that is visible in both the company’s quarterly results and the stock value. ABR reported year-over-year revenue increases in each quarter of 2020 – even in the first quarter, during which EPS came in negative due to the corona crisis. In the most recent quarter, 4Q20, the company showed $125.6 million in total revenues, up 54% from the year ago quarter. EPS came in at 80 cents per share, compared to 72 cents in Q3 and 34 cents in 4Q19. Turning to the share value, ABR is up 211% in the last 12 months, far outpacing the broader markets. The company also provides investors with a strong dividend. Arbor has a 2-year history of keeping the payment reliable, and the current payment, sent out earlier this month for 33 cents per common share, marked the seventh dividend increase in the last 9 quarters. At $1.32 annualized, the dividend yields 8.57%, far higher than the 1.78% average found among peer companies. 5-star analyst Stephen DeLaney, of JMP, is impressed with Arbor’s overall position, especially regarding the company's ability to produce strong agency volumes. "Agency originations in the fourth quarter were $2.75B, an impressive increase of 88% from $1.47B in the third quarter. The pipeline for new originations is showing no signs of a slowdown yet and the company expects the agency lending momentum to continue into the first half of 2021. The agency servicing portfolio now sits at $24.6B and produces ~ $110M of recurring annual revenue, which is largely prepayment protected," DeLaney wrote. DeLaney points out that agency credit quality remains solid, noting: "Loans in payment forbearance remain manageable with just 0.5% in Arbor’s $18.3B Fannie portfolio, while loans in forbearance in the company’s $4.9B Freddie Mac portfolio totaled 5.2%." To this end, DeLaney rates ABR shares an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his $18 price target implies a 16% upside for the coming year. (To watch DeLaney’s track record, click here) Overall, there are 4 recent reviews on file for Arbor Realty, and they are all Buys – making the analyst consensus view here a Strong Buy. The average price target currently stands at $16.75, which indicates room for 8% growth from current levels. (See ABR stock analysis on TipRanks) Mobile Telesystems (MBT) Next up, we’ll switch lanes and look at Russia’s largest mobile network operator. Mobile and wireless networks are big business, and Mobile Telesystems (MTS) operates in Russia, Belarus, and Armenia. The company offers a range of services, including cellular networks; local telephone service; and broadband. MTS doesn’t put its eggs in one basket. The company announced last week a $10 million stake in the AI chip developing Kneron, an investment that it hopes will pay for itself through chip distribution rights in Russia and the development of an exclusive line of AI-enabled smart devices. In its recent Q4/full year 2020 report, MTS showed positive growth on a number of key metrics. The company’s total group revenue for 2020 grew 5.2% year-over-year, to reach 494.9 billion rubles (US$6.5 billion). This was driven in part by a 6.4% increase in mobile service revenue in Russia during the fourth quarter. MTS showed a sequential quarterly gain of 230,000 active mobile subscribers in Q4. Pay-TV subscriptions grew 44% in 2020, and broadband subscriptions grew more than 10% yoy in the fourth quarter. MTS has an active dividend policy, regularly paying out twice per year, and adjusting the payment in to keep it in line with earnings. The most recent dividend went out in October of last year, at 19 cents per common share. This gives a 9.79% yield, a highly favorable comparison to the average yield found in the tech sector, of less than 1%. Also of note for return-minded investors, the company’s board approved a 15 billion ruble stock buyback in 2021. This comes to $198 million in US currency. J.P. Morgan analyst Alexei Gogolev takes a bullish stance on Mobile Telesystems, noting: “We are encouraged with MTS strong start of 2021 with continued mobile service growth as well as commitment for higher than expected shareholder remuneration despite elevated capex." The analyst added, "We highlight strong fundamentals in the MTS story, supported by the healthy state of the Russian wireless market and no signs of incremental worsening of competitive positioning. We like MTS’ total shareholder returns (which are boosted by both dividends and share buybacks) and view the name as the best way to play the Russian telecom space.” To this end, Gogolev puts an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating on MBT shares, and his $11 price target suggest a 33% one-year upside potential. (To watch Gogolev’s track record, click here) So far, MBT has slipped under the radar of Wall Street’s analyst corps; the dearth of recent reviews leaves the stock with a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The shares are selling for $8.25, with an average price target, $11.10, matching Gogolev’s. (See MBT stock analysis on TipRanks) Two Harbors Investment (TWO) We’ll wrap up our high-yield dividend list with Two Harbors Investment, a real estate investment trust (REIT) with a portfolio focus on residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) mortgage servicing rights (MSR). The company states that ‘other financial assets’ make up between 5% and 10% of the portfolio. Looking back at recent performance, Two Harbors shows some mixed results from the end of 2020. In the fourth quarter, the company reported comprehensive income of $113.5 million, compared to $219 million in the previous quarter. Core earnings, however, rose quarter-over-quarter, from $75.5 billion to $82 million. Book value also came in strong at $7.63, up 3.5% from the prior quarter. Like most REITs, Two Harbors pays out a reliable dividend. The company reduced the payment early in 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic crisis, but has raised it twice since then. The current payment is 17 cents per common share, declared on March 18 for payment on April 29. At this rate, which annualizes to 68 cents, the dividend yields a strong 9.3%. Covering Two Harbors for JMP Securities, analyst Trevor Cranston expects "attractive dividend to persist," and believes "the company should trade at a higher premium due to generally lower spread risk and low interest rate sensitivity." However, Cranston points out that investing in TWO stock is not without risk. "We view the greatest risk to shares at these levels to be the outstanding lawsuit with the company’s former external manager. While the company has not established a contingent liability and we do not have a reasonable basis for estimating one, we acknowledge the risk that the lawsuit may result in a charge in the future that would lower the company’s book value and, therefore, also likely impact the stock price. While we believe a premium valuation for TWO is justified given fundamentals, we believe investors should also remain aware of this legal situation when investing in the company’s shares," Cranston opined. In line with these comments, the analyst rates TWO an Outperform (i.e. Buy), along with an $8 price target to imply a 10% upside. (To watch Cranston’s track record, click here) Overall, Two Harbors has 5 recent reviews, and they break down to 3 Buys and 2 Holds, for a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating. The shares are selling for $7.25, and their $7.75 average target suggests a modest upside of 7%. (See TWO stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
