Weekly points: Apple leases iPhones, Samsung mobile segment reports losses
(Dan Tri) - Outstanding technology information last week included Apple leasing iPhones, Vietnam accelerating 5G coverage, and Samsung's mobile segment reported losses due to component costs.
Apple rents iPhones
Apple has just launched an iPhone rental program called Upgrade. After passing basic credit checks, customers will be offered a 1-2 year iPhone rental package.
Apple started leasing devices through the Upgrade program (Photo: Apple).
iPhone and Apple Watch can be leased for 12 or 24 month terms. Meanwhile, Mac and iPad computers have lease terms of 24 or 36 months. Currently, this program is only being deployed in the US market.
Products that support this program include iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Studio, iPad Air, iPad Pro and iPad Mini. iPhone 16, MacBook Neo, standard iPad, and Apple Watch SE are not included.
Vietnam accelerates 5G coverage
At the regular July press conference of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Nguyen Anh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications, said that by early 2026, domestic telecommunications businesses had deployed more than 40,000 5G stations, covering about 92% of the population.
There are currently about 2,500 5G stations using equipment researched and produced by Vietnamese enterprises, accounting for about 6% of the total number of stations nationwide (Photo: Viettel).
In addition, telecommunications businesses in Vietnam have succeeded in mastering, producing, and commercializing 5G devices according to international standards. There are currently about 2,500 stations using equipment researched and produced by Vietnamese enterprises, equivalent to about 6%.
Telecommunications businesses are aiming to continue to increase the proportion of domestically produced equipment on the 5G network.
Mark Zuckerberg's pain
In its second quarter business results report, Meta said Reality Labs achieved revenue of 431 million USD, a significant increase compared to 370 million USD in the same period last year. However, the recorded loss also continued to increase compared to the loss of 4.53 billion USD a year ago.
Metaverse did not achieve the success of Mark Zuckerberg's original vision (Photo: CNBC).
Reality Labs is the manufacturer of Quest brand virtual reality (VR) glasses and Meta's Ray-Ban glasses. Since the end of 2020, this division has generated a total cumulative loss of more than 80 billion USD.
Meta first entered the VR market since 2014. At that time, the company (also known as Facebook) acquired Oculus (a startup in the VR field) for $2 billion.
Samsung mobile segment reported losses
In its second quarter business report, Samsung Electronics recorded consolidated revenue of 171.5 trillion won (about 119 billion USD), an increase of 28% compared to the previous quarter and the highest level ever. Operating profit reached 89.5 trillion won (about 62.2 billion USD), also setting a new record.
A series of new products that Samsung has just launched (Photo: The Anh)
Meanwhile, the Device Experience (DX) segment, which includes phones, TVs and home appliances, saw sales decline 9% compared to the previous quarter.
The Mobile and Network Experience (MX) segment alone achieved revenue of 33.2 trillion won (about 23 billion USD) but an operating loss of 700 billion won (about 480 million USD). According to Samsung, this division's revenue increased over the same period thanks to positive results of the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy A series, but profits were affected by rising component costs across the industry.
iOS 26.6 optimizes iPhone performance
On the morning of July 28, Apple released iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 updates. For supported iPhone and iPad models, users can already download and set up through Settings - General - Software Update.
iOS 26.6 focuses on fixing bugs and optimizing the iPhone experience (Photo: MacRumors).
"This update includes bug fixes, security updates and Spotlight index optimizations in preparation for iOS 27," Apple said in its description of the operating system information.
According to MacRumors, iOS 26.6 is likely one of the last updates of iOS 26 before Apple releases iOS 27. Because it mainly focuses on bug fixes and security patches, this is an update suitable for users who prioritize stability.
Cheap phones may disappear
As the memory chip shortage continues, smartphone manufacturers are under heavy pressure. The production of low-cost devices has become "almost unprofitable".
The average selling price of smartphones continues to increase (Photo: Tom's Guide).
Memory costs for devices priced under $100 are expected to increase 400% in the third quarter. According to data from research firm Omdia for the most popular configurations, component costs have reached $70, compared to $14 in the same period last year.
Experts predict that large manufacturers may abandon this loss-making segment, despite strong consumer demand. Instead, they will shift to higher value products in the mid-range segment. This contributes to increasing the average retail price of phones.