Weekly point: iPhone Duo is sold out, the mobile market is in crisis
(Dan Tri) - Outstanding technology news last week included the iPhone Duo selling out after a few minutes of opening a deposit, the global mobile market in crisis, and Microsoft firing many employees in Vietnam.
iPhone Duo is sold out
From 7:00 p.m. on October 16, Vietnamese users can pre-order iPhone Duo through Apple's online store and authorized retail systems. This is Apple's first folding screen iPhone.
Vietnamese users must deposit 30 million VND to buy iPhone Duo (Photo: The Verge).
According to information from TopZone, this system ran out of iPhone Duo deposits after just one minute. To date, both TopZone and CellphoneS have stopped accepting iPhone Duo orders. Some other systems notify buyers that they must wait at least until the end of November or December, and do not commit to an exact delivery time.
Even customers who order iPhone Duo on Apple's online store may have to wait until the end of January 2027. As noted by Dan Tri reporter, when ordering iPhone Duo at 10:00 p.m. on October 16, users will receive notification of expected delivery on January 27, 2027.
Bad news for people waiting to buy a new laptop
According to Commercial Times, Intel and Qualcomm have increased the prices of some processor chips. Meanwhile, AMD is also said to be preparing similar price adjustments.
Rising CPU costs make it difficult for laptop manufacturers (Photo: The Verge).
Semiconductor processing costs are one of the key factors causing this price increase. TSMC is expected to continue increasing production prices in 2027. Analysts forecast increases of 5-10% for processes, 10-15% for packaging technology and 3-5% for materials and equipment costs.
Higher CPU costs are increasing the challenges laptop manufacturers face. According to TrendForce, CPU supply has improved significantly since the second quarter, allowing brands to gradually normalize purchasing and production activities.
Samsung increases phone prices in Vietnam
In the early days of October, Samsung increased the price of the Galaxy S26 product range in the Vietnamese market. Accordingly, the listed selling prices of all versions increased by 4 million VND compared to the opening sale period in March.
The price of Galaxy S26 simultaneously increased by 4 million VND compared to the period when it first hit shelves in March (Photo: The Anh).
Specifically, the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ duo have new listed prices of 30 million VND and 34 million VND respectively for the 256GB version. The Galaxy S26 Ultra model also increased from 37 million VND to 41 million VND.
Vietnam is not the only market where Samsung adjusts the price of the Galaxy S26. The company has increased the entire Galaxy S26 lineup by $100 in various markets.
Microsoft fired many employees in Vietnam
On October 12, some information on social networks said that Microsoft had fired a series of employees in the Vietnamese market. Accordingly, an account (claiming to work at Microsoft) said that this person had received a notification to attend a "Business important update" meeting with leaders and human resources departments. This person said "it's news of dismissal".
Microsoft did not disclose the number of employees affected in this cut (Photo: Reuters).
Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "At Microsoft, we constantly adjust the way we work and organize our teams to support future priorities. These changes are implemented in many different forms across the company, and in some cases include difficult decisions affecting job positions."
Thus, the company confirms the above dismissal.
Apple launches HomeView
With HomeView, Apple officially entered the smart home screen market, an area that Amazon and Google entered many years ago.
The device is capable of recognizing the faces and voices of up to 6 members, thereby personalizing the displayed content for each person (Photo: Apple).
HomeView is equipped with a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, supporting True Tone with a maximum brightness of 500 nits. The screen can be reduced to 0.3 nit, suitable for use in the bedroom at night. Inside the device is the Apple A18 processor, supporting artificial intelligence and user recognition features.
The first notable point is the Siri AI assistant that integrates Apple Intelligence. Unlike traditional Siri, which mainly handles simple commands, the new version is capable of understanding natural language, maintaining multi-turn conversations and answering more complex questions.
The global mobile market is in crisis
According to a report from market research company Counterpoint Research, global smartphone shipments in the third quarter decreased by 20% compared to the same period last year.
Rising component costs cause smartphone prices to continuously escalate (Photo: PhoneArena).
This decline also marks the lowest third-quarter output since 2012. Continuously escalating DRAM and NAND prices have seriously affected memory chip costs in the third quarter. This causes the cost of raw materials (BOM) to skyrocket, causing a supply shortage.
In response, manufacturers have passed on rising component costs to consumers. This pushes global smartphone retail prices up 20% from the beginning of 2026 and continues to push up the average selling price (ASP) of the market.
Blooming milk flowers caused controversy, the number of searches on Google increased dramatically
Debate about the scent of milk flowers is heated on social networks. The number of searches for the keywords "milk flower" and "milk flower smell" on Google increased sharply in the past week.
On October 15, the number of searches for the keyword "milk flower" increased by 1,100% compared to the previous week.
The keyword "milk flower smell" also recorded an increase of more than 5,000% on October 15. The searches mainly come from Vinh Phuc, Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City... This shows that the topic not only attracts the attention of Hanoi people but is also noticed in localities where this plant is rarely grown.