On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

Amazon announces a lot of Alexa-powered devices at its September 2019 hardware event, with 15 devices ranging from the obligatory (such as updates on the Echo speaker range) and the somewhat weird (an Alexa-powered ring anyone?).

Front-lining the event are, perhaps obviously, the Echo device update as Amazon promises to have a smart speaker for just about everyone. Audiophiles get the Echo Studio, a take on the likes of the Google Nest Max and Amazon HomePod featuring five drivers, including a downward-facing 5.25-inch woofer, 1-inch front-firing tweeter and three 2-inch mid-range speakers aimed in different directions. It supports 3D audio and Dolby Atmos, and includes a 24-bit DAC and 100kHZ power amplifier for high-resolution music playback via, of course, the Amazon HD Music service.

According to Gartner, global shipments of devices-- namely PCs, tablets and mobile phones-- will drop by -3.7% in 2019, in good part due to consumers continuing to hold on to old their smartphones, leading to a -3.2% decline in sales.

The analyst estimates the number of mobile phones in use around the world clocks at around 5 billion. The global smartphone market has reached a tipping point, following years of growth, and the lifetimes of premium phones (running on iOS and Android) continues to extend through 2019. The quality and features of such devices has improved "significantly," and has reached a level where users see high value in their devices beyond a 2-year time frame. As a result, consumers will not upgrade unless it will bring about "significant" new utility.

In the meantime, the share of 5G-capable smartphones will increase from 10% in 2020 to 56% in 2023. Major phone vendors are looking to 5G as a replacement booster, but less than 50% of communications service providers (CSPs) will have a commercial 5G network in place over the next 5 years. So far around a dozen of providers offer 5G services in a "handful" of markets, and they need to emphasise the performance features of 5G (such as faster speeds, improved network availability and enhanced security) if they want to encourage the return of smartphone sales growth.

Around 26% of the €225 billion Europeans spent in 2019 on Technical Consumer Goods is going for smart appliances such as cameras, air treatment, TVs, audio systems, robotic vacuum cleaners and smart LEDs, GfK reports.

In total, GfK predicts the smart device (excluding smartphones and smartwatches) market will increase by 9% in 2019, from €122bn in 2018 to €133bn. Smart home technology is changing at an "unprecedented" pace over the past decades, and it is not over. For instance, smart TVs account for 80% of TVs sold in Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain in 2019, while robot vacuum cleaners make 12%. Around 4% of dishwashers sold also have some measure of smarts.

However, while the smart home dream resonates with consumers, the present reality is one of a collection of isolated smart devices. Despite 42% growth in smart appliance and H1 2019 revenue growth of 25% for smart energy and lighting, the largest smart category, smart entertainment and connectivity, accounts for €6.3bn turnover despite showing 0% Y-o-Y growth in H1 2019 in the 5 European markets (Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain).

Earlier in September Huawei announced the Kirin A1, a chip aimed for use in wearable devices. Now the company details the capabilities of the chip, including Bluetooth 5.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.1 connectivity, something it says is a first.

The chip measures 4.3 x 4.4mm, making it smaller than the Apple H1 and Huawei's own Kirin 990 processor. It features what Huawei says is self-developed dual-channel synchronised transmission technology, a system allowing two headsets to receive the left and right audio channels directly from a smartphone while facilitating direct communication between the phone and two headsets without interference. In addition, the technology uses 50% less power compared to transmission methods used by current headsets.