SSPAI Morning Brief: Apple Unveils iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air as Qualcomm Introduces Snapdragon Wear Elite

Morning Brief

Apple unveils iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air
Two updates from Motorola
Lenovo announces multiple new products at MWC
HONOR unveils several new products at MWC
Qualcomm introduces the new Snapdragon Wear Elite
iReader launches the iReader Tango 2 Pro e-ink reader
Three updates from Alibaba’s Qwen
Anker eufyMake E1 3D Texture UV Printer now available domestically
Briefs worth a quick look

Apple unveils iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air

On March 2, Apple announced two new products: the iPhone 17e and a new iPad Air powered by the M4 chip.

The iPhone 17e features a 6.1-inch display with Ceramic Shield 2 and an aluminum frame. It is powered by the A19 chip with a 4-core GPU and the C1X modem, and supports eSIM. Compared with the C1 modem found in the iPhone 16e, the C1X delivers up to twice the speed. The device supports MagSafe, with wireless charging up to 15W, and offers up to 26 hours of video playback. The iPhone 17e starts at 256GB of storage and is available in black, white, and pink, with pricing starting at RMB 4,499. It will go on sale on March 11. Source

The new iPad Air is equipped with the M4 chip (8-core CPU and 9-core GPU), with unified memory increased to 12GB. It is available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, and comes in Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight. Storage starts at 128GB, with pricing beginning at RMB 4,799. It will also go on sale on March 11. The new iPad Air adopts the N1 chip and C1X modem, and supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. Source

Two updates from Motorola

Motorola Partners with GrapheneOS

On March 2 at MWC 2026, Motorola announced a long-term partnership with GrapheneOS, aiming to bring advanced security technologies to everyday users. Through this collaboration, the two parties will work together to enhance smartphone security and explore future device compatibility with GrapheneOS. Motorola will collaborate with GrapheneOS in the coming months on software features, security enhancements, and related areas, with more details to be revealed as the partnership progresses. At present, Motorola has not disclosed which models will be compatible with or ship with GrapheneOS. Previously, GrapheneOS was only available on Google Pixel devices. Source

Motorola Unveils the Razr Fold Horizontal Foldable

At MWC 2026, Motorola introduced its first horizontally folding smartphone, the Razr Fold. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with a 1TB variant available in select markets. It features a 6.6-inch 165Hz 21:9 pOLED external display, making it the first smartphone to use Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3. The internal display is an 8.1-inch 120Hz LTPO panel. The device measures 4.6mm thick when unfolded (excluding the camera module), 9.9mm when folded, and weighs 244g. The Razr Fold packs a 6,000mAh battery, supporting 80W TurboPower fast charging, 50W wireless charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging. It carries IP48 and IP49 ratings for dust and water resistance, and supports the Moto Pen Ultra stylus. The Razr Fold will ship with Android 16 and is promised at least seven major OS upgrades along with seven years of security updates. It will be available in Pantone Blackened Blue and Pantone Lily White. Pricing and exact availability have yet to be announced, but the device is set for release within 2026. Source

Lenovo announces multiple new products at MWC

At MWC 2026, Lenovo introduced a range of new products and concept devices.

The Yoga Book Pro 3D concept laptop highlights its glasses-free 3D display, aiming to naturally present depth, shape, and spatial relationships on screen. The laptop features dual Lenovo PureSight Pro Tandem OLED displays. Powered by Lenovo’s in-house AI software, 2D images can be converted into 3D and shown on the upper display. Users can also use mid-air gestures captured via an RGB camera to zoom, rotate, and interact with content. The lower display supports an attachable keyboard, offering shortcuts for adjusting lighting, viewing angles, and color tones. The device is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and an RTX 5070 GPU.

The Legion Go Fold concept handheld features a POLED display that expands from 7.7 inches to 11.6 inches, with detachable controllers. It supports four usage modes: standard handheld mode, vertical split-screen mode, horizontal full-screen mode, and extended desktop mode.

In extended desktop mode, the right controller can function as a vertical mouse. It includes a small display that can act as a touchpad, show game settings and performance metrics, or serve as customizable hotkeys. The Legion Go Fold is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, features a 48Whr battery, and comes with 32GB of RAM.

The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (14″, 11) retains the Yoga series’ classic 360° convertible design. Lenovo positions it as a versatile drawing tablet. It features a 2.8K PureSight Pro OLED touchscreen with a peak brightness of 1100 nits and 100% coverage of DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, and sRGB color gamuts. It supports the Yoga Pen Gen 2 stylus, and the pen case magnetically attaches to the lid to create a canvas mode for improved ergonomics while drawing.

The device continues to support the Yoga series’ multi-mode usage. It is powered by an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor and qualifies as a Copilot+ PC. Ports include two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, and one HDMI 2.1 FRL port. It weighs 1.29kg and is expected to launch in March this year.

The Yoga Pro 7a (15″, 11) is equipped with AMD Ryzen AI Max+ series processors and supports a unified memory architecture, allowing the CPU and GPU to share up to 128GB of RAM. It is compatible with the Yoga Pen Gen 2, and its Force Pad touchpad is powered by Wacom technology for drawing, automatically disabling touch gestures when the stylus is in use. The device features Lenovo X Power thermal technology, upgraded heat pipes, and dual fans, increasing thermal performance to 95W TDP while keeping noise levels as low as 22dB. It is expected to launch in June this year.

The IdeaPad Pro Gen 2 tablet runs on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 mobile platform and integrates Lenovo AI solutions. It features a 13-inch 3.5K PureSight Pro display with Dolby Vision support. The tablet measures 6.2mm thick, weighs under 600g, includes a 10,200mAh battery with 45W fast charging, and is available in Moon Gray, Cloud Gray, and Mint.

The IdeaPad Slim 5i Ultra (14″, 11) laptop offers either a WUXGA OLED or WQXGA IPS LCD 120Hz display. It houses a 65Wh battery, supporting up to approximately 20 hours of video playback. The device weighs as little as 1.15kg and measures 11.9mm at its thinnest point. It includes an FHD infrared camera for facial recognition and features a physical privacy shutter.

The Legion Tab (8.8″, 5), known domestically as the Y700 (5th Gen), features an 8.8-inch 3K display with a 165Hz refresh rate and typical brightness of 600 nits. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform, with configurations up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. The 9,000mAh battery is paired with Lenovo’s Legion Coldfront Vapor cooling system, improving thermal efficiency by 32% compared to the previous generation. The tablet weighs 360g and comes in black, white, and fluorescent green.

The Legion 7a (15″, 11) gaming laptop also features AMD Ryzen AI Max+ series processors with unified memory architecture. It uses an aluminum chassis, weighs 1.65kg, and sports a 15.3-inch PureSight OLED display.

Lenovo also showcased an AI Work Companion concept device resembling a desktop clock. Designed for interactive engagement, it uses AI to sync daily tasks and schedules across the user’s devices and can generate a balanced daily plan with a single tap. The device includes a built-in hub for desktop charging and features customizable physical buttons that can be configured as needed.

Also announced were the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, IdeaPad Slim 3i, L16 desktop monitor, and other new devices. Source

HONOR unveils several new products at MWC

At MWC 2026, HONOR announced several new products. The foldable flagship HONOR Magic V6 debuted in a new “Chitu Red” colorway, with its official domestic launch scheduled for March 10. HONOR also announced a strategic technology partnership with ARRI, aiming to “bring cinematic storytelling experiences to creators worldwide.”

HONOR introduced the Robot Phone concept device as a new form of AI terminal. The Robot Phone features a motorized four-joint movable gimbal built into its camera module. The camera can perform AI-driven interactions and real-time feedback through movement, while also supporting three-axis image stabilization and intelligent object tracking. It can even “dance” in sync with music for interactive experiences. HONOR has launched a Robot Phone wish program, allowing users to receive updates on development progress and participate in user research. The device is envisioned to launch within 2026. Source

At MWC 2026, HONOR also unveiled its first humanoid robot, HONOR ROBOT, which took part in a live dance performance, showcasing moves such as the moonwalk and a backflip. Source

Qualcomm introduces the new Snapdragon Wear Elite

On March 2 at MWC 2026, Qualcomm officially unveiled the new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform. The platform is designed to enable OEMs and AI cloud service providers to develop and innovate rapidly in this emerging space, deploying AI agents across a wide range of device form factors, including smartwatches, pin-style wearables, pendants, and more. The platform places significant emphasis on its integrated NPU, which has been substantially enhanced to run models with up to 2 billion parameters directly on-device. Combined with multimodal inputs from voice, vision, location, and various sensors, it enables highly personalized AI agents to support users in work, study, health, and everyday life. In terms of performance, the platform adopts a new five-core CPU architecture and integrates upgraded CPU and GPU components, delivering substantial performance gains. Compared to the previous generation, CPU performance improves by up to five times, while GPU performance increases by up to seven times. On the efficiency front, Qualcomm states that the platform can extend daily operating usage (DOU) by 30%, and can charge to approximately 50% in just 10 minutes. For connectivity, Qualcomm introduces what it describes as the most comprehensive connectivity suite yet for a wearable platform, supporting six different technologies: 5G RedCap, ultra-low-power Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB (Ultra Wideband), GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and NB-NTN satellite communication. Source

iReader launches the iReader Tango 2 Pro e-ink reader

On March 2, iReader unveiled the iReader Tango 2 Pro e-ink reader. The device adopts a smartphone-like form factor and is available in black and white. It features a newly developed in-house ultra-refresh technology, delivering a dynamic refresh rate of up to 50 frames per second, with flicker reduced to nearly zero. The reader supports SIM card insertion for cellular connectivity and enables WeChat voice functionality. An 8MP rear camera is included for QR code scanning. It uses a Carta 1300 e-ink display with freely adjustable color temperature and brightness. Powered by an 8-core CPU built on a 6nm process, the device comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, with rated battery life of approximately 101 hours. The iReader Tango 2 Pro will go on sale on March 10, with an introductory price of RMB 1,999. Source

Three updates from Alibaba’s Qwen

Alibaba Unifies Its Large Model Brand Under Qwen
On March 2, Alibaba’s large model team officially announced that it has unified the overall name and core brand of Alibaba’s AI under “Qwen.” The Qwen large model lineup covers both foundational models and domain-specific models, while the Qwen App serves as Alibaba’s flagship AI application for consumers. Following the rebranding, the Chinese name of Alibaba’s large model brand is 千问大模型, with the English name Qwen. “Tongyi Lab” will remain the organizational name of Alibaba Group’s AI research institution. Source

Tongyi Lab Releases Two Natural Language–Controlled Speech Generation Models
On March 2, Alibaba Cloud’s Tongyi Lab announced the release of two speech generation models built on the new FreeStyle paradigm: Fun-CosyVoice 3.5 and Fun-AudioGen-VD, aiming to push speech generation into a new stage of fine-grained control via natural language. Fun-CosyVoice 3.5 focuses on voice cloning and expressive optimization, with its core breakthrough being the ability to directly control generation results through natural language instructions such as “make the tone more firm,” without relying on preset tags. It supports multilingual voice cloning and adds new generation capabilities for Thai, Indonesian, Portuguese, and Vietnamese, while significantly improving pronunciation accuracy, prosody quality, and response latency. Fun-AudioGen-VD, on the other hand, focuses on building voices and auditory scenes from scratch. Based on text descriptions, it can directly generate specific timbres, emotions, characters, and even complete background environments and spatial acoustic effects, enabling integrated “character + scene” audio creation. Source

Qwen AI Glasses G1 Open for Reservations Across All Channels
Qwen’s first AI hardware product, the Qwen AI Glasses, went online for reservations on March 2 and will go on sale in China on March 8. The initial launch includes two series, S1 and G1, both powered by the latest generation Qwen large model. The devices offer industry-leading response speed and interaction smoothness, support high-precision multimodal understanding and real-time interaction, and cover key daily and office scenarios including high-definition photography, AI translation, meeting transcription, and image recognition. The G1 series, which will be available first, features dual flagship chips with dual systems, a five-microphone array with bone conduction, and high-performance large-diaphragm speakers. It adopts a lightweight design with a swappable battery experience, weighing only about 40g—comparable to ordinary optical glasses—and is equipped with an adjustable swan-neck bracket and FDA food-grade silicone nose pads for all-day comfort. The G1 integrates “smartphone-level” imaging technology, enabling 0.6-second rapid capture and 3K video recording, with AI super-resolution and frame interpolation to output 4K video. It also uses Super RAW low-light enhancement technology to significantly improve image quality and stability in low-light environments. With 64GB of built-in storage, it supports extended continuous shooting. The G1 series starts at RMB 2,899, with a subsidized price of RMB 1,997 after national incentives. Source

Anker eufyMake E1 3D Texture UV Printer now available domestically

On March 2, Anker announced via its official WeChat account that the eufyMake E1 is now exclusively available on JD.com, with full-payment pre-orders set to begin on March 12. Designed for makers and small studios, the printer supports 3D textured printing on a variety of materials. It can print on metal, glass, acrylic, and wood surfaces, simulating textures such as oil painting brushstrokes and embossed leather, with a maximum print height of up to 5mm. The companion app includes AI-powered creative features, allowing users to generate textures and relief effects. The printer supports flat printing, cylindrical printing, and UV transfer stickers. It also features a built-in JetClean self-cleaning system that automatically maintains the printheads to reduce the risk of clogging. Source

Briefs worth a quick look

At MWC 2026, Leica joined Xiaomi in unveiling the Leica Leitzphone. In China, the device will be sold as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition in a black and silver colorway, with pricing starting at RMB 7,999. Source

Xiaomi has launched the Xiaomi Tag tracker, available in BLE and UWB versions, priced at RMB 69 and RMB 129 respectively. The Xiaomi Tag supports IP67 dust and water resistance and is powered by a CR2032 coin-cell battery. It is compatible with the iOS Find My app. The UWB version works with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, and Xiaomi 17 Pro. The BLE version is already on sale. Source

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