Morning Brief

1. Aqara launches the Jiyue Smart Control Screen S1 Plus (Siri Edition)
2. Hisense unveils the UX 2026 flagship RGB-Mini LED TV
3. Nothing introduces the Phone (4a) series
4. Insta360 releases the Snap smartphone selfie screen
5. Google rolls out Gemini Canvas AI mode in the U.S.
6. OpenAI launches the GPT-5.4 model
7. Microsoft releases the open-source Phi-4-Reasoning-Vision-15B model
8. Apple Music introduces AI content provenance labels
9. Huami launches the Amazfit Active 3 Sapphire Edition smartwatch
10. Google reaches a settlement with Epic Games
11. Briefs worth a quick look

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Aqara launches the Jiyue Smart Control Screen S1 Plus (Siri Edition)

On March 4, Aqara announced the launch of the Jiyue Smart Control Screen S1 Plus Siri Edition, the world’s first whole-home smart control panel with native Siri support.

In terms of functionality, the S1 Plus Siri Edition integrates lighting control, temperature control, and energy management systems into a single screen. Users can interact with it through Siri or the Aqara voice assistant, or directly adjust and control smart home devices from the display while monitoring the home’s overall energy usage and device status. The product also offers customizable themes, a dedicated photo album feature, and data dashboards for personalized display and information aggregation.

In security scenarios, the S1 Plus supports distributed video streaming. When a visitor presses the smart doorbell, any S1 Plus screen in the home can instantly display the visitor’s video feed and function as a video intercom interface.

On the hardware side, the S1 Plus Siri Edition features a 6.9-inch display with a resolution of 1440 × 720. It adopts a dual 86-type panel design, allowing it to be installed alongside standard 86 switch panels. The device includes three built-in relay switches and six wireless switches, which users can configure based on their preferences.

So far, Aqara has more than 30 products available in Apple Stores worldwide, and over 310 of its products support Apple Home. Source

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Hisense unveils the UX 2026 flagship RGB-Mini LED TV

On March 5, Hisense announced the UX 2026 RGB-Mini LED flagship TV, featuring the world’s first “Linglong 4-Chip True Color Backlight System.” In addition to the traditional red, green, and blue primary backlight chips, the system introduces a fourth cyan backlight chip. These backlight chips are fully developed in-house and built to automotive-grade standards. According to Hisense, the system can maintain color stability for up to 15 years, cover 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut, and reach peak brightness of up to 10,000 nits. The 116-inch version features 43,008 color-control zones, making it the largest RGB-Mini LED TV currently available. The TV also integrates the Hi-View AI picture quality chip H7 Pro, which works with the four-color architecture to enable more precise light and color control, reaching a color control precision of 134 bits.

In other aspects, the series adopts a custom “Obsidian Screen Ultra” panel with approximately 1.28% reflectivity, delivering high contrast and wide viewing angles while supporting a native 4K 180Hz refresh rate. For audio, the TV is equipped with the Devialet Elevation Sound Pro system. Pricing starts at ¥34,999 for the 85-inch model, ¥54,999 for the 100-inch model, and ¥119,999 for the 116-inch model. Source

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Nothing introduces the Phone (4a) series

At its latest launch event, Nothing unveiled the Phone (4a) series, including the standard Phone (4a) and the Phone (4a) Pro.

The standard Phone (4a) features a 6.78-inch 120Hz OLED display. On the rear, it is equipped with a 50MP main camera, a 50MP 3.5× periscope telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide camera. To the right of the camera module is a square Glyph Bar light strip with a peak brightness of up to 3500 nits, supporting multiple lighting effects.

The Phone (4a) Pro comes with a 6.83-inch 144Hz OLED panel and a body thickness of 7.95 mm. According to the company, it is currently the thinnest “full-metal smartphone” on the market. In terms of imaging, the device features a 50MP Sony LYT700C main camera, a 50MP 3.5× periscope telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide camera. It also includes a Glyph Matrix lighting system composed of 137 mini LEDs, capable of displaying battery status, timers, and a digital clock.

For performance, the Phone (4a) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, while the Phone (4a) Pro uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor. Both models come with a 5080mAh battery and support 50W wired charging. Pricing starts at €349 (approximately ¥2801) for the Phone (4a), and €479 (approximately ¥3845) for the Phone (4a) Pro. Source

Nothing also introduced the Headphone A, which continues the brand’s signature design language. Its overall shape resembles the Headphone 1, featuring rectangular ear cups and transparent elements, though some of the transparent parts have been replaced with opaque panels. It is available in white, black, pink, and yellow. The headphones weigh about 310g and carry an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance.

Headphone A uses physical mechanical controls, including a volume roller, toggle-style track controls, and a voice assistant button. For audio, it supports AAC, SBC, and LDAC codecs, and provides an 8-band parametric equalizer along with basic EQ adjustment options. In terms of battery life, it can last up to 135 hours with AAC playback and ANC turned off, or around 75 hours with ANC enabled.

Headphone A supports Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C, and 3.5mm wired connections, and can connect to two devices simultaneously for seamless switching. For calls, the headset is equipped with three microphones. The Headphone A is priced at $199 (approximately ¥794.7). Source

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Insta360 releases the Snap smartphone selfie screen

On March 5, Insta360 announced the Snap smartphone selfie screen, a device designed to solve the problem of not being able to preview shots in real time when taking selfies with a phone’s rear camera.

In terms of design, the Snap selfie screen features a 3.5-inch display. The base version is about 7.3 mm thick and attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone, supporting a range of Apple and Android devices. The Snap connects to the phone via a USB-C cable and works plug-and-play without requiring an independent power supply. Compared with wireless image transmission solutions, this design provides more stable and smoother video transmission, while also supporting real-time preview when recording 4K video.

In terms of user experience, Snap supports touch interaction, allowing users to quickly adjust exposure, switch filters or shooting modes, and mirror the preview with a single tap. The accessory is compatible not only with the phone’s native camera app but also with mainstream beauty and professional photography apps, enabling users to take selfies or shoot videos using the rear camera.

The product is available in two versions: a standard edition and a lighting edition, priced at ¥499 and ¥599 respectively. The lighting edition is co-tuned by Insta360 and beauty lighting brand AMIRO, and features a ring fill light with three color temperature options and five brightness levels. Source

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Google rolls out Gemini Canvas AI mode in the U.S.

On March 5, Google announced that the Canvas feature, previously tested in Google Labs, is now available to all users in the United States through Gemini’s AI Mode. The feature currently supports English.

Canvas is designed to help users organize information, plan projects, and conduct in-depth research. It has now expanded to support writing documents and creating custom tools directly within the search interface. In creative and development scenarios, users can simply describe their ideas to Canvas in natural language to generate code, which can then be quickly turned into shareable applications or mini games.

The feature also applies to literary writing and other creative projects. Users can use Canvas to polish drafts, adjust structure, or receive suggestions for improvement.

In terms of workflow, users can click the “+” button in the tool menu within AI Mode and select the newly added Canvas option, then describe the task they want to complete or the content they want to create. A Canvas panel will then open on the side of the interface, where users can gather information from web pages and the Google Knowledge Graph to organize research materials or structure their projects.

If used for building prototypes or applications, users can also test functions within the same interface, view and switch the underlying code, and continuously refine the application’s behavior through conversations with Gemini. Source

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OpenAI launches the GPT-5.4 model

OpenAI has announced the release of its next-generation AI model, GPT-5.4. The company states that the model brings upgrades in reasoning ability, coding performance, and handling professional workflows such as spreadsheets, documents, and presentations. OpenAI also notes that GPT-5.4 is its first model with native computer operation capabilities. By generating code as well as keyboard and mouse commands, it can perform tasks across different applications and complete actions based on screenshots. In addition, the model has improved efficiency and accuracy in web browsing, tool usage, and API calls.

OpenAI has also introduced a reasoning-focused version, GPT-5.4 Thinking, which is now available in ChatGPT. This version can display a summary of its reasoning steps when handling complex problems and allows users to adjust their requests during the generation process. According to OpenAI, GPT-5.4 performs better on questions that require retrieving information from multiple sources, enabling sustained multi-step searches and result integration. Its factual accuracy has also improved, with the probability of a single incorrect conclusion reduced by approximately 33% compared to GPT-5.2.

GPT-5.4 is now available across ChatGPT, Codex, and the API. GPT-5.4 Thinking is offered to Plus, Team, and Pro users, while GPT-5.4 Pro is available to API, ChatGPT Enterprise, and Edu users. Source

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Microsoft releases the open-source Phi-4-Reasoning-Vision-15B model

On March 5, Microsoft announced the launch of the open-source Phi-4-Reasoning-Vision-15B model through its official developer community blog. This is a vision reasoning model that combines high-resolution visual perception with selective, task-aware reasoning capabilities, making it the first small language model (SLM) in the Phi-4 series that can both “see clearly” and “think deeply.”

The core feature of the model is its hybrid reasoning mechanism. When a task requires deeper reasoning—such as solving math problems or performing logical analysis—the model activates a multi-step reasoning chain. When only rapid visual perception is required—such as OCR or identifying UI elements—it outputs results directly to reduce latency and improve response efficiency.

In terms of application scenarios, the model is particularly suited for use with computer agents. After receiving screenshots and natural language instructions, the model can output standardized bounding box coordinates for target UI elements, which can then be used by other agent models to perform actions such as clicking or scrolling. The model has now been released as open source on Hugging Face.

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Apple Music introduces AI content provenance labels

On March 5, Apple Music introduced a transparency labeling feature to indicate whether music content has been created using AI technologies.

Under the new rules, record labels and content distributors must clearly state whether artificial intelligence (AI) was used in the creation process—such as for music production or cover artwork—when submitting new content to the platform. To more clearly define the scope of AI involvement, Apple has introduced four Transparency Tags corresponding to the core creative elements of digital music content: cover artwork, audio track, composition, and music video.

According to Apple’s implementation guidelines, these tags will only be triggered when “a substantial portion of the content is created using AI.” Given the complexity of modern music production workflows, a single piece of music may carry multiple transparency tags simultaneously.

At the implementation level, Apple has not introduced mandatory machine-based detection mechanisms. Instead, the determination of whether content qualifies as AI-generated is left to partners to self-report. This approach is similar to existing industry practices for metadata management, such as classifying music genres or listing credits for performers and production staff, allowing creators and distributors a relatively high degree of discretion. Source

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Huami launches the Amazfit Active 3 Sapphire Edition smartwatch

On March 5, Huami introduced the Amazfit Active 3 Sapphire Edition smartwatch. The watch adopts a lightweight four-button design and features a sapphire crystal display paired with a stainless steel middle frame.

The Amazfit Active 3 Sapphire Edition is equipped with a 1.32-inch high-brightness AMOLED display with peak brightness reaching up to 3000 nits. The device includes a wide range of built-in training courses covering basic cardio and mixed training types, and supports more than 170 sports modes. Running and strength training programs include multiple formats such as endurance and speed training.

For outdoor activities, the watch supports offline maps, route navigation, and turn-by-turn alerts, allowing users to plan routes in advance. It is equipped with a five-satellite positioning system for faster and more accurate location tracking. The BioTracker heart rate monitoring system provides real-time feedback on workout intensity and combines sleep, blood oxygen, and stress data to help users balance training and recovery.

In addition, the watch supports Bluetooth calling, Alipay and WeChat offline payments, as well as NFC transit cards. According to official data, the device offers around 12 days of battery life under typical usage and about 7 days under heavy use.

In terms of colors, the Amazfit Active 3 Sapphire Edition is available in options such as Champagne Silver and Sapphire Blue, with a retail price of ¥1199. Source

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Google reaches a settlement with Epic Games

On March 4, Google and Epic Games reached a settlement agreement.

Under the new plan, Google will reduce the base service fee for in-app purchases from the previous maximum of 30% to 20%. If developers choose to use Google’s own payment system, an additional 5% fee will apply. Subscription service fees will be reduced to 10%.

At the same time, Google will introduce a “Registered App Stores” program. Third-party app stores that meet quality and security standards will be able to install and run more easily on the Android platform, reducing the friction users face when installing apps outside the Play Store.

As part of the settlement, Epic Games will relaunch Fortnite on the global Google Play Store while continuing to develop the Epic Games Store for Android. The new fee structure is scheduled to take effect on June 30, 2026, in the United States, the European Economic Area, and the United Kingdom, followed by expansion to Australia on September 30, 2026. It is expected to cover South Korea and Japan by the end of 2026 and expand globally by September 30, 2027.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated that the agreement will push the Android ecosystem toward greater openness and allow app stores to compete with one another. Meanwhile, Epic’s lawsuit against Apple over App Store commissions is still ongoing, with the current ruling under appeal. Source

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Briefs worth a quick look

According to Board Channels, the GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card that NVIDIA recently resumed production of will enter the market between March 10 and March 20. Earlier reports suggested that the revived RTX 3060 is an 8GB version with a 128-bit memory bus, which delivers noticeably reduced performance compared with the 12GB version. Source

According to analysis by the tech outlet wccftech, the MacBook Neo’s 8GB memory configuration may be related to the packaging design of the A18 Pro chip it uses. The A18 Pro adopts TSMC’s InFO-POP (Integrated Fan-Out Package on Package) technology, which allows DRAM to be stacked directly on top of the SoC package, forming a single integrated structure between memory and the chip. Currently, the memory package paired with the A18 Pro provides 8GB of capacity. If Apple were to redesign the chip to support 12GB of RAM, development and manufacturing costs would increase significantly. In theory, Apple could also use the A19 Pro chip with a built-in 12GB RAM package, but that would likewise raise the bill of materials cost for the MacBook Neo. With memory chip prices rising, Apple ultimately chose to offer only a fixed, non-upgradable 8GB RAM configuration in order to maintain the MacBook Neo’s relatively low price positioning. Source

Microsoft’s newly appointed CEO of gaming, Asha Sharma, revealed that the internal codename for the next-generation Xbox console is “Project Helix.” She stated that the device will focus on high performance and support running both Xbox and PC games, further integrating the console and PC ecosystems. Microsoft had previously indicated that the next-generation Xbox would be a hybrid device combining characteristics of both consoles and PCs, aiming to deliver a “premium and carefully crafted” gaming experience. Source