Morning Brief

1. The 2026 “National Subsidy” plan is unveiled
2. Luo Yonghao hosts an annual technology innovation sharing event
3. 2026 GAC Trumpchi M8 “Xiangwang” officially launched
4. Xiaomi responds to reports of a loose Leica master zoom ring on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra
5. Samsung releases the Galaxy A17
6. TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER announced
7. NVIDIA completes a $5 billion investment in Intel
8. Rumors You Can Just Glance At

---

The 2026 “National Subsidy” plan is unveiled

On December 30, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Finance released a notice on the implementation of large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs in 2026. The notice includes the following measures:

• Support for home appliance trade-in programs. Individual consumers who purchase products meeting Level 1 energy efficiency or water efficiency standards in six categories—refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, air conditioners, computers, and water heaters—will receive a subsidy equal to 15% of the product’s sale price. Each consumer may receive a subsidy for one item per category, with a maximum subsidy of 1,500 yuan per item.
• Support for new purchases of digital and smart products. Individual consumers who purchase products in four categories—smartphones, tablets, smartwatches or fitness bands, and smart glasses—will receive a subsidy equal to 15% of the product’s sale price. Each consumer may receive a subsidy for one item per category, with a maximum subsidy of 500 yuan per item.
• Support for subsidies on new smart home product purchases. Specific subsidized categories and subsidy standards will be independently and reasonably determined by local governments based on local conditions.

The 2026 “National Subsidy” plan further optimizes the scope of support. On the basis of continuing overall equipment upgrade policies, it expands to include areas such as adding elevators to old residential communities, elderly care institutions, firefighting and rescue, inspection and testing, and offline commercial consumption facilities. In terms of consumer goods trade-ins, the plan supports vehicle trade-ins, while home appliance trade-ins focus on six categories: refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, air conditioners, computers, and water heaters. It also supports new purchases of digital and smart products, including smartphones, tablets, smartwatches (bands), smart glasses, and smart home products (including age-friendly home products).

The state has recently allocated in advance the first batch of 62.5 billion yuan in ultra-long-term special treasury bonds for 2026 to local governments, earmarked to support consumer goods trade-in programs and meet peak consumption demand during periods such as New Year’s Day and the Spring Festival. Source

---

Luo Yonghao hosts an annual technology innovation sharing event

On the evening of December 30, Luo Yonghao held the “Luo Yonghao’s Crossroads” Annual Tech Innovation Sharing Conference at the Shanghai West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center. The event is widely seen as the return of his signature “Tech Spring Festival Gala” after a seven-year hiatus. At the conference, Luo introduced a range of innovative tech products, including the DJI Neo 2, Jike exoskeleton robot, Bambu Lab desktop 3D printer, Yingling panoramic drone, Qingxian ergonomic chair, and Like dishwasher, and also presented awards to outstanding video creators on the Douyin Featured platform. Source

It is also worth noting that Thin Red Line’s app Qie Ting officially debuted at the event. Positioned as “an AI-era audio library for in-depth interpretation and analysis of great books,” Qie Ting is now available for download on major app stores. Source

---

2026 GAC Trumpchi M8 “Xiangwang” officially launched

On December 30, the 2026 GAC Trumpchi Xiangwang M8 was officially launched. A total of three variants are available, with official guide prices ranging from 309,900 to 389,900 yuan.

The 2026 Xiangwang M8 features the brand’s “Yipin Qilin front fascia” design and comes equipped with electric sliding doors, a floating roof, and hidden B-, C-, and D-pillars. It also offers features such as a 192-line LiDAR, intelligent welcome projection, and more. Inside, the cabin uses soft-touch materials and wood-grain trim, and is fitted with a 12.3-inch dual-screen setup, the ADiGO intelligent system, and the HarmonySpace 5 HarmonyOS cockpit, along with a rear-seat entertainment screen. In terms of comfort, the second row offers five-star SPA dual zero-gravity seats, while the third-row power seats support freely adjustable backrest angles.

For power, the 2026 Xiangwang M8 is equipped with a 2.0T plug-in hybrid system, delivering a combined maximum output of 300 kW and a combined peak torque of 645 Nm. It offers a CLTC-rated pure electric range of 248 km and a WLTC-rated combined driving range of 1,177 km. Source

---

Xiaomi responds to reports of a loose Leica master zoom ring on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra

On December 30, Xiaomi’s official smartphone Weibo account published “Xiaomi 17 Ultra Series: Answers to Questions from Users,” responding to recent online reports claiming that the “Master Zoom Ring on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition is loose.”

According to the statement, the Master Zoom Ring on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition is designed with allowable movement in both the radial and axial directions. This is intended to prevent deformation of the phone’s outer frame in the event of a drop, as well as to avoid jamming caused by dust or liquid ingress. As a result, slight movement may be felt when shaking the Master Zoom Ring, and a faint sound may be heard when tapping it—both are considered normal phenomena. These do not affect the functionality of the Master Zoom Ring, nor do they compromise the device’s dust and water resistance. The statement also addressed topics such as optical zoom focal length selection, the so-called “clicking” sound from the lens, and product availability issues. Source

---

Samsung releases the Galaxy A17

On December 30, Samsung unveiled a new A-series smartphone, the Galaxy A17. It is powered by the Exynos 1330 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with support for microSD card expansion. The device is rated IP54 for dust and water resistance, and features a 6.7-inch 90Hz FHD display, a 5,000mAh battery, and 25W wired charging. In terms of imaging, it comes with a triple rear camera setup consisting of a 50MP main camera, a 5MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro camera, along with a 13MP front-facing selfie camera.

Samsung promises six years of Android OS version updates and security patches for the Galaxy A17. It will be available in blue and black color options, and is set to go on sale first in the United States on January 7, 2026, with a price tag of $199. Source

---

TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER announced

On December 30, TCL unveiled the TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER, an e-reading device based on its NXTPAPER display technology. It features an 11.5-inch NXTPAPER Pure screen using an LCD panel, with a resolution of 2200 × 1440 and a 120Hz refresh rate. The device is equipped with an 8,000mAh battery, 256GB of storage, and support for TCL’s own T-Pen Pro stylus. It also includes eight built-in microphones, as well as a 13MP rear camera dedicated to document scanning.

Unlike previous NXTPAPER tablets, the TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is positioned as a note-taking and productivity assistant. It runs the Android operating system and supports AI-powered real-time translation and handwriting beautification. The device is currently live on Kickstarter and is scheduled to officially go on sale by the end of February 2026, priced at $549. Source

---

NVIDIA completes a $5 billion investment in Intel

According to regulatory filings disclosed on December 29, NVIDIA completed a $5 billion investment in Intel on December 26 by acquiring 214.7 million Intel shares through a private placement at a price of $23.28 per share.

The transaction was first announced in September and is regarded as one of the most significant strategic shifts in the semiconductor industry in 2025. As a result, it drew the attention of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, with the relevant approvals ultimately granted on December 18.

In addition, under the agreement, Intel will provide NVIDIA with customized x86 CPUs for its AI infrastructure platform, and the two companies will also develop a new type of processor featuring integrated NVIDIA RTX graphics and NVLink technology, with transmission bandwidth reaching up to 1.8 TB per second. Source

---

Rumors You Can Just Glance At

According to a report from Calcalist, NVIDIA is planning to acquire the Israeli AI startup AI21 Labs for between $2 billion and $3 billion. Source

Well-known leaker @OnLeaks released a hands-on video of a Galaxy S26 Ultra dummy unit. The video shows that, compared with the S25 Ultra, the overall design has not changed much, though the rear camera module has been slightly redesigned and appears to protrude more noticeably.

Marvel Entertainment’s official YouTube channel has released the second teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. Similar to the previous teaser, this one focuses on Thor and his adopted daughter Love from Thor: Love and Thunder.