Samsung

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (UPI) — Samsung Electronics and SK hynix emerged as the biggest winners on the Seoul bourse during the third quarter, thanks to a strong semiconductor market, according to Korean consultancy CXO Institute on Friday. The two firms are the world’s top two memory chipmakers.

During the July-to-September period, the market capitalization of Samsung Electronics surged by more than $100 billion, maintaining its position as South Korea’s most valuable company. SK hynix followed with an increase of $28.5 billion.

Riding on the mounting global demand for weapons, Korea’s leading defense company, Hanwha Aerospace, ranked third with a $12 billion gain, followed by battery maker LG Energy Solution with $8.3 billion and shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean with $6.7 billion.

“During the third quarter, the South Korean stock market was bullish. In particular, sectors such as semiconductors, shipbuilding, rechargeable batteries and biopharmaceuticals did well,” CXO Institute chief Oh Il-sun told UPI.

“The biggest winners were Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. As the memory chip market remains hot, the two corporations are expected to cruise well during the remainder of this year, too,” he added.

Indeed, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix saw their share price further rise by 16.7% and 30.2% this month, respectively.

As a result, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s stock holdings topped $14 billion this month for the first time to solidify his status as the country’s wealthiest businessman.

He has shares in seven Samsung subsidiaries, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS and Samsung Life Insurance.

Sogang University economics professor Kim Young-ick cautioned that the market may face a correction phase in the short term.

“In consideration of nominal gross domestic products, currency circulation and export data, I think that the stock market, led by Samsung Electronics, may enter a period of adjustment in the fourth quarter,” Kim said in a phone interview.

“As Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are projected to post strong results next year, however, the upward trend is likely to continue in the medium term,” he said.

Another standout performer was Hanwha Group, as two of its affiliates made the top-five list. The combined market capitalization of the conglomerate’s listed units more than tripled this year from $28.8 billion to $89.6 billion as of the end of last month.

As the figure nears $100 billion mark, Hanwha Chairman Kim Seung-youn encouraged its units to become global leaders in their respective fields.

“With the sense of responsibility that comes from being a national representative company, we must take the lead in every field,” Kim said his anniversary message to employees earlier this month.

“We are carrying out large-scale projects in various parts of the world, including North America, Europe, and the Middle East, in segments such as defense, shipbuilding and energy,” he said.

Biggest losers: Doosan Enerbility, Kakao units

In contrast, South Korea’s top heavy industry company, Doosan Enerbility, was the biggest loser, as its market capitalization fell by $2.6 billion during the third quarter, chased by online game publisher Krafton, down $2.4 billion.

Kakao Pay and Kakao Bank also languished by losing $2.2 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively, while the country’s largest contractor, Hyundai E&C, rounded out the bottom five with a $1.9 billion drop.

“In the third quarter, many companies in the construction, telecom, game, entertainment and retail sectors struggled. Oh said. “Of note is that two Kakao subsidiaries were among the underperformers.”

Once hailed as a next-generation online platform, Kakao aggressively expanded into multiple industries, but has experienced growing challenges in recent years.

Its founder Kim Beom-su, also known as Brian Kim, faces legal risks as the prosecution sought a 15-year prison term for him in late August.

Kim has been accused of being involved in the stock price manipulation of K-pop management agency SM Entertainment in 2023 to block a takeover attempt by rival company HYBE.

Kim has denied the allegations. He resigned from Kakao’s top decision-making council early this year, but remains as its largest shareholder.

Nearly 30 million people in the UK who bought an Apple or Samsung smartphone between 2015 and 2024 may be entitled to about £17 if the consumer campaign group Which? is successful in a case against US tech giant Qualcomm.

The consumer group is taking the tech giant to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London on Monday.

The trial between Which? and Qualcomm is expected to last five weeks. The consumer group is accusing the chip company of anti-competitive practices.

It claims the firm forced Apple and Samsung to pay inflated prices and licensing fees for essential handset components, which then pushed up the cost of those smartphones for consumers.

The BBC has reached out to Qualcomm for comment.

The trial starting on Monday will focus on whether Qualcomm held market power and, if so, whether it abused a dominant position.

If Which? is successful, there will be a second stage seeking £480m from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an estimated 29 million British phone owners affected.

Which? is seeking damages for all affected Apple and Samsung smartphones purchased between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The consumer group says this would probably work out at around £17 each. Qualcomm has previously said the case has “no basis”.

A similar case against Qualcomm is ongoing in Canada, and the firm has also previously been fined by the EU for antitrust.

Anabel Hoult, chief executive of Which?, said: “This trial is a huge moment. It shows how the power of consumers – backed by Which? – can be used to hold the biggest companies to account if they abuse their dominant position.”

Qualcomm is one of the world’s biggest producers of smartphone chips and has faced allegations about anti-competitive behaviour before.

The Federal Trade Commission in the United States sued the firm for unfair practices in the way it licensed its technology back in 2017, but had its case dismissed in 2020.

When investors think about powerhouses in the semiconductor industry, the usual names that dominate the conversation are Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom. These companies are responsible for designing the high-performance chips and networking hardware powering next-generation data centers at an unprecedented scale.

Operating more quietly in the background, however, is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM -1.17%). While TSMC (as it is also known) is less flashy than its peers in the race for artificial intelligence (AI) chips, the company’s supporting role is nonetheless mission-critical.

As the world’s largest chip foundry by revenue — with almost 70% market share — TSMC is the manufacturer behind many of the AI industry’s most advanced processors. Its dominance has left rivals like Intel struggling to catch up, with meaningful market share gains appearing more like a pipe dream than measurable reality.

But in a surprising twist, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently highlighted a big break for one of those rivals, Samsung Electronics (SSNL.F 9.01%), giving its investors some much-needed optimism. The announcement raises an important question: Will Samsung’s latest win usher in a new era of growth and pose a serious challenge to TSMC’s supremacy?

Why Samsung’s deal with Tesla matters

In late July, Musk announced on X that Tesla had signed a $16.5 billion agreement with Samsung to produce its next-generation inference chip, known as the AI6. Samsung will be manufacturing these chips at a new foundry in Texas, strategically positioning the company closer to Tesla’s headquarters and reinforcing its footprint beyond South Korea.

Tesla’s upcoming innovations — most notably its Robotaxi platform and Optimus humanoid robot — will demand highly sophisticated chip designs and huge computing capacity to function. This makes securing advanced foundry services essential for the company’s ambitions in a rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Image source: Getty Images.

How does Samsung’s relationship with Tesla impact TSMC?

At first glance, a deal of this magnitude might look like a major setback for TSMC. The reality, however, is more nuanced.

Musk clarified that TSMC will manufacture the predecessor chip to the AI6 — aptly called the AI5. In other words, Tesla is deliberately engaging with multiple foundry partners as a strategic, cautious hedge aimed at reducing supply chain risk and ensuring redundancy.

While Samsung’s win provides a boost of credibility to its lagging foundry business, analysts at Morgan Stanley said that the deal is unlikely to meaningfully dent TSMC’s dominance or serve as a material headwind to its long-term revenue and earnings potential.

Moreover, as TSMC continues to invest in its own infrastructure here in the U.S., the company remains on secure footing to deepen its ties with AI’s biggest spenders even further.

Has Samsung delivered a checkmate against its fiercest rival?

Samsung investors have gained tangible proof that strengthens the company’s long-term prospects, but TSMC’s durable technological position remains supported by entrenched scale, advanced processor leadership, and deep customer relationships. For now, this deal underscores that Samsung can still compete for landmark contracts and carve out relevance in an industry where TSMC’s gold-standard reputation remains firmly intact.

At a more macro level, the deal also signals that as AI applications become increasingly more sophisticated, leading enterprises like Tesla are keen on maintaining choice by diversifying key manufacturing partners to ensure stability, flexibility, and supply chain resilience.

For investors, the larger takeaway is clear: Samsung’s relationship with Tesla illustrates that the company is capable of winning meaningful battles. Nevertheless, TSMC is still ahead.

Rather than a checkmate, this development looks more like a fleeting stalemate at best — a dynamic that will continue to evolve as global demand for next-generation chip architectures accelerates and further intensifies the foundry race.

A HUGE tech upgrade that allows phones to “think with you in real time” is coming from some of the world’s biggest mobile makers.

The latest kit claims to not only enable highly intelligent AI tools, but also lightning-fast multitasking and better battery.

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Snapdragon, the tech brand millions will be familiar with as the front-of-shirt sponsor for Manchester United, has just announced some mega improvements.

The chips – made by US firm Qualcomm – are already among the most powerful around, used in phones by Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi and more.

These are essential for the smooth running of devices and power consumption among other things.

Every year, Qualcomm announces start-of-the-art chip enhancements at a huge Snapdragon Summit event in Hawaii.

We were invited along to see what’s in store and for 2025 bosses revealed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Qualcomm says it is the fastest mobile system on-a-chip.

It means users can expect “lightning-fast” multitasking and seamless app switching so you can have loads open at once without causing major sluggish performance.

The upgrade is also good news for gamers, with “incredible performance and power efficiency”.

And in a mobile landscape increasingly filled with AI apps and tools, the new chip can better understand and learn from your habits to provide more useful personalised recommendations – and better still, it’s all handled on the device, so no data is sent off.

Qualcomm claims the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 boosts performance by 20 per cent compared to its last Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

“With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, you are at the center of your mobile experience,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handset, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“It enables personalized AI agents to see what you see, hear what you hear and think with you in real time.

“Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 pushes the boundaries of personal AI, allowing you to experience the future of mobile technology today.”

The new chip is expected to appear on flagship smartphones from a number of huge names, including:

• Honor
• iQOO
• Nubia
• OnePlus
• OPPO
• POCO
• Realme
• REDMI
• RedMagic
• ROG
• Samsung
• Sony
• Vivo
• Xiaomi
• ZTE

Qualcomm teased that new devices will be launched with the chip in the coming days.

Must-know Android tips to boost your phone

Get the most out of your Android smartphone with these little-known hacks:

LOVE a freebie? Don’t we all – but the best giveaways rarely last forever.

We’ve rounded up the very best offers and promotions that are due to run out before the end of 2025. Don’t ignore them: you could miss out on free Apple AirPods, a £400 laptop, cheap theatre tickets, and more video games than you could ever hope to play.

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FREE SAMSUNG LAPTOP

A tempting offer to claim a free £400 laptop from Samsung is due to expire this year.

Samsung launched the promotion back in August.

It gets you either a £399 14-inch Chromebook Go or a Samsung Galaxy Watch7 worth £239.

You can claim it if you’ve recently bought an eligible Samsung smartphone.

For a free laptop, you’d need to have bought:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy S25+
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

And for a free smartwatch, you’d need to have snapped up one of the following:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE
• Samsung Galaxy S25
• Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

The promotion is due to close down on October 2 this year.

And you need to submit your claim for the freebie within 30 days of making your purchase.

To claim the offer, just follow our guide here: Samsung free laptop promotion.

THREE+ FREEBIES

Earlier this year, Three revealed a generous batch of freebies along with the dates that they would expire.

They’re part of the Three+ rewards scheme, which is free to join. You just claim the freebies through the dedicated app.

And many of them are currently due to cut off at the end of the year.

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That includes 10% off theatre tickets, a cut-price English Heritage membership, and cheap airport parking.

They’re all decent perks, so don’t miss out on claiming them.

Here’s the full list of Three perks with a current expiry date of December 31, 2025:

• LOVEtheatre – 10% off tickets
• English Heritage – 25% off annual membership for 2x adults and up to 12 children = £36
• Tiqets – Get up to 45% off museums, theme parks, zoos and more, plus an extra 10% off with Three+
• Airparks – Up to 30% off airport parking
• Go Henry – two months free on financial education app for kids, plus £15 pocket money
• Banjo Robinson – free activity pack

It’s always possible that some of these perks could be extended, but there’s no guarantee.

FREE APPLE AIRPODS

Yes, really.

Apple is running a back-to-school promotion that expires next month.

And the offer nets you a free pair of Apple AirPods if you’ve bought a qualifying gadget.

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You just need to be a teacher, staff, student or parent.

And students are anyone who has gone on to college, university, or any other public or private tertiary education institution.

But beware: the deal runs out on October 21, 2025.

If you’ve bought a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro then you can claim:

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 (with £50 fee) – saving £169
• Apple AirPods 4 with ANC (free) – saving £169

If you’ve snapped up an iPad Air or iPad Pro, you can get:

• Apple AirPods 4 (free) – saving £119
• Apple AirPods Pro 3 (with £100 fee) – saving £119

And if you’ve bagged an iMac, the options are:

• Apple AirPods 4 with ANC (free) – saving £169
• Apple AirPods Pro 3 (with £50 fee) – saving £169

The main catch is that you can only do this once for the promotion period. Just don’t miss the offer window.

It’s also worth noting that Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are brand new, so they’re a good buy.

BONUS £100 FROM O2

If you’re planning to buy one of the new iPhone models recently announced by Apple, take a look at this O2 offer.

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It comes with a bonus £100 – but only until October 8, 2025.

If you buy the new iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max on a pay-monthly plan, you’ll get an extra £100 if you recycle your existing mobile.

That’s in addition to the regular trade-in value of your phone.

It’s a special promotion on the O2 Recycle scheme, and you can only claim the deal once.

You don’t get the money in cash – but it’ll be credited to your plan.

So effectively, it’s a £100 discount on the amount you would’ve plaid.

You can check out the full terms for the offer here.

AMAZON PRIME GAMES

There are loads of Amazon Prime freebies that will vanish before the year is out.

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Amazon runs a special scheme for Prime members called Prime Gaming.

Every month, Amazon will dish out a selection of free games that you can keep forever.

Usually the monthly haul is worth hundreds of pounds, so it’s not bad at all.

The games drop in waves every single Thursday, and by the end of the month, the full batch is available.

But the games are only available for a month before they vanish from Amazon’s freebie list.

So you need to claim them before they disappear.

If you’re savvy, you’ll collect them all. You can bag September’s lot, and then get the October, November, and December offerings too.

You’ll probably end up with more than £1,000 in games from a four-month run.

But if you miss any of them then you’ll be too late – they’re then gone for good.

So make sure you’re hot on checking for the freebies each month. You can find them here at the Prime Gaming website.

Just note that you’ll need to have an active Amazon Prime membership to claim the games.

All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.

Always do your own research before making any purchase.

Mobiles.co.uk is offer not one, not two, but THREE pieces of tech for the same monthly cost.

The phone provider is offering a free Chromebook and earbuds with Samsung’s flagship device, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the iD Mobile network.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with Buds3 Pro and
Chromebook Go: From £29.99p/m

This is a great opportunity to pick up a new laptop device with a brand-new mobile, and to upgrade your audio too.

It’s an absolute gem of a deal for students returning to college or university – although anyone on a tighter budget should look at a similar Chromebook giveaway with the cheaper Samsung Galaxy A16 at Tesco Mobile.

By contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the brand’s reigning monarch of smartphones.

Here, it’s bundled with a brand-new Samsung Chromebook Go, AND a set of noise-cancelling earphones.

Best of all, you’re getting the best of everything, all on one simple monthly plan on the iD Mobile network.

Prices for these pay-monthly plans can vary, as is standard practice.

As you’d probably imagine, the more you pay upfront, the lower your monthly bill will be, giving you flexibility to choose a plan that suits your budget.

You’ll find cheaper phones elsewhere, that’s for sure, but the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a beast, plain and simple.

This top-end Android handset has all the latest tech, including some clever AI stuff, and a camera that’s in a league of its own.

The screen is a huge 6.9-inch beauty that’s so bright and clear it’ll make everything look amazing.

The main lens is a massive 200MP, so your photos will be sharp as a tack, and the huge 5,000mAh battery will keep you going all day long without needing a charge.

Jamie Harris, The Sun’s Assistant Tech Editor, got his hands on this top-of-the-range mobile.

In his Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review, he notes that while “all phone makers are making noise about AI,” Samsung’s new features are positioned as a “companion” to make daily life genuinely easier.

Harris praises the phone’s physical design, stating, “The first thing I’ve noticed this time around is how much lighter it is – literally, so much lighter.”

And then of course there’s that Chromebook, which runs on Google Chrome OS and is the perfect little workhouse for browsing, admin tasks and streaming.

The best bit is that you get both of these bits of kit on a single, easy-to-manage contract.

The Buds3 Pro earbuds, meanwhile, are noise-cancelling and are sold separately for £219 on the Samsung website.

Seriously, if you’re looking for a general level up across your devices, this deal is a winner.

Just keep in mind you’ll need to head to the claims page on the Mobiles.co.uk website to ensure you get the Chromebook.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with Buds3 Pro and
Chromebook Go: From £29.99p/m

Looking for a laptop on its lonesome? The Sun Shopping team’s Tom Tyers recently spotted a ‘powerhouse’ laptop slashed from £450 to £230 on Amazon.

In the seven months since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Wall Street’s major stock indexes have been taken on quite the ride.

The president’s unveiling of his tariff and trade policy on April 2 spawned the fifth-biggest two-day percentage decline in the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.52%) in 75 years, as well as hurled the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 1.88%) into a full-fledged (but ultimately short-lived) bear market.

This sharp downturn was followed by Donald Trump announcing a 90-day pause on higher “reciprocal tariff rates” on April 9. The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and ageless Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 1.89%) responded by logging their largest single-session point increases in history with this announcement and have been in a seemingly unstoppable rally ever since.

President Trump delivering his State of the Union address. Image source: Official White House Photo.

But tariffs represent just one of the ways the Trump administration can potentially influence equities on Wall Street.

According to reports and recent statements made by a member of Trump’s cabinet, the federal government is pondering equity stakes in some of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, including Intel (INTC 5.64%), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM 2.58%) (commonly known as “TSMC”), Micron Technology (MU 1.82%), and Samsung Electronics (SSNL.F 9.01%). While the rationale behind this idea might be intriguing on paper, it runs the risk of setting a dangerous precedent on Wall Street.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick proposes converting CHIPS Act grants into equity

Before diving further into the proposed details, some background is sorely needed.

Three years ago, in August 2022, President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act (commonly known as the “CHIPS Act”) into law. This law authorizes grants from the federal government to encourage the domestic manufacture of semiconductor chips, as well as to promote biotechnology and clean-energy technology innovation within the U.S. More than $52 billion was set aside by the CHIPS Act to support the construction and/or expansion of chip fabrication plants in the U.S., as well as advanced semiconductor research and development.

During President Trump’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in March, he referred to the CHIPS Act as a “horrible, horrible thing,” and encouraged lawmakers at the time to defund the program. But his tune may have changed, courtesy of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

In a recent interview with CNBC, Lutnick laid out something of a take-it-or-leave-it style proposal that would convert CHIPS Act grants into stock equity for the federal government. Said Lutnick:

The Biden administration literally was giving Intel for free, and giving TSMC money for free, and all these companies just giving them money for free. Donald Trump turns that into saying, “Hey, we want equity for the money. If we’re going to give you money, we want a piece of the action.”

Lutnick clarified his statements by noting that these equity stakes wouldn’t provide the U.S. government with any voting power in these businesses. Instead, it would be all about the American people getting a stake in the businesses U.S. funds are supporting.

Trump has reportedly favored the idea of the U.S. government being given equity stakes in exchange for CHIPS Act funds, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind.-VT) also voicing his support for such a move. “Taxpayers should not be providing billons of dollars in corporate welfare to large, profitable corporations like Intel without getting anything in return,” extolled Sanders.

If this proposal were to move forward, the Trump administration would take up to a 10% stake in Intel, valued at roughly $10.9 billion. Multibillion-dollar stakes would also be made in TSMC, Micron, and Samsung.

Image source: Getty Images.

Government ownership of stocks can be a slippery slope

Though there’s a logical argument to be found in the Trump administration’s proposal to transform these grants into equity stakes, there are also reasons for concern.

Looking to the past as a predictor of the future, there have been previous instances where the federal government took equity stakes in public companies. However, these prior occurrences correlate with periods of historic economic instability.

For instance, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) gave the federal government the green light to take equity stakes in struggling financial institutions during the Great Recession. Additionally, select airline companies issued stock warrants to the U.S. Treasury during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 as partial compensation for the financial assistance they received. Equity stakes on a for-profit basis, as proposed by Lutnick, would be a new and potentially dangerous precedent.

Although the Commerce Secretary told viewers these would be nonvoting equity stakes, the Trump administration nevertheless passes the laws and fiscal policy that can directly impact chip manufacturers. While the federal government might not be voting on executive compensation packages, it’ll have a direct and undeniable influence on the stock(s) it owns. This is effectively the same debate of whether members of Congress should be able to own individual stocks while passing laws that directly impact said stocks… just taken to another level.

For example, a solid argument can be made that President Donald Trump’s tariff and trade policy is far more powerful than a 10% voting share in Intel, or a single-digit percentage voting share in TSMC, Micron, or Samsung. Pardon the necessary pun, but Trump has previously used chip companies, including Nvidia, as bargaining chips to negotiate trade deals. There would be nothing to stop the president or members of his administration from using these bargaining tools to influence corporate strategy and decision-making.

Furthermore, adjusting the funding strategy for the CHIPS Act three years after its passage might encourage chip fabricators to keep their distance from the U.S. government. While subsidies of $6.6 billion, $6.2 billion, and $4.75 billion were awarded to TSMC, Micron, and Samsung, respectively, in 2024, none of these three companies necessarily need this funding to build/expand their chip fabrication presence on U.S. soil. If they had known that an equity stipulation was a possibility, they may not have agreed to a dime in funding.

Even Intel, which has struggled mightily under the weight of increasing competition and the high costs of organically building out its foundry division, may not have opted for government funding if it would have resulted in a forced equity stake. Over the trailing-12-month period, Intel has generated more than $10 billion in cash flow from its operations.

Though discussions are ongoing and nothing is set in stone, as of this writing in the late evening of Aug. 20, the Donald Trump administration potentially becoming shareholders of some of Wall Street’s leading semiconductor stocks likely wouldn’t be a development to cheer.

People in L.A. and New York better get ready for a sea of ESPN red on their morning and evening commutes.

Walt Disney Co.’s is backing the Thursday launch of its sports media unit’s direct-to-consumer streaming app with a major advertising campaign aimed at captive audiences in their cars and on the railway tracks.

The aggressive four-week push is aimed at telling consumers that ESPN — long one of the pillars of the cable television business — will be available for the first time without a pay TV subscription.

The service, a major initiative since ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro took over the Disney unit in 2018, is a response to the growing number of consumers who are bypassing cable and satellite for streaming video platforms. The trend has decreased the number of pay TV homes receiving ESPN, which is a major source of revenue for the company.

ESPN ad on a Cadillac SUV used for Lyft.

(ESPN)

Consumers can subscribe to the new ESPN streaming app for $29.99 a month. Households already paying to receive ESPN channels through cable or satellite can sign up at no additional cost, enabling up to five people to stream the service on mobile devices and internet-connected TV sets.

“We designed our campaign exactly as we designed our product, which is to serve sports fans anytime, anywhere,” Jo Fox, executive vice president of marketing for ESPN, said in a recent interview. “So we want to make sure we are showing up in as many places as possible.”

The advertising campaign that starts Thursday will feature Lyft-operated Cadillac SUVs wrapped in the company logo and the promotional campaign’s tagline “All of ESPN. All in One Place.”

The vehicles will be concentrated in high-traffic areas near sporting events in Los Angeles and New York, where the U.S. Open tennis tournament will soon begin. The ESPN brand name and logo will also appear on the Lyft app and maps.

Mass transit users won’t be left out, as ESPN will take over the E Line of the New York City subway that travels from the World Trade Center to Queens. The exterior of the train cars will be covered with logos while more specific ad messages will appear on the inside.

The public address announcements at the Spring Street subway station — located near Disney’s downtown Manhattan headquarters — will be delivered by ESPN’s voluble $20-million-a-year man Stephen A. Smith, the co-host of “First Take.”

Signage will also take over electronic screens in New York’s Moynihan Train Hall and Port Authority Bus Terminal and billboards along L.A.’s Sunset Boulevard and adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

ESPN’s campaign will go beyond the major media centers on the coasts. The streaming service will be featured on TV screens in the home entertainment sections in 4,000 Walmart stores across the country.

ESPN also has a deal with Samsung, which will offer free yearlong subscriptions to the streaming service to customers who purchase a QLED 4K TV at Best Buy or Samsung.com. Best Buy stores will feature the ESPN app in stores as well during the promotion.

ESPN has already been touting its streaming service on air and in paid TV media buys with commercials featuring actor and WWE star John Cena. Cena will soon be an ESPN fixture as the streaming service becomes the new home of major WWE events such as WrestleMania and Royal Rumble, starting in 2026.

The ESPN app will include a number of features that will complement the live sports offerings. Fans will be able to create their own personalized “SportsCenter,” which will use artificial intelligence to provide a short personalized highlight program geared to the user’s favorite teams and events.

NBC Sports pioneered the customized highlight show on its Peacock streaming platform during the 2024 Summer Olympics, using the voice of Al Michaels. The voices of ESPN “SportsCenter” hosts will be used on “SportsCenter for You.”

The app will also offer stats, betting, commerce and fantasy sports information alongside the live game coverage shown on ESPN channels.

SEOUL, July 17 (UPI) — South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the acquittal of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong on fraud charges related to a 2015 merger, lifting a legal cloud that had hung over the country’s richest man for years.

The top court said it found no errors in the ruling by the Seoul High Court in February, which acquitted Lee of charges of stock manipulation and accounting fraud in a controversial $8 billion deal involving two of the company’s affiliates.

That merger, between Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T Corp., helped solidify Lee’s control of the company after his father, then-Chairman Lee Kun-hee, suffered a heart attack in 2014. Prosecutors alleged that Lee and other Samsung officials engineered a favorable merger ratio by artificially inflating Cheil’s value and depreciating Samsung C&T, harming minority shareholders in the process.

A lower court last year also cleared Lee of the charges. Thursday’s ruling by the Supreme Court cannot be appealed, ending a legal battle that has gone on since Lee was first indicted on the fraud charges nearly five years ago.

Lee’s legal team said the ruling “clearly confirmed” that the merger was legitimate.

“We sincerely thank the court for its wise judgment after five years of faithful deliberations,” the lawyers said in a statement.

Lee served roughly 18 months in prison after being convicted in a separate 2017 bribery case involving former South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

The legal drama has added to Samsung’s challenges as it navigates intense competition in key industries such as smartphones and semiconductors.

Last week, the tech giant announced a 56% decline in operating profits for the second quarter of the year, citing factors such as the impact of U.S. semiconductor export restrictions to China. South Korea is also facing U.S. President Donald Trump‘s pending 25% tariffs, currently scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1.

The country’s business community welcomed news of the acquittal Thursday, predicting it would give a boost to the country’s largest conglomerate.

“In an era of fierce global competition in cutting-edge industries, the removal of legal uncertainties surrounding a key company like Samsung is expected to have a positive ripple effect not only on the firm but on the Korean economy as a whole,” Kang Seok-koo, head of the research division at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said in a statement.

Civic groups, however, criticized the Supreme Court ruling as biased in favor of the massive chaebol, or conglomerates, that have long dominated South Korea.

“The result of this trial is that the court has once again made a pro-chaebol ruling with a passive and narrow interpretation of the law,” People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said in a statement. “We strongly condemn the judiciary for making a shameful decision that undermines social justice by acting as a shield for corporate power.”

June 19 (UPI) — Samsung likely will unveil the next thinner version of its foldable smartphone next month.

Over the weekend, leaks showcased a look at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 — it has a thinner hinge, larger camera bump and a 200 MP sensor. It will run on Android 16 and has an 8-inch inner display and 6- to 5-inch cover display.

“The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet — meticulously crafted and built to last,” Samsung said in a blog post earlier this month.

The phone is reported to be slimmer at 4.5mm unfolded. It has titanium hinge components, refined crease control and a Snapdragon 8 Chipset.

The camera is expected to be upgraded from a 50MP to a 200MP sensor and uses AI-enhanced image processing.

“With foldables, thinness has become more critical than ever because people aren’t prepared to accept the compromise for a thicker and heavier phone to get the real estate that a folding phone can deliver,” Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said on Thursday.

According to a Laptopmag leaker, the phone will be revealed on July 11 and will go on sale July 25.

Analysts are expecting models to be priced at about $2,000 and a little higher depending on U.S. tariffs.

CCS insight said that foldables will account for just 2% of the overall smartphone market this year. In previous years, over 50% of foldable phone owners have all switched back to traditional phones in the next upgrade cycle, according to data.

June 12 (UPI) — South Korea’s Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has invested $570 million in Canopius Group to increase its stake in the international specialty insurer from 19% to 40%.

Canopius announced Wednesday that Samsung Fire had purchased the 21% stake from Fidentia Fortuna Holdings, which is owned by U.S. private equity company Centerbridge Partners.

It marked Samsung Fire’s third investment in Canopius. South Korea’s leading non-life insurance firm channeled funds in 2019 and 2020 to secure a 21% stake in London-based Canopius.

The transaction, which is expected to take place on Sept. 30 this year, is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

“This additional investment goes beyond a financial stake — it represents a strategic milestone toward increased collaboration and shared value creation,” Samsung Fire CEO Lee Mun-hwa said in a statement.

“We remain committed to expanding our overseas footprint and driving innovation to evolve into a top-tier global insurer,” he added.

Established in 2003, Canopius has grown into a top-tier global underwriter, which has operations in more than 130 countries, including Bermuda, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The company ranks as the fifth-largest syndicate in the Lloyd’s London market.

Samsung Fire has actively explored investment opportunities in overseas markets. It spent $19 million in 2017 to become the second-largest shareholder of Vietnamese insurer PJICO with a 20% interest.

In 2018, the Seoul-based company channeled $20 million to buy a roughly 5% shareholding in Indonesian non-life insurance company TPI.

SAMSUNG’s latest release is the thinnest smartphone on the market.

If you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge now, you’ll get a free pair of Galaxy Buds3 Pro, worth £219, included with your purchase.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile

For anyone shopping around for a new handset, deals like this are a fantastic way to get more for your money.  

Sky Mobile is well-known for offering affordable deals, often sweetened by boosted data plans at no extra cost.

The standout pre-order deal here is the 10GB data plan, which is boosted to 40GB for just £12 per month.

There’s nothing to pay upfront either, and with the free Buds3 Pro thrown in, this deal delivers on all fronts.

If storage is important to you, Sky Mobile is also offering a double storage deal on the Galaxy S25 Edge.  

You can get 512GB worth of storage for the price of the 256GB model, just £40 a month, saving you a tidy £4.

This double storage offer ends on May 29th, so act quickly to enjoy more space for less.  

The Galaxy S25 Edge itself is a standout device in the S25 series, offering a thinner, lighter design compared to the other models.  

While I haven’t tested it myself, our Assistant Tech and Science Editor, Jamie Harris, has had a first-hand look at the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

He praised the handset for being “lighter than any iPhone 16 model around.”

There are trade-offs to achieve that smaller frame, though.

The Samsung Edge is so much lighter because it comes with a noticeably smaller battery compared to the rest of the S25 lineup.

It sports a 3,900mAh battery, compared to 4,000mAh on the Galaxy S25, but that still gets you around 24 hours of video playback with moderate use.

But for shoppers looking for one of the latest Android models without the bulk and weight of modern handsets, the Edge strikes the right balance.  

The deal is only available for purchases made between May 13th 2025, and May 29th, with the headphones dispatched with your device.  

We regularly round up the top data plans from all major providers, so check out our best SIM-only deals page for more savings.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile