TechHorn Lab

Unfiltered AI & tech analysis with a financial edge. We cut through the hype, expose the fails, and break down what actually matters for your feed. ⤵

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

You might not realize just how fast EV charging has become in China.

Last week, Geely unveiled its new charging technology. According to its published room-temperature tests, a Lynk & Co 10 with the new battery averages just 4 minutes 30 seconds from 10% to 70%, and 8 minutes 40 seconds from 10% to 97%.

BYD has reached similar speeds: its second-generation Blade Battery paired with FLASH Charging takes 5 minutes from 10% to 70%, and 9 minutes from 10% to 97%.

The power figures are even more striking: BYD’s chargers deliver up to 1,500 kW per connector. Geely’s new chargers push that to 2,250 kW—2.25 megawatts.

Of course, these speeds require compatible vehicles, suitable chargers and the right battery temperature. But for these EVs, charging is approaching the time it takes to fill a gas tank.

A charging stop used to mean figuring out how to kill half an hour. Now, your car might be nearly charged before your coffee is ready.

#Geely #BYD #EV #ChinaTech

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

AGIBOT has produced its 20,000th embodied AI robot. It reached 10,000 in March, then doubled that total in just six months.

Put that alongside the latest Tesla supply-chain report, and the story gets more interesting.

The Paper, citing an industry source, reports that Tesla’s robotics team has been auditing suppliers in China’s Yangtze River Delta, including Tuopu, Sanhua and Joyson. Many already supply Tesla’s car business and are now expanding into robot components.

From cars to robots, why does Tesla keep coming back to these Chinese factories?

Actuators, precision structures and controllers require manufacturing expertise and an established supplier network. China’s automotive industry has spent years building both, and those capabilities carry over into robotics.

AGIBOT is scaling production of complete robots. Overseas companies are reportedly evaluating Chinese component suppliers. That may be China’s real advantage in humanoid robotics: an increasingly connected industry that can build its own machines and supply the companies building everyone else’s.

#AGIBOT #Tesla #Optimus #HumanoidRobots

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Tencent’s QClaw is shutting down.

New signups and subscription renewals stop today. The service will close on December 24, with users offered a way to move their data to WorkBuddy.

Back in March, Tencent had QClaw for controlling a PC through WeChat and WorkBuddy for desktop tasks. From the outside, it looked like an internal horse race. QClaw’s former product lead said otherwise: the two shared a boss and had never been competing internally.

Then, in July, parts of QClaw’s business and team moved into WorkBuddy’s department. Now its users are being directed there too.

That may be the fate of many OpenClaw spin-offs: a product can emerge quickly during a craze, while its features and users ultimately outlast its name.

#Tencent #QClaw #WorkBuddy #OpenClaw

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

After vivo and OPPO launched their new flagships, Xiaomi took the stage with the Xiaomi 18 Pro series. There was plenty to talk about—the cameras, the rear display, even a transparent edition—but the conversation quickly turned to price.

Last year, the Xiaomi 17 Pro launched at 4,999 yuan (about $741) for 12GB+256GB. The same configuration on the 18 Pro now costs 5,999 yuan (about $889), up 1,000 yuan (about $148).

The higher you go, the bigger the jump. The 16GB+1TB Pro rose from 5,999 to 8,999 yuan (about $889 to $1,333). The Pro Max with the same configuration rose from 6,999 to 9,999 yuan (about $1,037 to $1,481). Both are 3,000 yuan (about $444) more expensive than last year.

And the 18 Pro Max Transparent Special Edition? That’s 10,999 yuan—about $1,629.

In China, the iPhone is starting to look like the value option.

#Xiaomi #Xiaomi18Pro #iPhone #ChinaTech

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Could AI take business away from Lenovo, Dell and HP in a way we didn’t expect?

Alibaba has shown off QwenBook, a tablet-like device with a keyboard. The idea goes beyond adding an AI assistant to an existing PC: Qwen is being built into the system experience, with access to meeting notes, email, files and a knowledge base. WPS integration is also in development.

The interesting part is that the device and its software can be designed around an agent from the start. That means deciding what information it can access, which tools it can use and how it carries a task through—without making users copy and paste between apps.

ByteDance has already partnered with Nubia on an AI phone. Now Alibaba is building its own AI device. If AI companies start providing the models, system experience and interface, can traditional PC makers keep competing on hardware alone?

I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.

#Alibaba #QwenBook #AI #PC

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Even China’s massive state-owned enterprises are building open-source AI models.

China Telecom’s AI subsidiary has released Xing4.0-29B-A4B: 29 billion total parameters, 4 billion active, designed for multi-step tool use and agent tasks. The company says low-bit quantization and memory optimization bring its GPU memory requirement down to around 15GB—enough to run on a single consumer graphics card.

The company providing your mobile service and broadband is now releasing AI models you can run on your own PC.

Why do I think China will gain more influence in AI? This is one reason: startups, internet giants and large state-owned enterprises are all investing in models and making them available to developers.

It’s starting to feel like the whole country is getting into the model business.

#ChinaTelecom #OpenSource #AI #LocalAI

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

It’s a packed week for Chinese Android flagships: vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi are launching the X500, Find X10 and Xiaomi 18 series on three consecutive days. Together, the three account for roughly 44% of China’s smartphone shipments.

But this year, the prices are getting as much attention as the phones.

The vivo X500 launched yesterday at 5,499 yuan (about $815) for 12GB/256GB. That’s 1,100 yuan ($163), or 25%, more than last year’s X300 with the same memory configuration. The X500 Pro starts at 6,499 yuan ($963), up 1,200 yuan ($178).

The new Pro Max starts at 6,999 yuan ($1,038). We’re firmly in iPhone price territory—and those are just the entry configurations. I suspect OPPO and Xiaomi’s pricing won’t bring much relief either.

Chinese Android phones have long offered some of the best value anywhere. But even they’re struggling with surging RAM and storage costs. Some higher-storage variants now come with 12GB of RAM instead of 16GB, while costing more.

If you bought a well-equipped Android flagship last year, you might have timed it just right.

#vivo #OPPO #Xiaomi #Smartphones

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Qwen Image 2.1’s weights are out. My first impression: image quality has improved a lot. Understanding what I actually want to create hasn’t caught up.

The image-generation component has just 7B parameters, but photos have noticeably better detail and texture than the previous model. Less of that plastic look. Chinese text also came out clearly in my test images.

Getting exactly what’s in my head from text alone is still hit-or-miss. Bringing my own reference images and editing from there works much better. Support for up to 10 references is actually useful here.

I haven’t noticed a major leap in prompt adherence. The dedicated prompt rewriter also feels optional; a stronger general-purpose model can handle that job.

What I’m waiting for now: community LoRAs and quantized versions for GPUs with less VRAM. The image quality is there. Getting the right content out of it—and running it locally—is still a work in progress.

#Qwen #QwenImage #AI #LocalAI

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

XPeng launched the G9L yesterday, starting at around $34,300 in China with a limited-time offer.

The 2025 G9 launched last March at roughly $36,800–$41,300. Eighteen months later, the entry price is about $2,500 lower.

Yet the new SUV is bigger: over 5.1 metres long, with a 3.1-metre wheelbase and just five seats. Rear-wheel steering is standard, maximum electric range rises to 755 km CLTC, and a range-extender option joins the lineup.

Depending on the trim, the rear cabin now offers individual zero-gravity seats, a fridge and a 21.4-inch entertainment screen.

A bigger SUV, more equipment, and a lower entry price. A lot has changed in China’s car market in eighteen months.

#XPeng #G9L #ChinaEV

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

One of the first Chinese creators to go hands-on with the iPhone Duo raised some pointed criticisms:

1. Durability. At Apple’s demo area, he unfolded the phone and gently flexed it backward. Reviewing the footage later, he noticed the outer screen flickering. He stressed that he hadn’t used much force.

2. Heat. He also reported that the iPhone Duo got very hot during use, flagging thermal performance as another concern.

3. A bigger screen doesn’t mean unrestricted multitasking. You currently can’t clone apps or play two videos simultaneously.

4. Using it as a second device has limits. WeChat doesn’t currently support tablet-mode login on the Duo, so you can’t keep the same account active on both it and another phone as you would with a phone and an iPad.

5. The two screens can’t have separate wallpapers, and you can’t record both screens simultaneously.

6. These findings concern the version he tested. That first incident, in particular, happened in Apple’s own demo area.

#Apple #iPhoneDuo #Foldable

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Vivo held its tech event yesterday. Today, it’s OPPO’s turn. Chinese brands, whether they make cars or phones, increasingly like to hold a technology showcase before the product launch: explain the new tech and software, then tease the hardware coming next.

OPPO’s focus this time is ColorOS 17. Overseas users may be more familiar with OnePlus’s once-popular OxygenOS. The two have long shared a codebase, while the Chinese version of ColorOS integrates more local services.

Food delivery progress, ride-hailing ETAs, parcel pickup details, flight and high-speed rail updates—all can appear in system notifications and Live Alerts. Add transit passes, access cards, app cloning and the Breeno assistant, and many everyday tasks no longer require opening each app separately.

ColorOS has plenty of fans on Chinese phone forums. Yet some overseas users look at the same software and see something bloated and flashy.

A feature one person considers clutter is something another uses every day. Phone software is increasingly trying to handle all those little chores for you.

#OPPO #ColorOS17 #OnePlus #Android

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Chinese phone maker vivo held its developer conference today. These events usually bring news about phone software, but AI was once again the focus.

This year, vivo talked more about harnesses and agents, with more emphasis on letting AI operate the phone’s functions. Its Xiao V Pro mode aims to let users give one instruction and leave the remaining steps to the assistant.

Chinese smartphone AI is increasingly trying to run the whole phone. Users shouldn’t have to remember where a setting is buried or jump between apps themselves.

By comparison, the voice commands, AI object removal and photo editing promoted with iOS 27 are already familiar territory for Chinese users. Apple is working on cross-app actions too, but getting a task done from one instruction is more interesting than another photo-editing feature.

#vivo #OriginOS #AIAgents #Apple

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Huawei and Seres have broken up.

According to CLS, their partnership will shift from “Huawei-led” to “Seres-led, Huawei-enabled,” with Seres taking the lead on products, marketing, sales and service.

In some Chinese online discussions, this already amounts to a breakup: Huawei steps back, and Seres takes over.

The stock fell on the news. On September 15, Seres’ Shanghai shares closed down 5.09% at 45.46 yuan (about $6.72). From last year’s peak above 170 yuan (about $25.12), the stock has lost roughly three-quarters of its value.

For many buyers, buying an AITO effectively means buying a Huawei car.

With Seres taking the lead, will consumers still see it as a “Huawei car”—or start seeing it as a “purebred Sokon,” Seres’ former name?

#Huawei #Seres #AITO #ChinaEV

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Xiaomi seems determined to keep the rear display on the 18 Pro series. President Lu Weibing has also said the company will keep refining it and adding new features.

The 17 Pro series’ rear display is one of the few recent smartphone features that actually caught on beyond tech circles. Even now, on subways in China, you can spot people using it as a little billboard for their favorite anime characters and celebrities.

But Xiaomi’s early teaser images leave me with one question: that camera below the rear display seems to be staying exactly where it was.

On the 17 Pro series, the ultrawide was picky about cases. A raised protective rim could creep into the shot. Its 17mm-equivalent field of view also wasn’t particularly wide—one of the phone’s few shortcomings, in my view.

Will the Xiaomi 18 Pro improve on any of this?

#Xiaomi #Xiaomi18Pro #Smartphones

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

The iPhone still gets things moving.

In mainland China, activating a phone eSIM has required showing up in person with your ID and phone at a carrier store—think an AT&T or Vodafone retail shop. Even reactivating a deleted eSIM can mean another trip.

Now, following the launch of the eSIM-only iPhone Duo, China Mobile says customers may eventually be able to handle eSIM services themselves through its app.

There’s no launch date yet, but at least things are moving in that direction.

After all these years, a popular device seems better at getting these procedures changed than repeated customer complaints. And the device doing it is, once again, an iPhone.

#Apple #iPhoneDuo #eSIM #ChinaMobile

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Some Chinese tech outlets are framing Huawei’s Pura X as the “grandfather” of the iPhone Duo.

Do you agree?

#Huawei #Apple #PuraX #iPhoneDuo

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

“For the future of humanity.” It’s someone else’s turn to say it again.

In March 2023, after GPT-4 launched, Elon Musk and others signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on training AI more powerful than GPT-4.

In July 2026, over 1,000 employees from OpenAI and other AI companies signed a statement calling for mechanisms to control the pace of frontier AI development.

Then, on September 12, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei called for slower advances in model capabilities so safety measures could catch up.

The reason always comes back to the same thing: humanity’s future.

A man always has two reasons for what he does—a good one, and the real one.

At this point, even the performance feels repetitive. One moment, stories about rogue models attacking servers are presented like AI has become self-aware. The next, we’re warned that pushing ahead could put humanity at risk.

Then tomorrow, it’s back to benchmarks, with everyone insisting there’s always a higher level—and their model is it. Scores so terrifyingly high, you’d think AI was taking over the world the following morning.

#Anthropic #OpenAI #AI

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

#gtavı #gta

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Rumors suggest China’s FAW and GAC could merge. The scale would be substantial.

Using their 2025 group sales, FAW sold about 3.302 million vehicles and GAC 1.722 million—a combined 5.02 million. That equals roughly 14.6% of China’s total auto industry sales, or nearly one in seven. This measure includes exports; it is not domestic retail market share.

Their businesses span Hongqi, Bestune, Trumpchi and Aion, plus joint ventures involving Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota and Honda.

For now, the rumored proposal appears closer to FAW taking a stake in GAC. A full merger has not been confirmed.

#FAW #GAC #ChinaAuto

[TechHorn Lab @TechHornLab]

Anthropic’s monthly whining is back…

[Anthropic @AnthropicAI]

We're publishing our most detailed threat intelligence report to date.

It covers how people tried to misuse Claude—for cyberattacks, influence operations, surveillance, biology, and building weapons—and how we found and stopped them.

We disrupted every operation in the report, and used the lessons from them to strengthen our safeguards. Where appropriate, we also shared what we found with authorities and other AI companies.

These cases are not typical: we’re highlighting some of the most sophisticated misuse we’ve seen. But they’re especially important to discuss, because they show us where AI misuse is headed, where our safeguards work, and where they need to improve.

We’re publishing this report so others can spot the same activity on their own platforms, and so we can give the public a clearer view of how emerging threats develop.

Read the report: https://t.co/0EJUnYEgfz