Featuring Knowles SmartMic (IA610), the world’s first microphone with an integrated DSP enabling low power always-on voice-wake

Knowles Corporation (NYSE: KN), a market leader and global provider of advanced micro-acoustic, audio processing, and precision device solutions, today announced its solution was selected by global smartphone leader vivo for its new flagship vivo NEX AI (artificial intelligence) smartphone. The Knowles SmartMic (IA610) is a technology breakthrough combining the company’s market leading, high-performance SiSonicTM MEMS technology with a state-of-the-art audio DSP into a single, miniature package. The result is a flexible, highly integrated microphone solution ideal for applications that require always-on voice-wake as well as low power voice control. This includes mobile phones, headsets and battery operated consumer products as well as plugged-in devices requiring energy compliance. The Knowles SmartMic is the world’s first device to offer audio edge processing and lower system power in a ultra compact MEMS microphone package.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180612005589/en/

Knowles SmartMic (Photo: Business Wire)

With voice rapidly emerging as the primary user interface, the vivo NEX smartphone incorporates “Jovi AI”, an artificial intelligence assistant. The Knowles SmartMic plays a key role, enabling voice wake with voice command that keeps the system asleep for longer periods of time, saving battery life and enabling a better user experience. It’s the first microphone to incorporate an audio processor with custom-built machine learning (ML) support for audio applications and ML-optimized algorithms to achieve superior performance.

Unlike competing voice-wake solutions that only work with one particular application processor (AP) or architecture, the Knowles SmartMic enables smartphone customers to use the same solution across their entire product portfolio, regardless of the AP or architecture, resulting in faster time-to-market, lower development costs, and a consistent user-experience across their devices.

Vivo’s Vice President, Zhou Wei said, “Vivo collaborated with our strategic partner Knowles to customize a professional voice processor chip. This enables a solution to realize always-on under low power mode. In addition, it provides voice identification technology which allows the vivo NEX phone to recognize the owner’s wake up command more accurately. We look forward to working with Knowles in the future to offer world class audio and AI features to help differentiate our products in the competitive smartphone market.”

“Vivo is a true innovator in the smartphone space. Their approach to AI/ML in phones is impressive and we value the collaboration we have with them. From the beginning, vivo understood the value of adding audio edge-processing to their phones and we are excited about the partnership, not just for this project using the Knowles SmartMic in the vivo NEX phone, but for others in the future,” said Jeffrey Niew, President and CEO of Knowles.

For additional information about Knowles’ Intelligent Audio solutions, including its smart microphones and discrete multi-core advanced audio processors, visit www.Knowles.com.

About Knowles Corporation

Knowles Corporation (NYSE: KN) is a market leader and global provider of advanced micro-acoustic, audio processing, and precision device solutions, serving the mobile consumer electronics, communications, medical, military, aerospace, and industrial markets. Knowles uses its leading position in MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) microphones and strong capabilities in audio processing technologies to optimize audio systems and improve the user experience in mobile, ear, and IoT applications. Knowles is also the leader in acoustic components used in hearing aids and has a strong position in high-end capacitors. Knowles’ focus on the customer, combined with unique technology, proprietary manufacturing techniques, rigorous testing and global scale, enables it to deliver innovative solutions that optimize the user experience. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, Knowles has employees in 11 countries around the world. For more information, visit knowles.com. The IA610 includes a Low Power Sound Detector (LPSD), an audio processing algorithm with acoustic activity detection licensed as an IP block from Sensory, Inc. which device manufacturers can request to be enabled.

About Vivo

A global smartphone brand focused on introducing perfect sound quality and ultimate photography with cutting-edge technology, vivo develops innovative and stylish products for young people. We now have over two hundred million users and are one of the preferred brands of young people around the world. As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™, vivo believes in the importance of encouraging young people to embrace self-expression and an energetic lifestyle. More information about our innovative smartphones can be found at www.vivo.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” “budget,” “continue,” “could,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “objective,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “target,” and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The statements in this news release are based on current plans, expectations, forecasts, and assumptions involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those outcomes or results that are projected, anticipated, or implied in these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: MEMS microphone demand from our largest customers, in particular, two large North American OEM customers, a large Korean OEM customer and Chinese customers; the success and rate of multi-microphone and smart microphone adoption and market adoption of our “intelligent audio” solutions; our ability to stem or overcome price erosion in our segments; fluctuations in our stock's market price; fluctuations in operating results and cash flows; our ability to prevent or identify quality issues in our products or to promptly remedy any such issues that are identified; the timing of OEM product launches; downward pressure on the average selling prices for our products; risks associated with increasing our inventories in advance of anticipated orders by customers; macroeconomic conditions, both in the U.S. and internationally; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; our ability to achieve continued reductions in our operating expenses; our ability to qualify our products and facilities with customers; our ability to obtain, enforce, defend or monetize our intellectual property rights; increases in the costs of critical raw materials and components; availability of raw materials and components; managing new product ramps and introductions for our customers; our dependence on a limited number of large customers; our ability to maintain and expand our existing relationships with leading OEMs in order to maintain and increase our revenue; increasing competition and new entrants in the market for our products; our ability to develop new or enhanced products or technologies in a timely manner that achieve market acceptance; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, and test our products and sub-components; changes in tax laws or our ability to utilize our tax structure and any net operating losses and other factors that we may not have currently identified or quantified; and other risks, relevant factors, and uncertainties identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, subsequent Reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and our other filings we make with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Knowles disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media & InvestorsMike KnappKnowles Investor Relations630-238-5236Mike.Knapp@Knowles.com

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