Samsung Electronics posted another quarter of record earnings in its Q4 2017 report. The South Korean manufacturer recorded biggest operating profit in the company's history in the fourth quarter of last year. Samsung posted $61.5 billion (65.98 trillion won) in overall revenue with an operating profit of a staggering $14.13 billion (15.15 trillion won) for Q4 2017. Operating profit for the technology giant surged 64% from a year earlier in the October-December quarter.
Overall, the company’s full-year revenues stand at $224 billion (239.58 trillion won) with overall operating profit at $50 billion (53.65 trillion won). The record earnings have mainly been attributed to the company’s semiconductor business. Samsung’s chip-making unit posted $10.2 billion (10.90 trillion won) of operating profits on consolidated revenue of $19.7 billion (21.11 trillion won) for the quarter. The world’s largest memory chipmaker is also upbeat about the future outlook for the industry as demand for NAND and DRAM is likely to remain strong.
Samsung display business saw strong performance in the last quarter as there were increased shipments of OLED panels for premium smartphones. The mobile division, however, saw a decline in profits on account of "lineup optimisation of low-end models," but there was a higher demand for Samsung’s top-tier devices such as the Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8.
Samsung is now projecting an improvement in its mobile earnings going into Q1 2018, led by an increase in sale following the release of flagship Galaxy S9. The South Korean giant may also release its first foldable smartphone this year.
We have heard a lot about Samsung’s Galaxy X foldable phone, but now it looks like the smartphone may finally see the light of the day. Samsung teased the release of its foldable smartphone revealing that the device may be launched within this year itself.
The company talking about the future of its OLED business said, “For the Display Panel business in 2018, the company expects OLED to become a mainstream panel in the smartphone industry and will reinforce its competencies in new applications such as foldable, automotive, and IT displays.”
Samsung reiterated the same when referring to its mobile business: “As for the Mobile business, Samsung will continue its efforts to differentiate its smartphones by adopting cutting-edge technologies, such as foldable OLED displays.”
There are reports hinting the Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone may debut alongside Galaxy S9 at the company’s MWC event. However, these are mere rumours, and nothing can be confirmed as of yet.
