Samsung reports record profits for Q1 2012 as it gains mobile market share through Galaxy and Note sales while beating Japanese rivals in the TV stakes.
Operating profits for Q1 2012 total $5.15 billion (or 5.85 trillion won), with 98% Y-o-Y growth. Accounting for 73% of total profits is a strong mobile division, with profits reaching $3.8bn.
The Galaxy Note proved to be something of a dark horse for Samsung, emerging as the surprise consumer hit of recent months. The company should also launch the next Galaxy S flagship smartphone later this week.
Total Q1 Samsung handset sales reach 93.5 million-- or 25.4% of the global mobile market according to Strategy Analytics. Such numbers make Samsung the current WW biggest mobile vendor, as Q1 2012 Nokia sales reach 82.7m units (with 22.5% market share).
The company appears to be turning the high-end smartphone market into a duopoly, with Apple as sole rival. According to Bernstein analysts, Samsung and Apple controlled 90% of the 2011 smartphone market.
Samsung also remains the biggest TV maker in the world, described by analysts as one of "the few global TV manufacturers making money and winning market share" as the top Japanese TV firms continue losing more and more cash.
The company is merging the Samsung Display LCD-making unit with OLED production unit Samsung Mobile Display and the remains of its earlier LCD venture with Sony-- creating the biggest flat-screen producer in the world.
