Apple’s quarterly earnings call may have left some shareholders a tad dissatisfied, but its main rival in the mobile field – Samsung – seems to be ticking the numbers over just nicely right now. The South Korea-based company continues to make exponential strides in growth, having reported a $6.6 billion profit last quarter – a full $600 million more than the previous quarter. The $6 billion of profit in the quarter before last was itself a record, which makes the figures all the more impressive, and with devices such as the Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy S IV on the horizon, one suspects the firm’s profits will continue to grow throughout the course of this year and beyond.
According to a report over at the Wall Street Journal, the company’s revenue has grown 18% year on year, and although the company yields acclaim for its wide assortment of consumer electronics, it is indeed the telecoms wing of the business which now carries Samsung. The mobile range of products was responsible for 62% of its operating profit – almost two-thirds – and with Apple posting moderately impressive, as opposed to overwhelming figures earlier this week, the momentum looks to be in the hands of the Galaxy maker.
Not all in the garden is rosy, however. The Wall Street Journal also points out that the company’s handset profit margins “fell to 17.4% in the fourth quarter, down from the 18.8% marked in the previous quarter” while “cellphone year-on-year revenue growth was 58%, down from 82% in the third quarter.”
It’s worth pointing out, however, that Q3 2012 saw the much-anticipated launch of the Galaxy S III, which sold millions of handsets almost immediately as consumers rushed to be among the first to claim ownership of Android’s poster child. Had the S III released in November, the numbers would have been very different, and to only have dropped ~20% certainly doesn’t significantly blemish what has been a great past twelve months for Samsung, all told.
MWC will showcase the company’s next major release – the Galaxy Note 8.0 – and with Samsung’s Vice President promising the Galaxy S IV is due to arrive “soon”, it won’t be too surprising if the company smashes the $6.6 billion record once again this year, at some point.
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