0
Samsung Electronics records 86.1 trillion won in third-quarter sales, a new quarterly high, on October 30. / Source: Yonhap News

Samsung Electronics posted consolidated revenue of 86.1 trillion won and operating profit of 12.2 trillion won for the third quarter, marking its highest quarterly sales on record. Revenue rose 15% from the previous quarter, with profitability boosted by a rebound in memory prices and stronger sales of high-value products.

In semiconductors (DS), revenue reached 33.1 trillion won with operating profit of 7 trillion won. Robust demand for HBM3E, server-grade DDR5 and SSDs drove the segment to its largest-ever quarterly sales. Samsung said HBM3E is in mass production “for all customers,” and samples of next-generation HBM4 have been shipped to every customer. System LSI maintained stable supplies of premium SoCs to key clients but faced industry-wide inventory adjustments. Foundry bookings hit a quarterly high on advanced nodes, improving utilization and earnings.

The DX set division recorded 48.4 trillion won in revenue and 3.5 trillion won in operating profit. The MX mobile business improved both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year on strong Galaxy Z Fold7 sales, a higher flagship mix, and growth in new wearables. Visual display saw steady premium TV sell-through for Neo QLED and OLED, but segment profit fell amid softer TV demand and fiercer competition. Digital appliances weakened on seasonality and U.S. tariff effects.

Harman reported revenue of 4 trillion won and operating profit of 400 billion won, with gains across consumer audio and automotive. The display (SDC) unit delivered 8.1 trillion won in revenue and 1.2 trillion won in operating profit, supported by small-to-mid OLED for flagship smartphones and QD-OLED gaming monitors.

Year-to-date, Samsung invested 26.9 trillion won in R&D, a record pace. FX movements slightly hurt DS on a stronger won but offered a partial offset in DX, resulting in a minimal net impact on group operating profit.

Looking to the fourth quarter, Samsung will push advanced products across chips and devices in step with AI-driven demand. DS plans to expand sales of AI-oriented HBM3E and server DDR5 and ramp 2-nanometer production to improve margins. DX will target holiday demand by scaling sales of AI smartphones including the Galaxy S25 series and foldables, while leaning into premium TVs and AI appliances.

For 2026 and beyond, Samsung expects continued semiconductor upcycle momentum on expanded AI investment. The company will add HBM4 capacity, commence mass production of 2-nanometer HBM4 base dies, and advance the Taylor, Texas fab. On the device side, Samsung aims to strengthen premium leadership with next-gen AI hardware such as Galaxy XR and Micro RGB TVs, while display plans to begin mass production of 8.6-generation IT OLED to accelerate OLED adoption in PCs and tablets.