Samsung’s preliminary Q1 numbers pointed to a bucking of expectations, with sales up year-on-year and operating profit likely flat.

The vendor estimates consolidated sales of KRW79 trillion ($53.5 billion) compared with KRW71.9 trillion in Q1 2024. Operating profit is likely to remain at KRW6.6 trillion.

Samsung noted South Korean regulations require it to present single figures rather than a range, but explained the numbers provided are the median of its expectations.

Even if its operating profit comes in at the low end of Samsung’s prediction, it would still far exceed a forecast compiled by Yonhap News Agency, which pointed to a near 30 per cent drop.

Response
Financial Times reported the numbers were fuelled by buyers building stocks of Samsung’s chips and accelerating acquisitions of smartphones to ease the impact of trade tariffs levied by the US in recent days.

In such a context, the newspaper noted Samsung’s share price received a bump, but not to the extent of rival domestic chipmaker SK Hynix, albeit each rise came a day after declines across the board on 7 April.

The Japan Times offered a similar assessment of the factors fuelling Samsung’s performance, pointing to sales of its top-tier Galaxy S25 smartphone along with demand for legacy DRAM, particularly for the server sector.