Samsung Hits Record Revenue on Galaxy S25 Surge; Q1 Profit Up 21.7%, Chip Unit Lags

Samsung Electronics released a robust set of first-quarter results today, driven by strong smartphone sales particularly with its new Galaxy S25 series. The South Korean company reported a net profit for the January-March quarter of 8.22 trillion won (about USD 5.75 billion), which is an increase of 21.7% year-on-year. The results beat market analysts expectations.

Analysts had forecasted a bottom line of only 5.17 trillion won, according to Yonhap Infomax, meaning the profits representing a much stronger result than predicted. The operational profit also increased by 1.2% to 6.68 trillion won. The revenue was up 10%, growing to 79.14 trillion won, the company’s highest revenue in a single quarter in history.

The solid performance was attributed to Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) division which encompasses smartphones, TVs and home appliances which saw sales increase 28% relative to last year to 51.7 trillion won and achieved 4.7 trillion in operating profit. The mobile unit alone was responsible for 37 trillion won in sales and 4.3 trillion won in operating profit during the timeframe, as consumers scrambled to purchase Samsung’s Galaxy S25, as a result of pending tariffs from the U.S.

Even though all the categories showed resilience, Samsung’s semiconductor unit continued its losing ways. Revenue in the chip unit slumped 17% year-on-year at 25.1 trillion won while operating profits were just 1.1 trillion won. The company said weak demand in high-bandwidth memory was a considerable factor that dragged down performance.

Samsung believes that a recovery could happen in the second half depending on easing global uncertainties including U.S. tariffs. In a news statement, the company sounded optimistic as their stock rose and Seoul and Washington are working on a ‘trade package’ that could be extended for a wider tariff exemption beyond the July 8 termination date.