Samsung posts record Q1 sales, beats profit expectations

April 08, 2025 (MLN): Samsung Electronics on Tuesday posted highest ever figures for its first quarter sales forecast and said it predicted a better-than-expected performance for profits, beating market expectations.

The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

The tech giant said in a regulatory filing that its January-March operating profits were expected to rise to 6.6 trillion won ($4.5 billion), down 0.15% from a year earlier but up nearly two percent on the previous quarter.

This was almost 34% higher than the average estimate, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which cited its own financial data firm, as APP reported.

Sales were also seen increasing to 79tr won, a near 10% jump from a year earlier, marking the highest first-quarter figure on record and the second-highest quarterly revenue ever. 

The company did not disclose its net income or the detailed earnings of its business divisions. 

Analysts credit the high figures to record sales of the new Galaxy S25 series phone, which was released in February.

The gadget became the fastest ever Galaxy device to reach one million units sold in the shortest time within 21 days.

Shares in Samsung rose more than two percent in Seoul on Tuesday.

The revenue and sales growth was due to strong demand for server DRAM mostly used in data centres which offset slowing prices for more conventional high-end chips, TrendForce analyst Tom Hsu told AFP.

There was "strong purchase momentum" from some US and Chinese cloud service providers, who were investing in their data centres, he said. 

But "with the US government imposing substantial tariffs, leading to a potential for economic uncertainties", demand is likely to fall, which could hit future prices, he added.

The announcement comes a day after the stock market collapsed on a black Monday in Asia and Europe after China retaliated against steep US tariffs.

Experts warn the move could also impact Samsung, as more than half of its smartphones are made in Vietnam, which now faces a 46% US duty.

"Samsung's consensus-beating first-quarter operating profit implies its popular product offerings, such as Galaxy smartphones, could weather a tough business environment, when combined with strong cost control capabilities," Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said.

"Yet the pace of profit growth might slow in the second quarter given most of its smartphones are made in Vietnam, which subjects them to US import tariffs."

"A recovery in memory chip prices is a bright spot."

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