Samsung’s Q1 2026 Earnings Hit All-Time High, Profit Jumps 8.5x

Samsung has announced its Q1 2026 financial results, reporting its strongest performance ever. Both consolidated revenue and operating profit hit all-time highs, with operating profit rising 8.5 times. This growth is mainly due to booming demand for memory chips used in AI systems, as well as higher average selling prices.

The semiconductor business helps to achieve massive profit growth

For the quarter ending March 31, 2026, Samsung posted consolidated revenue of KRW 133.9 trillion and operating profit of KRW 57.2 trillion. In comparison with the same period last year, revenue increased by about 1.7 times, while profit increased by 8.5 times. This is a huge year-on-year jump for the Korean firm.

Samsung’s semiconductor business played a key role in pushing solid growth in Q1 2026. The DS division generated consolidated revenue of KRW 81.7 trillion and operating profit of KRW 53.7 trillion. The company said its Memory Business hit a new quarterly sales record. This is due to high-value-added AI demand and industry-wide increases in memory prices.

Moreover, sales of HBM4 and SOCAMM2 helped grow performance. The System LSI reported improved earnings thanks to expanded sales of system-on-chip products. However, the Foundry business saw a decline, mainly due to off-peak seasonality.

OLED demand supports the overall display businesses

Samsung Display Corporation (SDC) posted consolidated revenue of KRW 6.7 trillion and operating profit of KRW 0.4 trillion. The division saw a decline in earnings in the small and medium display segment. However, the large display business performed well thanks to strong demand for OLED gaming monitors.

Speaking of MX and Networks businesses, the unit posted consolidated revenue of KRW 38.1 trillion and operating profit of KRW 2.8 trillion. The company said sales and profits improved due to the mix of premium smartphone models and cost optimization. However, the Networks saw weaker demand, leading to a decline in earnings (both QoQ and YoY).

Meanwhile, Samsung’s consumer electronics business (Visual Display and Digital Appliances) reported consolidated revenue of KRW 14.3 trillion and operating profit of KRW 0.2 trillion. In the Visual Display segment, solid sales of premium and large-size TVs improved profitability. On the other hand, the Digital Appliances segment saw only limited improvement.