Samsung posts record Q3 operating profit of 107.4 trillion won

Samsung has released its final financial results for the third quarter of 2026, reporting an operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, or roughly $80.47 billion, an all-time record for the company. Consolidated revenue came in at 195.3 trillion won, about $146.33 billion.

Compared with the same period last year, revenue rose 126% and operating profit jumped 780%. Samsung had shared preliminary earnings estimates earlier this month, and the final figures surpassed all of the company's previous records on both revenue and profit.

Chips drive the bulk of the profit

The main force behind the record result was the Device Solutions division, which is responsible for chip design and manufacturing. It posted 147.1 trillion won in revenue and 106.5 trillion won in operating profit, accounting for the majority of both company-wide figures.

Samsung supplies high-end memory and storage chips to leading AI companies such as AMD and Nvidia. The division successfully scaled sales of HBM4 chips and server SSDs aimed at AI data centers.

Within Device Solutions, Samsung Foundry makes chips on contract for fabless chip companies. It expects double-digit revenue growth in the fourth quarter of 2026 and plans to begin production at its Taylor, Texas facility in 2027. Another sub-unit, System LSI, grew revenue and profit by selling more of the Exynos processors and 200-megapixel camera sensors used in Galaxy phones.

Phones, TVs and appliances post losses

Samsung MX, which covers smartphones and network infrastructure, generated 37.7 trillion won in revenue. Despite strong demand for premium phones, the division reported an operating loss of 0.6 trillion won, about $450 million, as memory chip costs rose. The company expects sales to improve toward the end of the year with the Galaxy S26 series and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.

The digital appliances and visual display divisions together recorded 13.9 trillion won in revenue. Samsung, which says it has been the world's largest TV brand for 20 years, saw TV sales slow after the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended, and these divisions posted an operating loss of 0.2 trillion won, about $150 million.

Display results and investment plans

Samsung Display reported 8.0 trillion won in revenue and 1.1 trillion won in operating profit. The unit supplied OLED panels for Apple's recently launched iPhone Duo, iPad Mini, iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. The company aims to increase its share of OLED panels for high-end smartphones, including foldables, in 2027.

Samsung expects full-year capital expenditure of about 84.4 trillion won, roughly $63.24 billion. Of that, 76.8 trillion won will go to the semiconductor division to meet strong demand for AI and high-performance computing products, meaning the overwhelming majority of the investment budget will flow to the chip side that delivered the record profit.