Samsung Electronics posted its highest-ever first-quarter 2025 revenue on the back of strong Galaxy S25 smartphone sales, with robust mobile performance offsetting weakness in the chip sector.

The South Korean tech giant reported an operating profit of 6.69 trillion won ($4.70 billion) for the first quarter, up 1.2 percent from a year earlier and surpassing market forecasts by nearly 30 percent. Revenue totaled 79.14 trillion won, up 10.05 percent from the same period in 2024 and slightly above its earlier guidance.

Net profit rose 21.74 percent to 8.22 trillion won, boosted by solid demand in the mobile division and cost efficiencies across operations.

Samsung’s device experience (DX) division, which includes smartphones and consumer electronics, recorded 4.7 trillion won in operating profit on sales of 51.7 trillion won. Within that, the mobile and network business booked 4.3 trillion won in profit from 37 trillion won in sales, driven by brisk sales of the Galaxy S25 lineup and lower component prices.

In contrast, the chip-making device solutions (DS) division posted 1.1 trillion won in operating profit on 25.1 trillion won in revenue. Memory chip sales declined 17 percent quarter-on-quarter due to reduced shipments of high-bandwidth memory affected by export controls. Foundry earnings also weakened amid soft seasonal demand.

Samsung said it invested a record 9 trillion won in research and development during the quarter, highlighting its commitment to long-term innovation.

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