November 22, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics said on Jan. 24 that it sold 90 million mobile phones in the October-December period last year, in addition to 8 million tablet PCs.

The sales of the mobile phones, including smartphones and 2G phones, in the first quarter this year will likely increase, compared to the previous quarter, while the tablet PC business will see a sales drop due to decreasing demand, according to the tech firm. 

“The smartphone sales will reach the high 80-percent range in the first three months,” said a Samsung executive in a conference call on the day.

Samsung saw its operating profit jump 50.1 percent in the fourth quarter in 2016 to 9.22 trillion (US$7.92 billion) from the preceding quarter.

“We will try to have a water- and dust-resistance design, and a fingerprint scanner in the low-end and mid-range smartphones to offer a differentiated mobile experience for consumers while adding artificial intelligence to the upcoming flagship model,” said the Samsung official.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)