Samsung reported its highest-ever quarterly revenue and operating profit for Q1 2026, with AI-related memory demand and flagship smartphone sales driving results across divisions.
The company posted consolidated revenue of 133.9 trillion won for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, a 43% increase quarter-on-quarter while the operating profit reached 57.2 trillion won.
Device Solutions leads with memory records
The Device Solutions (DS) division posted 81.7 trillion won in revenue and 53.7 trillion won in operating profit, with sales rising 86% QoQ. The Memory Business set records for both quarterly revenue and operating profit, thanks to AI product demand, limited supply availability, and industry-wide price increases.
Samsung initiated mass product sales of HBM4 and SOCAMM2 for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform during the quarter and developed PCIe Gen6 SSDs ahead of schedule.
For Q2 2026, the Memory Business plans to deliver its first HBM4E samples and aims to capitalise on early demand from new GPU and CPU launches expected in the second half of the year.
The Foundry Business posted lower earnings due to off-peak seasonality but maintained design wins in high-performance computing and established a position in silicon photonics. Development of the 1.4nm node remains on track, with 2nm customer expansion ongoing.
DX Division holds profitability on premium mix
The Device eXperience (DX) division posted 38.1 trillion won in revenue and 2.8 trillion won in operating profit, with sales up 19% quarter-on-quarter. The MX Business attributed the growth to its premium product mix and cost optimisation. Revenue is expected to decline QoQ in Q2 2026 as launch effects from flagship smartphones taper, though the division targets year-on-year growth through new A-series devices.
Display and consumer electronics
Samsung Display Corporation posted 6.7 trillion won in revenue and 0.4 trillion won in operating profit. Earnings declined in the small and medium display segment due to seasonal demand and higher memory costs, while the large display segment maintained stable sales on demand for OLED gaming monitors.
The Visual Display and Digital Appliances Businesses combined for 14.3 trillion won in revenue and 0.2 trillion won in operating profit. The VD Business saw improved profitability on premium and large-size TV sales. The DA Business posted limited earnings improvement amid cost pressures and tariffs.
Samsung’s subsidiary, Harman reported an earnings decline in Q1 2026 due to higher expenses, memory constraints and audio seasonality. Recovery is expected in Q2 2026 on increased automotive supply.
Outlook
Samsung expects server memory demand to remain strong through H2 2026 as enterprises accelerate AI and large language model adoption. The company also flagged agentic AI as an additional demand driver. The Foundry Business plans to ramp second-generation 2nm production for mobile products in H2 2026, alongside mass production of 4nm memory products and LPUs for AI and HPC customers.
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