Samsung
Samsung wants Galaxy Mobile kicking as AI semiconductors attract 8x profits
Executives at Samsung Electronics would have been smiling over record profits from the memory division on the AI boom, but the company desperately wants to protect its evergreen Galaxy Mobile business in the era of price hikes. MX and Networks flagged a second consecutive loss as the Divison has to pay more for memory, even though its own sister division isn’t offering a discount.
Samsung Electronics posted a quarterly operating profit above 100 trillion won on October 29, a first for any global tech company, yet its phone business still lost money. The memory shortage that fuels the chip windfall is also inflating the cost of every Galaxy, and management says premium models, foldables and financing offers are how it plans to keep handsets selling.
Samsung’s record Q3 2026 profits
Profits surged nearly 800% to more than $80 billion
Samsung’s third-quarter operating profit reached 107.4 trillion won, about $80 billion, up roughly 783% from a year earlier. The company said on its earnings call that no global tech company had ever cleared 100 trillion won in a single quarter before.
Revenue rose to 195.3 trillion won, about 127% higher than a year ago, and operating margin widened to 55% from 52% in the second quarter. It was Samsung’s fourth straight record quarter, following preliminary figures reported on October 8.
That breakdown is the real story. The Device Solutions chip division earned 106.5 trillion won, roughly 99% of group operating profit, per Samsung Newsroom’s divisional summary. Every other division combined added only about 0.9 trillion won.
DRAM, NAND and SSD are in heavy demand
Price gains, more than volume, powered the memory windfall. Memory analysts state that DRAM average selling prices rose about 20% from the previous quarter and NAND prices rose in the high teens, while shipments grew only in single digits.
Samsung expects Q4 DRAM sales to grow by the mid to high teens and NAND by the mid teens. Executives said tight supply should last into 2028, and Q4 contract prices are expected to rise to 15% for DRAM and 20% for NAND.
HBM is becoming the new cash cow
HBM is where Samsung’s AI payoff looks clearest. HBM4 revenue more than tripled from the second quarter and now makes up about 60% of HBM sales, while Samsung’s HBM market share caught up with its overall DRAM share ahead of schedule.
Samsung says its 2027 HBM supply is sold out at agreed target prices. It has long-term agreements with 10 major customers, is negotiating with 10 more, and wants such contracts to cover 60% to 70% of mid- to long-term capacity.
Samsung wants Galaxy business kicking
Memory crunch and component costs have reduced profits in Q3 2026
MX and Networks business lost 0.6 trillion won, about $450 million, on revenue of 37.7 trillion won. That is a second straight quarterly loss, though smaller than the 0.7 trillion won shortfall in the second quarter.
Samsung’s own phones get no special deal. The mobile division pays market rates for chips from its semiconductor sibling, and Samsung’s half-year report showed mobile memory prices up about 211% versus last year’s average.
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Samsung wants premium Galaxy devices to keep selling
Mobile executive Daniel Araujo said Samsung will push the Galaxy S26 series, the Fold 8 lineup and new premium ecosystem products through year-end, and expects fourth-quarter mobile profit to decline with raw material costs staying high into 2027.
To soften the sticker shock, Samsung plans financing programs and other offers that ease the purchase burden, aiming to widen its premium customer base around the S26 and Fold 8.
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Non-premium phones are no longer important, for now
Samsung reduced Galaxy A production
Samsung is steering scarce memory toward its most profitable phones. Korean media reported this week that Samsung told suppliers to cut fourth-quarter Galaxy A output by about 20% from plan, with a reduction of more than 10% in 2027.
Focus shifted to premium models
Araujo said third-quarter smartphone volumes fell mainly in mid-range and entry tiers while market revenue rose on a richer premium mix, and he expects that pattern in 2027. Samsung is not abandoning the low end, he added, but is redefining each model’s role by price point.
Galaxy A phones have historically supplied most of Samsung’s shipments, so deep cuts could give Apple a chance to close the unit gap. For now, Samsung is betting that flagship margins matter more than volume at the bottom.
Samsung is working on the Galaxy S27 series, and the company has just talked about the upcoming flagships, featuring “distinct” segment identities. Samsung today reported its Q3 2026 earnings and profits, scoring an 800% QoQ jump.
Galaxy S27 series is in the works, and rumors suggest the lineup will introduce Samsung’s most expensive slab-type phones. The company has expanded the range with a new Pro model, which will target a specific audience.
While the memory business has become a cash cow, the mobile business landed in loss for the second time in a row. Spiking component costs and memory shortages are worsening mobile profitability across vendors.
Galaxy S27 phones tag distinct identities
Talking about its future plans, Samsung’s Mobile Business gave us a pretty clear idea of the upcoming year and its launches. The Galaxy S27 series is coming with a “distinct” identity along with new form factor products.
Each Galaxy S27 flagship will introduce a more “distinct” identity, catering the lineup to the needs of different customer segments. The focus has been shifted to the upcoming flagships following the official statement from Samsung.
CAD renders: Android Headlines x Onleaks
The next flagship phones will likely focus on privacy displays, battery life, and chipset performance. Samsung isn’t leaving Galaxy AI behind, as it will remain one of the hottest selling points, elevating the Agentic AI approach.
Samsung MX Business outlook
MX Division’s Daniel Araujo stated that Samsung foresees challenging business conditions in 2027 due to rising component costs. To tackle the sales slump, the company will focus on financing options across its flagship products.
Samsung has already trimmed its Galaxy A production target. Shipments will decline for sure, and the chart will showcase the difference in the forthcoming quarters. Samsung also accepted that it expects to ship fewer smartphones in 2027.
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Samsung TV Plus is bringing more Korean entertainment to viewers in the United States and South Korea. The free streaming service is adding Korean movies, short dramas, and reality shows, giving fans more content to enjoy without paying a subscription fee.
Starting October 28, viewers can watch “K-Wave Wednesdays” on the Movie Hub channel. A new Korean movie will be available every Wednesday until the end of the year. The lineup begins with Exhuma, a supernatural thriller perfect for Halloween.
Other movies include The Roundup, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Assassination, 12.12: The Day, and A Taxi Driver. Two films, Salmokji: Whispering Water and The King’s Warden, will also be available exclusively through free streaming services.
From November 4, viewers can watch Iron Squad Season 3 on the All Action channel. This Korean reality competition features former elite special forces members taking part in challenging competitions.
Samsung TV Plus will add more than a dozen short-form dramas in December. These shows, from Lezhin Snack, will be available on-demand in the United States and on a dedicated channel in South Korea.
The new dramas cover romance, mystery, and comedy. Titles include A Cute Guy from Korea, My Baby Daddy Is My Best Friend, Touch Me If You Can, and The Secret Roommate.
With these new additions, Samsung TV Plus aims to bring more Korean entertainment to fans for free. The company also plans to announce more Korean movies and shows in the coming months.
Samsung Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring users will receive an upgraded AI-powered Sleep Apnea tracking feature. The company announced that it has secured approval for a Korean rollout and detailed the eligibility scope as well.
Detailed Sleep Apnea tracking
On October 28, Samsung announced that its 3-level sleep apnea tracking obtained approval from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). This follows the approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last July.
Samsung is introducing an enhanced iteration of Sleep Apnea with AI. Galaxy users can analyze respiratory disturbance data by the hour during sleep, broken down into three detailed levels.
Sleep Apnea feature is designed to measure and analyze breathing data during sleep. It lets users check their breathing status while sleeping and detect signs of moderate and severe sleep apnea.
The enhanced Sleep Apnea with MFDS nod analyzes the frequency of hourly breathing disturbances during sleep using an AI algorithm, helping users understand not just simple signs, but the exact level of respiratory disturbance.
Depending on the frequency, users can view results divided into three levels: Mild, Occasional, and Frequent, enabling them to manage their sleep health status much more specifically and systematically than before.
The new sleep apnea feature is available through the Samsung Health Monitor app downloaded on a Galaxy device. If a user measures at least 5 hours of sleep twice within 10 days, it is possible to detect signs of sleep apnea early.
Wear OS 7.0 required for detailed AI sleep apnea tracking
In its press release, Samsung confirmed that Galaxy Watch 9, Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Ring users will receive the new AI-powered Sleep Apnea tracking feature in November 2026.
Older models, such as the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 8 series, will receive the feature later, ultimately after getting upgraded to the stable One UI 9 Watch based on Wear OS 7.
The existing version, which only detects the presence or absence of sleep apnea signs, will continue to be provided on the Galaxy Watch 4 and later models running Wear OS 5.0 or higher.
China’s major technology companies, Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance, are reportedly seeking long-term memory supply deals with South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Some companies want to secure memory supplies until 2035, much longer than the usual three-to-five-year contracts.
The main reason is the growing demand for memory chips used in AI servers and data centers. As AI services expand, companies need more memory chips to process data and run their systems smoothly.
According to industry sources, Chinese companies want to ensure a steady supply of memory for their future needs. Major US technology companies are also seeking long-term deals to secure enough memory for their AI operations.
The companies are interested in two types of memory: DDR and LPDDR. DDR helps servers process data quickly, while LPDDR uses less power and is commonly used in smartphones. LPDDR is also gaining attention for AI servers because it can help reduce electricity use.
The rapid growth of AI has increased demand for memory chips and raised concerns about possible shortages. As a result, companies are trying to secure supplies in advance, even if they have to pay higher prices. For Samsung and SK Hynix, these deals could provide steady demand and stronger business relationships.
Galaxy S27 series will mark the biggest launch of early 2027, and Samsung doesn’t randomly decide the launch and release date. The lineup is reported to bring an additional Pro-tagged model, directly rivaling Apple, which is projected to introduce the cheapest iPhone 18 model around the same time Samsung drops its biggest flagships early next year.
Samsung has not set a date. Five years of launch data point to a Wednesday Unpacked in January or February 2027, with stores following about two weeks later.
Samsung has not announced the Galaxy S27, so every date in circulation is a projection. But Samsung’s launch habits are unusually regular, and the last five Galaxy S cycles narrow the field more than any single leak.
This analysis uses Samsung’s dates for the S22 through S26 to test what the pattern allows, what could break it, and where the S27 is most likely to land.
| Series | Unpacked Announcement | Market Release | Launch-Release Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S22 | Wed, Feb 9, 2022 | Fri, Feb 25, 2022 | 16 days |
| Galaxy S23 | Wed, Feb 1, 2023 | Fri, Feb 17, 2023 | 16 days |
| Galaxy S24 | Wed, Jan 17, 2024 | Wed, Jan 31, 2024 | 14 days |
| Galaxy S25 | Wed, Jan 22, 2025 | Fri, Feb 7, 2025 | 16 days |
| Galaxy S26 | Wed, Feb 25, 2026 | Wed, Mar 11, 2026 | 14 days |
The Wednesday rule is absolute
Every Galaxy S Unpacked of the past five years happened on a Wednesday. That is five events with no exceptions, whether the date fell in early February, mid-January, or the last week of February. Retail timing is nearly as orderly: phones reached market shelves 14 to 16 days after the reveal, on a Friday in 2022, 2023, and 2025 and on a Wednesday in 2024 and 2026.
For forecasting, this turns a vague two-month window into a short list. On the 2027 calendar, the Wednesdays that matter are January 13, 20, and 27, and February 3, 10, 17, and 24. January 6 is out because it is the opening day of CES in Las Vegas. Any rumored date that falls on another weekday deserves suspicion.
The January vs February tug-of-war
Samsung has split its choices: February in 2022, 2023 and 2026, January in 2024 and 2025. The earlier S24 launch was reportedly meant to lift first-quarter sales. The S26 slip to February 25 was reportedly tied to a late lineup rethink, after Samsung weighed replacing the base and Plus models with Pro and Edge versions before returning to its familiar trio.
Two outside forces now shape the S27 decision.
CES: Samsung has tended to keep clear of the show, and CES 2027 runs January 6 to 9. In 2024, Unpacked followed days after CES closed. That makes January 13 the earliest workable date and January 20 or 27 the more comfortable ones.
Apple: Supplier comments indicate that Apple is holding the standard iPhone 18 until early 2027. At its September Event, the iPhone maker has officially introduced the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo foldable.
Apple has not confirmed the plan. If it holds, the vanilla Galaxy S27 meets its main rival in spring rather than September. A January launch gives Samsung several weeks of uncontested sales. A late February launch runs into Apple’s window.
The pre-order pipeline
Samsung’s sales funnel runs in the same order every year, which makes the date easy to track once the first signal appears.
- Reservations and invite. Reservations open about two weeks before the event.
- Pre-orders. In the US, pre-orders opened on Unpacked day in all five cycles.
- Pre-order window. It runs 14 to 16 days, with freebies including Google AI Pro and more.
- Retail. General availability lands on the Wednesday or Friday two weeks later.
If Unpacked lands on January 20, 2027, an official invite should arrive in the first days of January, around CES.
Projection for the Galaxy S27 launch
My estimate, not Samsung’s: Unpacked on Wednesday, January 20 or January 27, 2027, with pre-orders opening the same day and retail availability between February 3 and February 12.
Until a reservation page or invite appears, treat every date as provisional. Look for a Wednesday, and expect shelves two weeks later.
CAD renders: Android Headlines x Onleaks
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