Samsung Electronics – Company Overview, Size, Revenue, History and more

Green IT, Hardware, Telecoms

Based in Seoul, South Korea, Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest IT company. Here we offer an overview of the company, its products and services, size, revenue, history and more.

Samsung Electronics is one of the world’s largest technology companies and the flagship electronics business within South Korea’s Samsung Group. It is best known for smartphones, TVs, memory chips, displays and home appliances, but its reach extends much further into semiconductors, 5G networks, tablets, PCs, wearables, smart home technology, digital signage, automotive electronics and connected audio.

In 2025, Samsung Electronics reported full-year revenue of approximately $234.7 billion and operating profit of approximately $30.7 billion, based on conversion from its reported Korean won results using the 2025 average USD/KRW exchange rate. The company also reported Q4 2025 revenue of approximately $66.0 billion and Q4 operating profit of approximately $14.1 billion.

According to Samsung’s own global fast-facts data, Samsung Electronics had 259,149 employees, 221 global bases and operations across 76 countries at the end of 2025.

 

Main Products and Services

Consumer Electronics and Mobile Devices

Samsung’s consumer technology portfolio includes Galaxy smartphones, foldable phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, wireless earbuds, TVs, monitors, projectors and digital displays. The Galaxy brand is one of the world’s most recognisable mobile technology brands and competes directly with Apple’s iPhone ecosystem at the premium end of the market.

Home Appliances

Samsung sells a wide range of home appliances, including refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners, ovens, air conditioners and other connected household products. Many of these are integrated with Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem, which connects appliances, phones, TVs and smart home devices.

Semiconductors

Samsung is one of the world’s most important semiconductor companies. Its chip business includes DRAM, NAND flash, SSDs, mobile processors, image sensors and foundry services for customers that outsource chip manufacturing. This makes Samsung both a consumer-facing brand and a critical supplier to other technology companies.

Displays

Through Samsung Display, the company is a major supplier of OLED and other advanced display technologies used in smartphones, monitors, TVs, tablets and other devices. Its display expertise is a major reason Samsung has remained strong in premium TVs, foldable phones and high-end mobile devices.

Networks and Enterprise Technology

Samsung also provides telecoms network equipment, including 5G infrastructure, as well as enterprise mobility tools, business displays, security solutions and device management services.

Harman and Automotive Technology

Samsung owns Harman, giving it a strong position in connected car systems, infotainment, professional audio and consumer audio. Harman’s brands include JBL and Harman Kardon, and the business gives Samsung an important route into the automotive and premium audio markets.

 

Company Size

Measure Latest Available Figure
Full-year revenue Approximately $234.7 billion in 2025
Operating profit Approximately $30.7 billion in 2025
Q4 2025 revenue Approximately $66.0 billion
Q4 2025 operating profit Approximately $14.1 billion
Employees 259,149 at the end of 2025
Countries 76
Global bases 221
Manufacturing sites 33
R&D centres 40
Design centres 7

Currency note: Samsung reports its financial results in Korean won. The US dollar figures above are approximate conversions using the 2025 annual average exchange rate of 1 USD = 1,421.3963 KRW.

 

Where Samsung Electronics Is Most Dominant

Televisions

Samsung is especially dominant in the global TV market. The company has held the number one position in the global TV market since 2006. In 2025, Samsung recorded a 29.1% share of the global TV market, and it was particularly strong in premium TVs, with a 54.3% share of the segment priced above $2,500.

Smartphones

Samsung remains one of the world’s leading smartphone manufacturers. Its Galaxy range covers premium flagships, foldable devices, mid-range handsets and more affordable smartphones. Samsung’s main competitive strength is the breadth of its range, allowing it to compete across more price points and regions than most smartphone brands.

Memory Chips

Samsung is a global leader in memory semiconductors, especially DRAM and NAND flash. In Q1 2026, Counterpoint Research reported that Samsung led the global DRAM market with a 38% share. This position is strategically important because demand for memory is rising sharply due to AI data centres, cloud computing, advanced smartphones, PCs, gaming devices and connected vehicles.

Displays

Samsung is also one of the most important companies in advanced display technology. Its expertise in OLED, premium TV displays and foldable-device screens supports both its own products and component sales to other manufacturers.

 

Company History

Samsung as a wider group was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chull as a trading company in Korea. Samsung Electronics was created later, in 1969, as the group moved into electronics manufacturing.

The company’s early electronics products included black-and-white televisions, home appliances and consumer electronics. During the 1970s and 1980s, Samsung expanded into components, semiconductors and international manufacturing. Over time, it shifted from being seen mainly as a low-cost electronics manufacturer to becoming a premium global technology brand.

A major turning point came in the 1990s and 2000s, when Samsung invested heavily in design, quality, mobile phones, memory chips and displays. Its growing semiconductor capability gave it a strategic advantage because it could manufacture many of the key components used in its own devices while also supplying other technology companies.

The Galaxy smartphone range became one of the defining products of the Android era and helped Samsung become Apple’s most serious global rival in premium smartphones. At the same time, Samsung’s leadership in TVs, displays and memory chips made it one of the most important technology manufacturers in the world.

 

Business Model and Strategic Strengths

Samsung’s biggest strength is its unusual combination of consumer brand power and deep manufacturing capability. Many technology companies are strong in either finished devices, software, chips or components. Samsung is strong across several of these layers at once.

This gives the company several advantages. It can sell finished products directly to consumers, such as phones, TVs and appliances, while also supplying critical components, such as memory chips and displays, to other technology companies. Its scale allows it to invest heavily in factories, research, supply chains and product launches. Its product range also gives it multiple routes into connected homes, mobile computing, entertainment, enterprise technology and automotive electronics.

 

Current Challenges

Samsung’s scale also brings significant challenges. In smartphones, it faces pressure from Apple at the premium end and from Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Honor in many mid-range and value segments. In semiconductors, profitability can be cyclical because memory prices rise and fall with global supply and demand.

Samsung also faces intense competition in AI-related semiconductor markets, particularly in high-bandwidth memory. As AI infrastructure grows, Samsung’s ability to supply advanced memory products to major cloud, chip and device companies will be increasingly important.

Other risks include geopolitical tensions, export controls, supply chain disruption, labour issues, rising manufacturing costs and the enormous capital expenditure needed to remain competitive in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

 

Overall Assessment

Samsung Electronics is not just a consumer electronics company. It is a vertically integrated global technology manufacturer with leading positions in smartphones, TVs, memory chips, displays, connected appliances, telecoms equipment and automotive audio.

Its importance has grown further as artificial intelligence increases demand for memory, storage, advanced chips and high-performance devices. Samsung’s strongest competitive advantages are scale, brand recognition, manufacturing depth, R&D investment and its ability to operate across both consumer and component markets. Its biggest risks are intense competition, chip-cycle volatility, margin pressure in mobile devices and the need to keep pace with rapid changes in AI, semiconductor manufacturing and connected-device ecosystems.

 

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