Skip to main content

Strong Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge sales keep Samsung's profits sky high

samsung q2 earnings 2016 galaxy s7 edge olympic edition 06
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have boosted its profits to the highest levels the company’s seen in more than two years. The company reported that its second-quarter revenue hit 50.9 trillion won, or $45.2 billion. That’s a 4.9 percent jump from this time last year.

The South Korean giant’s overall operating profit in the April through June quarter was 8.1 trillion won, or $7.17 billion, which matches the earnings guidance it reported earlier this month. That’s up 18 percent from a year prior, but the hallmark is its mobile division, which raked in 4.32 trillion won, or $3.82 billion. That’s the best quarterly performance since the second quarter of 2014.

Samsung says “a streamlined mid-to-low-end smartphone lineup also contributed to improved profitability.” Samsung has been looking to cut down on the number of budget devices it makes, and that seems to have helped cut costs. Still, in the earnings call the company says it will launch the Galaxy C series as an exclusive for China.

According to the New York Times, Samsung’s smartphone shipments during the second quarter are estimated to sit between 75.6 million and 78.3 million. An impressive number that’s almost double what Apple shipped in the same time frame.

While Apple has been struggling to improve iPhone sales — it shipped 40.4 million units — Samsung’s newest devices have been outselling the Cupertino company’s iPhone 6S/6S Plus for the first time in the U.S. For the second half of the year, the Korean giant expects “solid performance” to continue compared to the first half.

The release of the company’s “next big thing” might help, too. Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Note 7 phablet on Tuesday, August 2. Here’s everything we know about the device so far.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra leaked, and it looks ridiculous
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra square dial leaked render.

Samsung is only a few weeks away from its next big Unpacked event, so it's natural for the leaks to start seeping through. Previous leaks have exposed what the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Flip 6 phones are expected to look like, while Samsung has jubilantly showcased the Galaxy Ring multiple times.

Now, it's time for the watches, with a new design leak revealing the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra -- a new variant that will launch alongside the standard Galaxy Watch 7 and the cheaper Watch 7 FE. And the design sure is something.

Read more
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 will get a small (but critical) upgrade
Someone wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.

Poor battery life is often one of the biggest hurdles for a smartwatch. Samsung knows this and is about to address it on its upcoming Galaxy Watch 7. According to filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ,the new watch will feature improved charging capabilities.

The FCC filings include listings for at least three new Samsung watches. As spotted by Droid Life, the listings for the SM-L300, SM-L305, SM-L310, SM-L315, and SM-R861 are for the Galaxy Watch 7 (Bluetooth only), Galaxy Watch 7 (LTE), and Galaxy Watch FE. Some new watches are expected to support charging up to 15 watts, which is 50% faster than the current Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic models that only support charging up to 10W. This means the new watches might only take 45 minutes to charge from 0% to 100%, compared to the current 90 minutes for the Galaxy Watch 6.

Read more
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 just got a lot more exciting
Someone wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.

Galaxy Watch 6 Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 will likely debut sometime this year. Information about the wearable, which could see an Ultra or Pro model for the first time, has been sparse. Today, however, some exciting news leaked.

Read more