Samsung’s first quarter profit beats expectations

Samsung Electronics this week flagged a much smaller-than-feared 0.2 per cent fall in first-quarter operating profit, boosted by solid memory chip sales and strong smartphone demand, partly driven by customers concerned about US tariffs.

Sales of conventional memory chips used in consumer devices such as smartphones and AI chips likely came in better than expected, with some customers stockpiling chips ahead of potential US tariffs on semiconductors, analysts said.

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