The world's biggest smartphone maker Samsung Electronics recorded lower-than-expected operating profits during the October-to-December period,... but for the entirety of 2018, the company's sales are at an all-time-high.<br />Kim Ji-yeon has the details. <br />2018 for Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics could be summed up as bittersweet... as it releases its provisional earnings report on Tuesday.<br />Fourth-quarter earnings have dropped sharply, mainly due to sluggish demand in the memory chip business... and growing competition in the smartphone sector.<br />Operating profits in the fourth quarter tumbled 28-point-7-percent on-year to around 9-point-7-billion U.S. dollars... while Q4 sales dropped by nearly 10-point-6-percent to record 52-point-8-billion dollars.<br />That's much lower than predictions made by local analysts which estimated Samsung Electronics would see 10-point-7-billion dollars in Q4 operating profits and Q4 sales of 55-point-4-billion dollars.<br />Meanwhile, the company's sales and operating profits both hit a yearly all-time-high in 2018 due to a semiconductor boom that lasted until the third quarter.<br />The company's combined sales for 2018 surpassed 217-point-7-billion dollars... and operating profits amounted to more than 53-point-6-billion dollars.<br />The worst may not be over for Samsung... as analysts anticipate semiconductor prices to drop further this year.<br />The Korean smartphone maker has attempted to recover from the dismal fourth quarter figures by joining hands with U.S. tech giant Apple... a rare move considering they've been locked into years-long patent suits around the world.<br />They've announced Sunday that Samsung's smart TVs will offer iTunes' movie and TV show service from this spring.<br />Both companies face challenges from Chinese competitors as they expand their presence in China and other emerging markets.<br />Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News. <br />
