Samsung Electronics reported Tuesday its net profit had risen 5.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter with a decent showing by its chips division offsetting sliding smartphone revenue. Alarm bells have been sounding for a while over Samsung's reliance on smartphone sales in mature markets such as Europe and the United States, and increasingly competitive emerging markets such as China. The world's largest smartphone maker has a diverse product line ranging from memory chips to home appliances, but more than half of its profits are generated by mobile devices. This month saw the global roll-out of the latest version of its flagship Galaxy series smartphone, the S5, whose performance will be closely watched over the coming months.



More...