The global revenue made by Samsung Electronics between 2005 and 2023 has overall significantly grown. In 2024, Samsung Electronics recorded a revenue of over *** trillion South Korean won, although only the second-highest recorded revenue for the Korean giant in the given period, but also the company's highest revenue reported in U.S. dollars with approximately *** billion U.S. dollars. Samsung Electronics and subsidiaries Samsung was founded in 1938 and originally dealt with groceries as well as the production noodles. It quickly diversified into various sectors including insurance and retail and became the present day corporation in 1947, after a joint investment in Samsung Mulsan Gongsa. The headquarters are found in Seoul, South Korea. There are several subsidiaries that account for the variety of enterprises that the Samsung Group undertakes including Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Heavy Industries. Samsung Electronics is one of the largest subsidiaries of the Samsung Group, making much over half of the group’s revenue. Samsung Electronics is headquartered in Suwon, South Korea and has assembly plants and sales networks in ** countries. Samsung Electronics generated most of its revenue in the Americas and Europe in 2024. Major divisions Samsung Electronics has four major divisions including digital media, semiconductor, telecommunication network, and LCD digital appliances. The company provides electronic components such as lithium-ion batteries and semiconductors to companies like Sony and Apple. Samsung is become especially known for some of its consumer products such as mobile devices as well as their home entertainment systems. Since 2002, the company has been one of the largest producers of LCD panels as well as one of the largest television manufacturers in the world. As of 2024, Samsung held almost ** percent of the global TV market share. In that same year, Samsung's smartphone shipments amounted to over *** million units, ranking second globally behind only Apple.

The levels of research & development expenditure at Samsung Electronics between 2009 and 2024 has been steadily increasing in recent years. In 2024, total spending on research and development at Samsung Electronics amounted to approximately ** billion U.S. dollars, The highest-ever recorded R&D expenditure by the Korean giant. Samsung R&D spending Samsung, a global leader in semiconductors, telecommunications and digital media technologies, spent nearly ** billion U.S. dollars on research and development in 2023. This amount is considerably higher than the 2009 figure, when Samsung spent around ***** billion U.S. dollars on research and development. Their expenditure has tripled. Samsung’s investment manifests, for example, in the more than *** thousand U.S. patents. Investment in R&D Software and computer services companies, and technology hardware and equipment companies tend to invest heavily in research and development. In the last few years, companies from these two industrial sectors spent, on average, about ***** to **** percent of their total revenue on R&D.

Samsung has remained a leading competitor in the global smartphone market. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the company shipped approximately 61.4 million units, accounting for a 19 percent share of global smartphone shipments. Its long-time rival Apple followed closely, with an 18.3 percent market share. Samsung’s smartphone market share The smartphone market has fluctuated considerably since 2009. Nokia used to lead the industry with almost 50 percent of the smartphone market share in 2007, but the company’s market presence dropped to around three percent in 2013. Apple and Samsung have remained among the top five smartphone vendors in the world since 2009. Samsung’s Galaxy, first released in 2009, is their main line of smartphone products, while Apple heavily invests in the iPhone, a primary source of revenue for the company. Samsung’s smartphone market share increased significantly in a span of three years, going from three percent in the second quarter of 2009 to 32.2 percent in the second quarter of 2012. None of its competitors have experienced a similar growth. As the overall smartphone market also grew, Samsung was able to maintain its position as the global market leader. In 2024 alone, the Korean electronics giant shipped around 223.5 million smartphones worldwide, and accounted for 19.4 percent of all smartphone shipments worldwide.

As per recent company data, around ** percent of sales revenue at Samsung Electronics was generated in Europe in 2024, whilst the majority was made in the Americas with a ** percent share. Meanwhile, China accounted for ** percent of the company's sales, while Samsun's home market of Korea represented around ** percent. In general, the American, European, and Chinese markets all accounted for higher revenue shares compared to the previous year, while the Korean market's share of revenue dipped by **** percentage points. Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics is a global leader in semiconductors, telecommunications and digital media technologies, and one of the most valuable technology brands in the world. Headquartered in Suwon, South Korea, the company was founded in 1969, although their presence today can be seen and felt worldwide. Globally, the company employs more than *** thousand people, with around two thirds of these employed outside of South Korea. Samsung in Europe In Europe, Samsung has a regional office in Eschborn (Germany), as well two research and development (R&D) sites in Aalborg (Denmark) and Cambridge (UK). Samsung spends nearly ** billion U.S. dollars on research and development each year. As stated by the company, their R&D hubs lead the development of future technologies, covering core themes including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and security.

In the third quarter of 2025, Samsung shipped approximately **** million smartphones, marking an increase compared to both the previous quarter and the same period in the prior year. The company’s strong sales performance consistently positions Samsung as the world’s leading smartphone vendor, ahead of Apple. Samsung smartphone sales – how many phones does Samsung sell? Global smartphone sales reached over *** billion units during 2024. While the global smartphone market is led by Samsung and Apple, Xiaomi has gained ground following the decline of Huawei. Together, these three companies hold more than ** percent of the global smartphone market share.

In the third quarter of 2025, Samsung Electronics recorded a revenue of **** trillion South Korean won, which amounted to roughly ** billion U.S. dollars. The South Korean tech giant’s digital experience segment was the largest, with sales standing at 48.4 trillion South Korean won in that quarter. Consumer electronics Over the past few decades, mobile electronic devices have become an increasingly integral part of the daily lives of people across the globe, with consumer expenditures expected to reach *** billion U.S. dollars in 2025. As one of the world’s leading vendors of smartphones, televisions, tablets, wearables, and consumer electronics as a whole, Samsung is well positioned to take advantage of this trend. In addition to producing products to sell under the Samsung brand, the company also manufactures electronic components to be sold to other vendors, most notably displays and semiconductors. Samsung Samsung, perhaps best known for its consumer electronics division, owns business ventures that span across a large range of industries. Controlling some of the top companies operating in every sector from electronics to insurance to shipbuilding, Samsung ranks among the largest conglomerates in the world in terms of market value. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within its home country and throughout the world.

As of December 2024, ****** male and ****** female employees were working for Samsung Electronics under permanent contracts at the company's South Korean headquarters in Suwon. According to its annual report, there were *** temporary workers that year. Samsung in South Korea   Samsung Electronics’ parent company Samsung Group is the largest family-owned business conglomerate in South Korea. These family-owned South Korean conglomerates, some other examples being LG and Hyundai, are called chaebol. The company and its affiliates account for around one-fifth of the country’s GDP. Other big players in the domestic economy include LG Corporation and SK Group. Samsung’s products and global presence  Samsung maintains a strong global presence in multiple sectors, holding the highest share in the global smartphone market as of 2023. Other products not limited to televisions, tablets, and home appliances such as refrigerators, contribute to its diverse range of products. Globally, the company employs more than ******* people. Samsung also features prominently among the largest companies in the world by market capitalization and revenue.

The number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions worldwide reached almost 7.3 billion in 2025, and is forecast to exceed 7.9 billion by 2028. China, India, and the United States are the countries with the highest number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions. Smartphone unit sales levelling off The smartphone market still has high growth potential, with the smartphone penetration rate remaining lower than 70 percent in many highly populated markets, in particular China and India. Global smartphone revenue reached 481 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, but was expected to have fallen to 463 billion in 2022. Despite stagnating sales, the increasing average selling price of smartphones is expected to support the market over the coming years. Leading smartphone vendors The leading smartphone vendors today are Samsung and Apple. These technology companies account for about half of all smartphone shipments worldwide.

In the third quarter of 2025, Samsung held the largest share of global smartphone shipments, at ** percent. Long-time competitor Apple ranked second, with an **** percent market share. Samsung and Apple smartphone sales Smartphone vendors have been suffering from the events of the past couple of years, including the pandemic and the economic downturn. However, they all appear to be recovering, as shown by the recent increase in shipments. For instance, mostly based on the main line of Galaxy Series, Samsung's smartphone shipments totaled nearly ***** million units globally in 2024. Next to Samsung, Apple is a major manufacturer of smartphones worldwide, with the company shipping more than *** million iPhones worldwide in 2024. Apple’s sales tend to be very cyclical, peaking in the fourth quarter each year, much like in the fourth quarter of 2023, when they took the first spot in terms of units shipped globally with around **** units. Xiaomi in the lead While Apple and Samsung are typically the two major companies challenging for the top spot, Huawei had provided a strong challenge in recent years. Particularly, the Chinese company managed to climb the smartphone market ladder between 2011 and 2024, recording shipments of over ** million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, strong performances from rivals like Xiaomi and the effects of the U.S. trade ban have since seen Huawei fall outside the list of top five vendors by smartphone shipments.

In the third quarter of 2025, Apple held an **** percent share of the global smartphone market, marking an increase of *** percentage points compared to the previous quarter. Long-time competitor Samsung maintained the leading position, with a market share of ** percent. Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone market Apple has been among the top-five smartphone vendors in the world since 2009. With the decline of former market leaders Nokia and RIM, Apple and Samsung were able to grow their presence in the market. As a result of political pressure, tariffs and restrictions imposed by the U.S, Chinese manufacturer Huawei has recently dropped off of the top five list in the smartphone market, while Xiaomi, Oppo, and Transsion have gained ground. Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impact on iPhone sales While the long-term impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on sale is difficult to determine, the immediate impact was quickly visible. While large quarterly fluctuations are normal for Apple’s revenue cycle, one must look back to 2017 to find two consecutive quarters in which Apple generated less than ** billion U.S. dollars in revenue from the iPhone. A less strong performance in the first quarter of 2024, lead by the iPhone 16, gave Apple the ****** spot in terms of quarterly global unit shipments after Samsung, although strong sales in the fourth quarter of every year is a common occurrence with Apple products.

Apple’s iPhone sales accounted for around *****percent of the company’s overall revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, the largest share of all Apple products. Over the years, services as well as wearables, home, and accessories have made a growing contribution to Apple’s net sales. Apple’s revenue growth amid the pandemic In the first quarter of financial year 2025, Apple’s global revenue reached around *** billion U.S. dollars. The Americas are Apple’s largest regional market and contributed to around ** percent of the firm’s sales in that quarter. Who are Apple’s competitors? Having a broad family of products, Apple competes with different companies in different markets. Samsung is Apple’s largest adversary in the global smartphone market, where the company had a share of almost ** percent in the second quarter of 2024. Similarly, Apple has a solid position in the PC market without a leading advantage. The situation is reversed in the tablet market and the smartwatch market, where Apple has remained the leader since the early days, staying ahead of Samsung, Huawei, Amazon, etc.

The total number of Apple employees dramatically increased from 2005 through 2025. As of FY 2025, the total number of employees had reached around *** thousand (only counting full-time equivalents), up from *** thousand recorded in the previous year. The fiscal year end of the company is September 30th. Apple Corporation—additional information Founded in 1976, Apple is an American multinational corporation that specializes in computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and online services. The company initially focused on the production of consumer and business computers. Over the years it has included a more diverse line of electronic products. In 2027, Apple was the world’s 7th largest company and the world’s largest information technology company. Even though Apple was the most valuable brand in the world in 2024, it was not among the world’s largest companies in terms of staff. Other information technology companies, such as Samsung Electronics or IBM, had employed a larger number of people. However, the revenue per employee of Apple turned out to be the highest among leading technology companies. Apple products Apple’s current product line ranges across personal computers, tablet computers, digital music players, and smartphones. The iPhone, a line of smartphones designed and produced by Apple, has revolutionized the smartphone industry with its screen-centric design and touch controls. Its global sales have skyrocketed since its introduction in 2007, with about *** million units sold in 2023. According to the quarterly reports by Apple, the iPhone has generated around half of Apple’s revenue between 2013 and 2024. The iPad, a line of tablet computers, counts as one of the very first players in the global tablet industry. Even though the global market share of the iPad has dropped since 2012, it still dominated the tablet market with a ** percent share as of the second quarter of 2024.

In the second quarter of 2025, Samsung held a market share of **** percent of the NAND flash memory market worldwide, ranking first among vendors. SK Group ranked second, occupying **** percent of the global market.

The number of smartphone users in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy and most populous country, is forecast to grow to more than *** million by 2025. Currently, estimates from different sources put the number of smartphone users in Nigeria at roughly ** and ** million. The exact number of users is hard to pin down - however, the data found shows a strong growth outlook for the Nigerian smartphone market with user numbers to at least triple within the next five to six years. Strong population and GDP growth forecast The population and gross domestic product (GDP) in Nigeria are both forecast to grow steadily at an annual rate of * to * percent until 2022. Nigeria’s population is very young (average age of 18) and expected to grow to more than *** million people by 2020. Concurrently, the GDP is set to reach more than *** billion U.S. dollars by that time. The country’s telecoms industry also stands to profit from Nigeria’s overall growth due to its contribution to the country’s GDP being steady as of 2012 (*** to ** percent of annual GDP). Smartphone penetration set to rise The dynamic growth of Nigeria’s economy and population is set to impact the development of the country’s mobile market as well. There are around *** million mobile subscriptions in Nigeria. But currently, only around ** to ** percent of the population is using a smartphone. The majority of mobile users are still using feature phones which offer basic phone functions like voice calling and text messaging. Smartphone penetration is set to grow though to around ** percent by 2025, presenting strong growth opportunities for feature phone and smartphone manufacturers alike. At present, Samsung is the leading smartphone vendor in Nigeria. Although, Chinese manufacturers like Tecno, Itel (Hong Kong), and Infinix (Hong Kong) are also holding strong positions in the market.

According to the Korea Productivity Center, notebooks by Samsung had a brand competitiveness index of ** out of 100 in 2025. The Korea Productivity Center defines the National Brand Competitiveness Index as an "index of brand competitiveness measured and quantified as a weighted sum of brand awareness, image, and relationship formed through marketing activities conducted by enterprises". Convertibles are gaining popularity While shipments of traditional laptops shrink, shipments of convertible laptops are increasing. Convertibles laptops are laptops that can also be used as tablets. They tend to be more portable than traditional laptops, while their specifications usually surpass tablets. For Samsung, the Pen series enjoys wide popularity in South Korea, while the Gram series by LG is widely popular as well. According to a report in 2018, the most popular laptop among South Koreans in their **s was LG gram. According to reports in 2018, Samsung is currently working on the development of new forms of laptops, for example with foldable displays. Notebook market in South Korea Due to the rise in popularity of tablets and the high usage of smartphones, the notebook market in South Korea is shrinking. While the domestic demand in notebooks fell from around ** million units in 2010 to around **** million in 2016. The production volume of notebooks fell accordingly. Nevertheless, an annual governmental survey shows that the average number of laptops per household is still increasing slowly, going from **** laptops to around **** laptops in the same period. Even though Samsung stopped selling notebooks in Europe in 2014, the South Korean tech giant is selling around *** million PCs worldwide annually.

In the third quarter of 2025, Apple retained its majority market share in Canada, accounting for about *****percent of the country's entire smartphone market. This was a decrease compared to the previous quarter.

In 2023, Nokia generated 19.22 billion euros in net sales, a decrease on the 22.26 billion generated the previous year. Nokia's history Founded in 1865, Nokia is a Finnish communications and information technology company. Over the years, Nokia has ventured into different markets: Nokia emerged as a global leader in the mobile market in the early days of the mobile and smartphone era. The company also played a key role in the development of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Nokia was once the leading mobile phone vendor. However, due to slow adaptation to newer smartphone technologies, Nokia gradually lost its market-leading position to rivals like Samsung and Apple and its mobile business began to lose money. Nokia’s business evolution After the sale of its mobile devices division, Nokia focused on the data networking services and telecommunications equipment business through its subsidiary Nokia Networks. As of 2020, Nokia's Networks Business is the most revenue-generating business segment of Nokia. The company has also been involved in cloud computing and mapping applications. As one of the leading telecom infrastructure companies, Nokia faces competition from Huawei, Cisco, Ericsson, and Qualcomm.

In 2025, according to the source's ranking, Apple was the most valuable brand in the world. The technology giant had an estimated brand value of approximately 574.5 billion U.S. dollars, followed by Microsoft, which was worth 461.1 billion dollars. The global dominance of technology companies Big tech companies take the lead of the world’s most valuable brands. Although brand valuation differs among sources due to different methodologies, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon consistently rank at the top in several rankings. Notably, business technology, media & entertainment, and consumer technology account for the leading industries driving the collective value of the 100 most valuable brands worldwide. The importance of brand value Brand value, not to be confused with brand equity, is a term used in the marketing industry to describe the value of a brand. The term is based on the implication that products with a well-known brand name can generate more money than those with a less well-known name. Strong brands enhance business performance primarily through their influence on three key stakeholder groups: customers, employees, and investors. They influence customer choice and create loyalty, attract, retain, and motivate talent, and lower the cost of financing for companies.

The smartphone sales volume of Sony Corporation consistently decreased in recent years, reaching a value of *** million units in fiscal year 2020. The company's smartphone sales dropped by *** million units in the last two years. Competition is becoming tougher According to news reports, Sony’s struggle in the mobile communications unit is closely related to decreased sales in Europe, Japan, and Latin America. One reason for this development can be found in the growing competition by manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi. Xiaomi and Oppo have entered the European market in recent years, putting more pressure on Sony. While the company does well when it comes to its game and network services, the annual sales of Sony's mobile communications segment, which incorporates smartphones and internet-related services, decreased significantly. Changing attitudes of consumers The global smartphone market has repeatedly been described as saturated. While there are some fluctuations throughout the years, even Apple and Samsung at times had to report shrinking profits. As current smartphone technology is already advanced, consumers are seeing less technological improvements in products, leading to fewer incentives to buy a new phone with only minor differences for a higher price. The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic also contributed to changes in consumer attitudes. Sony stated in 2020 that the high-end smartphone market was contracting as customers preferred lower-priced models.