SEOUL, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Samsung Electronics, South Korean tech behemoth, posted the biggest operating profit in more than two years on the back of strong sales of its flagship Galaxy series, the company said Thursday.
Operating profit was 8.14 trillion won (7.22 billion U.S. dollars) in the April-June period, up 18 percent from a year earlier. It surpassed market expectations of 7.4 trillion won on average, marking the largest in nine quarters since the first quarter of 2014.
Revenue increased 5 percent over the year to 50.94 trillion won in the second quarter, and net income rose 1.7 percent to 5.85 trillion won.
Samsung's smartphone business generated 4.32 trillion won in operating profit, accounting for more than half of the company's total profit thanks to demand for Galaxy S7 smartphone series. Its smartphone revenue amounted to 26.56 trillion won.
It marked the first time in two years that Samsung's smartphone profit topped 4 trillion won. The smartphone unit's operating profit tumbled to 1.75 trillion won in the third quarter of 2014 after peaking at 6.7 trillion won in the second quarter of 2013.
Samsung sold 16 million units of Galaxy S7 series in the April-June period, while demand for lower-priced models such as Galaxy A and J series contributed to the smartphone division's outperformance.
Mobile phone sales, including smartphones, totaled 90 million units in the second quarter, with tablet sales reaching 6 million. The portion of smartphones in total mobile phone sales took up more than 80 percent.
The semiconductor unit recorded 2.64 trillion won in operating profit. It was a slight rise from a 2.63 trillion-won profit in the previous quarter despite falling chip prices that were offset by robust demand for Samsung-made 3D NAND flash memory chips and 14-nanometer mobile application processors.
Consumer electronics business logged an operating profit of 1.03 trillion in the April-June period, almost doubling 510 billion won in the previous three-month period. It was attributable to demand for second-generation quantum dot TVs and self-collection refrigerators as well as washing machines and air-conditioners.
The display panel division posted a 140 billion-won operating profit in the second quarter, turning around from a 270 billion-won operating loss in the previous quarter. Its revenue recorded 6.42 trillion won.
Positive second-quarter earnings came despite negative impact from the moves of the wondollar exchange rate. Samsung said the South Korean currency's appreciation versus the U.S. dollar and the European single currency reduced profit by about 300 billion won.
Samsung predicted a positive earnings result in the third quarter, with market consensus for the third-quarter operating profit set at 7.8 trillion won. Demand for chips and display panels are expected to be strong due to the launches of new smartphone models from Samsung and Apple.
Profit from the smartphone business is expected to fall amid the projected fierce competition following the rollout of iPhone 7 scheduled for September. Samsung plans to new Galaxy Note model in early August, but expectations for new model sales are currently low.
For the first six months of this year, Samsung's operating profit increased 15 percent from a year earlier to 14.82 trillion won. Revenue gained 5.3 percent to 100.72 trillion won, and net income climbed 7 percent to 11.1 trillion won.
Facility investment amounted to 8.8 trillion won in the first half. During the second quarter, spending on facilities reached 4.2 trillion won, with 2 trillion won being spent on chip equipments and 1.6 trillion won on display panel facilities.
HOUSTON Cheap Nike Epic React Red , July 25 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in New Mexico have identified the mosquito with Zika virus for the first time.
New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) announced on Tuesday that the Aedes aegypti species of mosquito, which can transmit the Zika virus Cheap Nike Epic React Blue , has been identified for the first time in southern Otero county and southwestern Hidalgo county.
The recent discoveries bring the total number of counties in New Mexico with mosquitos capable of spreading Zika to eight.
However, there have been no identified human cases of Zika virus in either county to date Cheap Nike Epic React Racer Blue , officials said in a news release.
Ten cases of Zika virus were reported in New Mexico in 2016, all tied to travelers infected abroad and diagnosed after they returned home.
Zika virus is transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.
Mosquito surveillance in New Mexico's southern counties is part of an ongoing collaboration between NMDOH and NMSU to map out the range and distribution of both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the state.
Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other severe brain defects. It is also linked to other problems Cheap Nike Epic React Black , such as miscarriage, stillbirth Cheap Nike Epic React White , and other birth defects. There have also been increased reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an uncommon sickness of the nervous system Cheap Nike Epic React , in areas affected by Zika.
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