Samsung mobile phone sales up 54 per cent in Q4, and 40 per cent for the year

Samsung reported the expected strong performance for its mobile business, citing “strong sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note.”

The company said smartphones led the growth in mobile sales with developed markets, and the EU in particular, showing strong growth. Smartphone shipments were up 30 per cent quarter-on-quarter – although it stopped giving volume figures some time ago.

For the fourth quarter, Samsung’s mobile sales hit KRW17.2 trillion (US$15.3 billion), up 54 per cent year-on-year. Mobile sales reached KRW53.4 trillion for the twelve months, up 40 per cent on 2010.

For 2012, the company forecasts smartphone sales will grow a further 30 per cent, although feature phone growth will slow. The company also expects tablet sales to increase significantly year-on-year, with new mass-market models intensifying competition.

On a group level, Samsung saw a 17 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit for Q411 to reach KRW4.0 trillion. Q411 revenue was KRW47.3 trillion, up 13 per cent year-on-year.

However, net profit for the full year 2011 fell 15 per cent to KRW13.7 trillion despite revenue of KRW165 trillion, up 6.7 per cent year-on-year.