Samsung Electronics’ preliminary third-quarter 2026 guidance sets operating profit at approximately 107.4 trillion won (about $80 billion) and consolidated revenue at 195 trillion won. The profit estimate is the first quarterly figure above 100 trillion won for Samsung—and for any South Korean company. It reflects a sharp earnings surge tied to AI-related memory demand, but it is not yet a breakdown of results by business division.
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The headline figures and growth
Samsung issued the guidance on Oct. 8 for the July–September quarter. It estimates operating profit rose 782.5% from a year earlier and 20% from the previous quarter. Revenue increased 126.6% year over year and 13.7% quarter over quarter.
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The profit estimate would also mark Samsung’s fourth consecutive quarterly operating-profit record, according to Reuters’ report on the guidance.
17 Samsung’s filing presents the figures as approximate consolidated estimates, rather than final results.
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How the guidance compared with forecasts
The 107.4 trillion won operating-profit estimate was slightly above the LSEG SmartEstimate of 106.1 trillion won cited by Reuters.
17 Other reported analyst averages differed: one market consensus put operating profit at 106.64 trillion won and revenue at about 200.64 trillion won, while another report described expectations of roughly 106 trillion won in profit and 200 trillion won in revenue.
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Against those revenue benchmarks, Samsung’s 195 trillion won estimate came in lower. The comparisons vary by provider, so the LSEG profit estimate and the reported revenue consensus should not be treated as a single unified forecast.
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Why AI and memory matter
Reports attributed the earnings surge chiefly to strong demand for AI-related chips and memory sales. Tight supply and rising prices in the memory market were also cited as factors supporting the results.
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29 The scale of the companywide profit estimate is consistent with a strong quarter for semiconductors, but Samsung’s preliminary consolidated guidance does not quantify how much profit came from any one division or memory product.
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What the preliminary guidance does—and doesn’t—tell us
The Oct. 8 figures are useful for understanding the overall scale of Samsung’s quarter, but they are not final divisional results. The guidance does not establish the separate contribution of DRAM, NAND or HBM, nor does it confirm particular HBM sales or customer-platform shipments. More detailed results were expected later in October.
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That distinction matters: the headline figures show a record estimate and a major year-over-year rebound, while questions about individual businesses and products require the fuller earnings disclosure. The preliminary guidance alone cannot answer them.