Samsung has just reported its quarterly operating profits, and the mobile division of the Korean-based company performed well in Q1. Samsung attributed much of its recent success to the introduction of its newest flagship handsets, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
Apple's disappointing first quarter recently made headlines around the globe, largely due to a decline in sales of the company's core iPhone smartphone. The company saw its first-ever year to year sales decline for the iPhone, and the slowdown in demand was attributed to a general trend worldwide but also due to the lack of distinguishing or innovative features in the most recently-released handsets, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
Meanwhile, Samsung's fortunes seem to be moving in a different, more positive direction. After a tepid reaction to last year's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, much of which was attributed to the removal of two much-loved features, the removable battery and microSD slot, consumers are taking to the company's latest flagships, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, which brought the return of expandable storage and introduced waterproofing to the line. In addition, the curved display "Edge" feature introduced last year was tweaked for easier use and better performance, and has proven a hit with consumers, with some reports claiming that the S7 Edge is outselling the regular S7.
The company stated that, despite traditional weak Q2 smartphone demand, "the worldwide rollout of the latest flagship models as well as an increase in shipments of the mid-to-low-end Galaxy A and J series are expected to help the company maintain robust sales momentum and profit."
It appears as if Apple is now looking to take a page out of Samsung's book in developing its latest iPhones, as reports now indicate the company is looking to introduce waterproofing and dustproofing to its new devices. One area where Apple remains king, however, is revenue from smartphone sales, which was four times that of Samsung for the quarter, despite the fact that Samsung shipped a total of 60 percent more smartphones than Apple did in Q1.
