While the Semiconductor Business landed profits in the quarter, the Display Panel segment struggled, as demand for IT panels for notebooks and monitors remained slow.
ENGADGET: Samsung reports $8.27 billion in profits for Q4 2012 HD
For the first quarter, however, panel demand is expected to be adversely affected by off-peak seasonality before recovering in March with new TV and tablet product launches by manufactures.
ENGADGET: Samsung reports $8.27 billion in profits for Q4 2012 HD
In the second quarter, market growth for flat panel TVs in the mid-single digits is expected on rising demand in emerging markets and increased sales of LED TVs which are forecast to account for over 60 percent of the TV market in the quarter.
Operating profit for the Display Panel Business turned around from the previous quarter to register 280 billion won on revenue of 8.54 trillion won in the first quarter.
In the first quarter of this year, First Solar outsold all solar panel makers of any type worldwide.
Solar panel makers have been reporting good first-quarter results for the most part.
Apple is reported to have halved its orders for the display panel featured on the phone for the January to March quarter, according to the Nikkei Japanese news service.
The LG Home Entertainment Company reported record sales of flat-panel TVs with 9.3 million units in the fourth quarter resulting in a 17.4 percent revenue increase quarter-on-quarter to KRW 6.44 trillion (USD 5.91 billion) and full-year operating profit of KRW 542 billion (USD 480.92 million).
Samsung's shipments of flat panel TVs outstripped market growth of more than 10 percent on-quarter, which was led by demand in emerging markets.
ENGADGET: Samsung's Q3 2011 overall profit falls despite incredible phone sales
Solar panel giant Suntech this morning warned that revenues fell well short of expectations for the third quarter ended September 30.
FORBES: Suntech Q3 Revs Miss; Italian Solar Scandal Spurs Restatement
Global market demand for large size LCD panels was flat with shipments rising just 1 percent quarter-on-quarter to 179 million units, while average sales prices of panels fell across the notebook PC, monitor and TV panel segments.
ENGADGET: Samsung's Q3 2011 overall profit falls despite incredible phone sales
应用推荐