Apple Inc. captured 79.2 percent of global smartphone profits last year, according to the latest research by Strategy Analytics on Wednesday, highlighting the US technology giant’s ability to maximize pricing and minimize production costs.
The global smartphone industry was estimated to have posted total operating profits of $53.7 billion last year, with Apple’s operating profit standing at $44.9 billion, the research showed.
Apple’s Iphone (Yonhap) Apple’s operating profit margin stood at 32.4 percent last year.
In comparison, Samsung Electronics Co.’s smartphone business posted an operating profit of $8.3 billion last year, accounting for 14.6 percent of the global profits.
Samsung is still reeling from the global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, which was discontinued in October last year over safety concerns. The South Korean tech giant’s operating profit margin stood at 11.6 percent last year, while its annual sales of smartphones fell to $71.6 billion from $75.2 billion in 2015.
Profitability at Chinese smartphone makers is still low, although their cheaper handsets are rapidly gaining market share.
Huawei posted an operating profit of $929 million last year, accounting for 1.6 percent of global profits. OPPO took 1.5 percent of the global profits, while its rival Vivo accounted for 1.3 percent, according to the research. (Yonhap)
