SEOUL, May 17- World’s largest smartphone maker Samsung Electronics Co. captured a whopping 95 percent of all Android smartphone profits in the first quarter of the year, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
Data from the Strategy Analytics showed global Android smartphone profits reached US$5.3 billion in the January-March period, with Samsung capturing 95 percent share with US$5.1 billion during this period.
“An efficient supply chain, sleek products and crisp marketing were among the main drivers of Samsung’s impressive profitability,” the research firm said. “Samsung is, for now, the undisputed king of the global Android smartphone industry.
We believe Samsung generates more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does. Samsung has strong market power and it may use this position to influence the future direction of the Android ecosystem,” it said.
LG Electronics Inc., the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, followed in second place and took a 2.5 percent global profit share with some US$100 million.
Shipments of Android-powered smartphones totalled a record 161 million units in the January-March period, according to Strategy Analytics.
That translates into the Android platform powering 75.2 percent of smartphones shipped during the cited period, data showed.
The surge in the presence of Android-powered smartphones was attributed to the hefty sales of Galaxy S smartphones manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co. And Optimus smartphones made by LG Electronics Inc. Samsung ranked first in terms of smartphone shipment in the first quarter by selling 69.4 million and LG Electronics came in third with a shipment of 10.3 million.
-BERNAMA
