Ultra-large TVs, OLED applications, 5G, and the Bixby ecosystem are marked as drivers for Samsung’s future growth, according to an earnings forecast released earlier today.
The South Korean manufacturer’s overall revenue is down 4% YoY, which is attributed to slow sales of the Galaxy S9 in an increasingly competitive handset market, as well as “weak demand for air conditioners”.
Sales of premium television sets are up however, as the televised fervour surrounding the 2018 FIFA World Cup continued to drive adoption. And Samsung is eager to point out their 50% market share in sales of ‘ultra-large’ televisions – or those passing the 75-inch mark.
The smart money
The company’s TV range gained a lot of attention this year for their implausibly large The Wall, a 146-inch screen made of customisable microLED displays, reportedly allowing customers to choose the exact size and shape of their set at purchase – though it might be a while off coming to households.
In 2018, at least, Samsung is pinning its hopes on the Q9S television, which is expected to launch later this year. At 80-inches wide, the Q9S offers an epic visual display aided by its cutting-edge AI upscaling technology – which will be able to convert anything, no matter how low-res, into 8K Ultra HD.
In the forecast, the company explicitly states its strategy to use “new form factors and innovative technologies” to drive hardware sales across their different markets. This is in line with new advances in its television ranges, and reports of Samsung’s first foldable OLED phone, the Galaxy X, which is expected to launch in early 2019.
Other areas of focus include the advent of 5G connectivity, the growth of the Bixby ecosystem of smart devices, and increased integration between customer products and services such as Samsung Pay.
