Samsung Electronics forecast consolidated operating profit of KRW107.4 trillion ($80.2 billion) in preliminary Q3 figures, the first time it would surpass the KRW100 trillion milestone.

With its chip business continuing to thrive, Samsung’s projected quarterly operating profit figure is a 782% increase year-on-year.

Revenue is expected to hit around KRW195 trillion, up almost 127%.

It would be the South Korean company’s fourth straight quarter of record operating profit, fuelled by an ongoing memory chip shortage driven by rising demand for AI services.

Josh Gilbert, lead analyst for APAC at investment platform eToro, told CNBC with “AI spending driving demand for memory and supply remaining tight, the larger story of the chip sector remains intact”, pointing to the fact emerging AI agents would require more memory than chatbots.

“Memory buyers are also committing to multi-year supply agreements, giving Samsung greater visibility over demand in a business where investors have always worried about the next downturn,” CNBC reported Gilbert as saying.

Samsung posted revenue of KRW171.5 trillion and operating profit of KRW89.5 trillion in Q2.

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Samsung reportedly raised prices across most of its flagship Galaxy S26 range as a global memory shortage pushed component costs up.

Bloomberg reported prices for the Galaxy S26, S26+ and flagship S26 Ultra increased by $100 each, taking starting figures to $1,000, $1,200, and $1,400.

The high-end 1TB S26 Ultra now starts at $2,000, up $200, Bloomberg wrote.

Demand for high-bandwidth memory used in AI infrastructure and data centres has tightened supplies of DRAM and mobile memory chips over the past year, increasing the bill-of-materials for smartphones, PCs and games consoles.

Bloomberg noted Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro range is more costly than previous editions and the vendor recently raised prices for some older models.

It highlighted Google’s Pixel 11 devices are also pricier than their predecessors.

Bloomberg noted the price of Samsung’s entry-level Galaxy S26 FE remains at the $700 set at its launch in August. The fee is $50 higher than the comparable previous model.

The news outlet highlighted Samsung held the prices of its Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8.

Bloomberg also flagged the $1,900 price tag on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as being less than the $1,999 price Apple plans to charge for its iPhone Duo, which is scheduled to launch on 23 October.

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