According to SamMobile, Samsung is already planning to sell more Galaxy S26 smartphones than the upcoming Galaxy S25 generation. The company witnessed its highest Galaxy revenue peak back in 2013 at KRW 133 trillion from phones and tablets. After that peak, revenue stagnated around KRW 100 trillion for many consecutive years. This year, Samsung expects to reach approximately KRW 120 trillion in Galaxy revenue. The ambitious S26 sales target comes as the company continues its recovery toward previous revenue highs.
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<h2 id="samsung-revenue-rollercoaster”>The smartphone revenue rollercoaster
Here’s the thing about that 2013 peak – it was basically the golden era for Samsung’s mobile division. They were absolutely crushing it with the Galaxy S4 and Note 3, dominating the Android space when competitors were still finding their footing. But then what happened? The market got crowded. Chinese manufacturers started delivering quality at lower prices, and Apple kept eating into the premium segment.
Stagnating at around KRW 100 trillion for years tells you everything about how brutal this business can be. You can’t just rest on your laurels – the moment you think you’ve made it, someone comes along with a better value proposition. And let’s be real, Samsung’s software experience and update policies haven’t always helped their cause against competitors who deliver cleaner software with longer support.
Planning two generations ahead
Now, planning S26 sales targets before the S25 even launches? That’s either incredibly confident or borderline delusional. But actually, it makes sense when you understand how smartphone development cycles work. These companies are working on multiple generations simultaneously – the S25 is probably nearly finalized, while S26 is in active development, and S27 is in early planning stages.
The challenge is predicting market trends that far out. Will foldables become mainstream enough to impact traditional flagship sales? What will Apple do with the iPhone 17 and 18? How will AI features evolve and become must-have selling points? Samsung’s betting they can nail these predictions better than anyone else.
The uphill revenue battle
Getting back to KRW 120 trillion this year is significant, but they’re still not at that 2013 peak. And honestly? Adjusted for inflation, they’d need to hit something like KRW 160 trillion to match that 2013 performance in real terms. The smartphone market has completely transformed since then – average selling prices have increased, but so has competition and market saturation.
Basically, Samsung needs to not just sell more phones, but sell more expensive phones. That’s why we’re seeing them push the Ultra models so hard and introduce higher price tiers. But can they convince people to keep paying premium prices when mid-range phones have gotten so good? That’s the billion-dollar question – or in this case, the trillion-won question.
