Samsung

Corporate brand

A South Korean multinational business group whose affiliates span electronics, semiconductors, construction, shipbuilding, finance, chemicals, advertising, hospitality and biopharmaceuticals.

Last updated November 4, 2026

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Overview

Samsung is a South Korean multinational business group and one of the country’s largest chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates. It was founded in Daegu in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul as a small trading company dealing in dried fish, groceries and noodles. The business moved its headquarters to Seoul after the Second World War and Korean War period, then diversified into food processing, textiles, retail, insurance and securities. This expansion established the broad industrial base that later became associated with the Samsung name. Samsung entered electronics in the late 1960s. Samsung Electronics was established in 1969, initially producing consumer products such as black-and-white televisions and later expanding into color television, microwave ovens, telecommunications equipment and home appliances. The group also entered construction and shipbuilding during the 1970s. These businesses, together with electronics, became important drivers of Samsung’s growth and internationalization. Samsung Electronics’ later investment in research, manufacturing scale and overseas facilities transformed it from a domestic appliance producer into a global technology company. During the 1980s and 1990s, Samsung expanded its telecommunications, semiconductor and display activities. It invested heavily in research and development, established production and development sites outside South Korea, and became a major producer of memory chips and liquid-crystal display panels. The group’s construction affiliates won major international projects, while Samsung Heavy Industries developed large commercial vessels and offshore facilities. After founder Lee Byung-chul died in 1987, several businesses later separated from the group, forming independent organizations including Shinsegae, CJ, Hansol and JoongAng. Samsung itself increasingly concentrated on electronics, engineering, chemicals and related strategic industries. Samsung Electronics became the group’s most visible international affiliate. Its portfolio includes Galaxy smartphones and tablets, foldable devices, watches and earbuds; televisions and monitors; refrigerators, washing machines and other connected appliances; memory and storage products; system semiconductors; foundry manufacturing; displays; and network equipment. The company’s Galaxy brand, introduced in the smartphone era around 2010, developed into a broader device and software ecosystem. Samsung has also used Olympic sponsorship and global brand campaigns to associate its products with innovation, communication and human possibility. The wider group remains diversified. Important affiliates and business interests include Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung SDS, Samsung C&T, Samsung Engineering, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Securities, Hotel Shilla, Cheil Worldwide and Samsung Biologics. Not every business using the Samsung name is owned or managed in the same way, and some former affiliates are no longer part of the group. Samsung has faced substantial legal and governance scrutiny. Controversies have included allegations concerning secret funds and political influence, labor-relations practices, succession-related transactions, intellectual-property litigation and the Galaxy Note 7 battery recall. Lee Jae-yong, the group’s de facto leader and head of Samsung Electronics, was appointed executive chairman of Samsung Electronics in 2022. In the 2020s, Samsung’s strategic priorities included artificial intelligence, high-bandwidth memory, advanced semiconductor manufacturing, mobile devices, displays, connected appliances and biopharmaceutical production. Samsung Electronics’ reported financial results should not be treated as consolidated results for the entire Samsung Group.

History

Samsung began in 1938 when Lee Byung-chul established a trading company in Daegu. The original business handled food and everyday goods, but postwar expansion brought Samsung into sugar refining, textiles, retail, insurance, securities and other activities. The group’s early diversification reflected its founder’s ambition to build a broad national industrial enterprise rather than remain a specialist trading house. Electronics became a defining activity at the end of the 1960s. Samsung Electronics was formed in 1969 and began with televisions and other consumer products. In the 1970s, Samsung expanded television exports and entered telecommunications, construction and shipbuilding. These moves created capabilities in manufacturing, engineering and international contracting that later supported its transition into high-technology businesses. The 1980s brought sustained investment in overseas factories and research. Samsung acquired a telecommunications hardware business in 1980 and developed telephone and fax manufacturing. It also built or opened facilities in Portugal, the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom. Semiconductor and display research became increasingly important, and Samsung Electronics began shifting from lower-cost consumer manufacturing toward advanced components and digitally integrated products. Following Lee Byung-chul’s death in 1987, the family business underwent major organizational changes. Businesses that later became Shinsegae, CJ, Hansol and JoongAng separated from Samsung and developed independently. Under Lee Kun-hee, Samsung Electronics pursued a quality-focused and internationally oriented transformation during the 1990s. Samsung became a leading memory-chip producer, developed liquid-crystal display manufacturing and expanded mobile communications. Samsung’s construction interests also gained international recognition through projects such as Petronas Towers, Taipei 101 and the Burj Khalifa. The group entered the new millennium with electronics, components and telecommunications at the center of its global identity. Samsung’s Warsaw research center contributed to digital television and mobile development, while semiconductor and display investment supported its role as a major supplier to the technology industry. The Galaxy brand subsequently unified smartphones, tablets, wearables and related services. Samsung also maintained substantial non-electronics operations through construction, shipbuilding, insurance, advertising, hospitality and biopharmaceutical affiliates. Samsung’s modern history includes both commercial successes and serious controversies. Patent disputes with Apple highlighted the intensity of competition in smartphones. The Galaxy Note 7 recall became a major product-safety failure and led to changes in battery testing and quality controls. Governance controversies involving political influence, succession and labor relations generated criminal investigations, convictions and continuing public debate. Samsung has responded by emphasizing compliance, board oversight, workplace policies and sustainability reporting, although scrutiny of chaebol governance remains ongoing. In the 2020s, Samsung’s principal technology priorities included artificial intelligence, high-bandwidth memory, advanced logic chips, foundry capacity, OLED displays, foldable phones and connected appliances. Its corporate strategy combines the consumer reach of Galaxy and home electronics with the capital intensity of semiconductor and display manufacturing. Because Samsung Group is a network of affiliates rather than one directly listed operating company, group-wide descriptions and Samsung Electronics financial disclosures must be distinguished carefully.

2024
Galaxy AI launched with Galaxy S24
[10]Galaxy AI launched with Galaxy S24news.samsung.com
Samsung introduced a suite of artificial-intelligence features in its flagship mobile platform.
2022
Lee Jae-yong appointed executive chairman of Samsung Electronics
[9]Lee Jae-yong appointed executive chairman of Samsung Electronicsapnews.com
The appointment formalized a new phase of leadership under the family’s third generation.
2018
Large mobile manufacturing facility opened in Noida
[1]Samsungen.wikipedia.org
Samsung inaugurated a major smartphone manufacturing facility in India.
2016
Galaxy Note 7 discontinued after global recall
[8]Galaxy Note 7 discontinued after global recallen.wikipedia.org
Battery-related fires led to a worldwide recall and permanent production halt.
2012
Samsung became the largest mobile-phone maker by unit sales
[1]Samsungen.wikipedia.org
Samsung Electronics overtook Nokia in reported handset unit sales, reflecting the rapid expansion of its smartphone business.
2010
Galaxy smartphone era began
[7]Galaxy smartphone era begannews.samsung.com
Samsung introduced the Galaxy brand as the foundation of a broader smartphone, tablet and wearable ecosystem.
1997
Samsung became a Worldwide Olympic Partner
[4]Samsung Olympic sponsorshipsamsung.com
The company joined the Olympic global sponsorship program, initially emphasizing wireless communications.
1992
Samsung became a leading memory-chip producer
[1]Samsungen.wikipedia.org
Samsung Electronics reached the top position in global memory-chip production.
1980
Telecommunications hardware entered the group
[1]Samsungen.wikipedia.org
Samsung acquired Korea Telecommunications, expanding into switchboards and related communications equipment.
1977
Color television exports expanded
[3]Samsung corporate historysgsg.samsung.com
Samsung Electronics began exporting color televisions, strengthening its international consumer-electronics business.
1972
First Samsung-branded television sold in South Korea
[1]Samsungen.wikipedia.org
Samsung Electronics released its first television under the Samsung brand in its home market.
1969
Samsung Electronics established
[2]Samsung Electronics historynews.samsung.com
Samsung entered electronics through the creation of Samsung Electronics.
1938
Samsung founded as a trading company
[1]Samsungen.wikipedia.org
Lee Byung-chul established Samsung Sanghoe in Daegu, beginning with food and everyday-goods trading.

Products and positioning

A scale-driven, research-intensive technology and industrial group combining vertically integrated components, consumer devices, enterprise infrastructure and diversified industrial affiliates. In consumer markets, Samsung emphasizes innovation, performance, design, connectivity and a broad device ecosystem; in industrial markets, it competes through manufacturing scale, engineering capability and long-term research investment.

Mobile ecosystem · 2010
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung’s principal consumer technology ecosystem, covering smartphones, foldable phones, tablets, watches, earbuds and software services. Galaxy products are connected through Samsung’s account, cloud, health, security and device-management features, although the exact services vary by market and product generation.
Flagship smartphones · 2010
Galaxy S series
A premium smartphone line used to introduce Samsung’s current mobile processors, cameras, display technologies and software features. Recent generations have placed particular emphasis on computational photography, long-term software support, on-device capabilities and Galaxy AI functions.
Foldable smartphones · 2019
Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip
Foldable smartphone families using flexible displays. Fold models provide a larger internal screen intended for multitasking and productivity, while Flip models use a compact clamshell format. The lines also serve as an important showcase for Samsung’s foldable-display manufacturing and mobile design work.
Televisions and monitors · 1972
Samsung televisions and displays
Samsung sells television and display products ranging from mainstream LED models to Neo QLED Mini LED and OLED televisions, together with computer monitors and professional displays. The portfolio combines Samsung Display technologies, image-processing software, smart-TV services and industrial design.
Semiconductors and storage · 1974
Samsung semiconductors
A broad component business covering DRAM, NAND flash, solid-state drives, system semiconductors, image sensors and foundry manufacturing. These products supply Samsung’s own devices and external customers, making semiconductors both a core profit center and a strategic capability for the wider group.
Home appliances · 2019
Samsung Bespoke
A connected-appliance range built around modular configurations, customizable finishes and integration with Samsung’s smart-home platform. Products have included refrigerators, laundry appliances, cooking equipment and vacuum cleaners, with availability and naming differing across markets.
Semiconductor manufacturing services · 2005
Samsung Foundry
Samsung’s contract semiconductor-manufacturing business, producing chips designed by other companies as well as supporting advanced process, packaging and design ecosystems. It competes in capital-intensive leading-edge and specialty manufacturing markets.

Controversies

2026
Samsung customers complain over spoiled food after update bricks AI smart fridges
According to Fortune, Samsung customers are complaining to the company over spoiled food after a software update bricked Samsung AI smart fridges. The incident, reported as a controversy involving the brand, centers on the software update rendering the AI smart fridges unusable, which customers say led to food spoilage. The complaints were directed at Samsung following the update.
Source
2026
India investigates LG and Samsung over alleged tariff evasion on OLED TV parts
Reuters reports that LG and Samsung are facing an investigation in India over alleged tariff evasion involving OLED TV parts. The report states that the investigation concerns the two companies and the alleged evasion of tariffs on components used in OLED televisions. No further details about the investigation, its findings, or its consequences were provided in the source.
Source
2024
Acquittal in the Samsung C&T–Cheil Industries merger case
A South Korean court acquitted Lee Jae-yong of financial-crime allegations related to the 2015 merger. The acquittal was subsequently upheld by the country’s highest court.
Source
2022
Samsung corrects Galaxy S22 display refresh-rate specifications
Samsung corrected specifications in its press materials for the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+, changing the stated variable refresh-rate range from 10–120Hz to 48–120Hz. According to the report, Samsung did not proactively inform the public about the correction. The change concerns the refresh-rate figures listed in the promotional materials rather than any other aspect of the devices.
Source
2022
Caltech adds Samsung to patent litigation
In a controversy noted in 2022, the California Institute of Technology added Samsung to a patent litigation matter. According to the source, the case alleges infringement involving Wi-Fi products and patents covering error-correction codes. The source does not report a determination on the allegations, and no outcome or ruling is stated.
Source
2022
Samsung CEO apologizes for application throttling
Samsung Vice Chairman and CEO Jong-Hee Han apologized to Samsung users for throttling thousands of applications. He said Samsung would listen to customers more closely to help prevent a recurrence.
Source
2022
Samsung confirms cybersecurity breach exposing company data
Samsung confirmed that it suffered a cybersecurity breach that exposed company data, including source code for Galaxy smartphones. The company said the stolen data did not include employees’ or users’ personal information.
Source
2022
Samsung confirms security breach involving internal data
Samsung confirmed a security breach involving some internal company data after hackers obtained and leaked confidential data, including source code. Samsung said the breach did not include customers’ or employees’ personal information and that it had implemented measures to prevent further incidents. Qualcomm said it was working with Samsung to determine whether any Qualcomm data had been affected.
Source
2021
Samsung sued over Galaxy S20 camera glass
In 2021, owners of Galaxy S20 series devices filed a lawsuit against Samsung, alleging that the glass on the camera module fractured or shattered without external force. The suit accuses Samsung of fraud, breach of warranty, and violations of consumer-protection laws. The report does not state that a court has reached any determination in the matter.
Source
2021
Consumers sue Samsung over Galaxy S20 camera glass defect
Consumers filed a lawsuit against Samsung alleging that the camera glass on Galaxy S20 smartphones shattered unexpectedly and that Samsung did not disclose the defect. The suit, filed on April 27, accuses Samsung of fraud, breach of warranty, and violations of consumer-protection laws. These are allegations made in the lawsuit and have not been established as fact.
Source

Marketing campaigns

2024Galaxy AI launch campaign
Global
A launch program for Galaxy S24 that used product demonstrations, events, digital media and outdoor advertising to explain live translation, search assistance and generative editing.
Outcome. Made mobile artificial intelligence a central theme of Samsung’s flagship-device marketing.
Source
2019Samsung Global Goals
Global
Samsung partnered with the United Nations Development Programme to place information and engagement tools related to the Sustainable Development Goals within Galaxy products and services.
Outcome. Integrated a social-impact initiative into the mobile ecosystem.
Source
2016Do What You Can’t
Global
A brand platform built around overcoming limitations and using technology to pursue personal possibilities. It became closely associated with Galaxy communications and later product launches.
Outcome. Became one of Samsung’s enduring global brand messages.
Source
1997Olympic Worldwide Partnership
Global
Samsung joined the Olympic global sponsorship program and used the partnership to associate its brand with wireless communications, international participation and technology.
Outcome. Established a long-running global sports-marketing platform.
Source

Brand decisions

2024
Launch Galaxy S24 with Galaxy AIProduct launch
Background
Generative and assistive artificial intelligence had become a major source of differentiation in the mature premium-smartphone market.
Action taken
Samsung introduced translation, search, transcription, editing and other AI-assisted capabilities across the Galaxy S24 family.
Aftermath
Galaxy AI became a recurring positioning pillar for subsequent flagship mobile products.
- Google — Google collaborated with Samsung on features such as Circle to Search, but no broader competitive response is recorded here.
- Apple — Apple subsequently promoted Apple Intelligence across supported devices.
Source
2024
Continue the shareholder-return frameworkStrategy
Background
Samsung Electronics sought to balance substantial semiconductor and artificial-intelligence investment with predictable shareholder distributions.
Action taken
The board maintained its 2024–2026 shareholder-return framework, including regular dividends and a target linked to free cash flow.
Aftermath
The policy preserved a defined distribution framework while the company continued capital investment.
Regular annual dividend. Previous shareholder-return framework linked distributions to free cash flow → KRW 9.8 trillion regular annual dividend under the 2024–2026 framework (2024–2026)
Source
2023
Adjust memory-chip productionStrategy
Background
Weak post-pandemic demand and falling memory prices placed pressure on semiconductor profitability.
Action taken
Samsung Electronics announced production adjustments while continuing long-term investment in advanced memory, logic and foundry capacity.
Aftermath
The decision reflected a short-term supply response alongside a commitment to maintain strategic semiconductor investment.
Source
2016
Recall and discontinue Galaxy Note 7Other
Background
Reports of battery overheating, fires and explosions affected some Galaxy Note 7 devices, including replacement units.
Action taken
Samsung suspended sales, initiated a global recall, replaced devices and then permanently stopped production when the replacement program did not resolve the safety problem.
Aftermath
The incident led to extensive battery-safety investigations and revised product-testing procedures.
Source

Recent events

2026.11.03
Reported2026.11.03
Samsung plan to make chip parts for AMD and Nvidia at a second Texas plant[55]三星计划在得克萨斯州第二家工厂为 AMD 和 Nvidia 制造芯片零部件news.google.com
Maeil Business reported that Samsung plans to make chip parts for AMD and Nvidia at a second plant in Texas; the headline describes a plan, not completed production.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.11.02
Samsung and BIBI collaborate on AR fashion collection[56]三星与BIBI合作推出AR时尚系列marketing-interactive.com
Samsung partnered with K-pop artist BIBI on an AR fashion collection featured in Samsung's Snapchat AR fashion lenses; users can try on the collection through the Galaxy camera app's fun mode.
2026.11.02
Reported2026.11.02
Samsung partners with PXPay in Taiwan[57]Samsung 在台湾与 PXPay 合作digitimes.com
Samsung Electronics Taiwan is partnering with Taiwan mobile payment platform PXPay as part of its expansion of Samsung Wallet applications.
2026.10.31
Reported2026.10.31
Samsung announces discontinuation of Samsung News[58]三星宣布停止 Samsung News 服务fox29.com
Samsung stated that the Samsung News app will be discontinued on Dec. 21 and will no longer receive updates after that date.
2026.10.31
Reported2026.10.30
Samsung launches Galaxy Z Fold8 advertising campaign in Canada[59]三星在加拿大推出Galaxy Z Fold8广告活动tech.ifeng.com
Samsung launched a marketing campaign through its official Instagram account in Canada that promoted the Galaxy Z Fold8 and mocked reported screen problems with Apple's iPhone Duo.
2026.10.28
Reported2026.10.28
Samsung announces Galaxy Buds On launches in the US and Europe[60]三星宣布 Galaxy Buds On 将在美国和欧洲上市techspot.com
Samsung announced plans to make its Galaxy Buds On clip-on wireless earbuds available in the US in early November 2026, followed by a European launch in early 2027. The US price is $229; European pricing has not been announced.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.28
Samsung opens shop-in-shop outlet in Kitui[61]三星在基图伊开设店中店techmoran.com
Samsung opened a shop-in-shop outlet at City Gate Mall in Kitui, Kenya, expanding its retail network and offering customers access to its smartphone range.
2026.10.28
Reported2026.10.28
Samsung reportedly plans to exit Hong Kong’s home-appliance market[62]三星据报计划撤出香港家电市场eprice.com.hk
The article reports that Korea Economic TV said Samsung had decided to withdraw from Hong Kong’s home-appliance market. Samsung Hong Kong customer-service staff reportedly described the products as temporarily out of stock and said they had received no formal notice of a withdrawal; the article says implementation remains to be observed.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.26
Samsung P9 MicroSD Express cards discounted at retailers[63]三星 P9 MicroSD Express 存储卡在零售商处打折theverge.com
Samsung’s P9 MicroSD Express cards were discounted at multiple retailers, with the 256GB version priced at $47.99 and the 512GB version at $99.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.22
Samsung rolls out One UI 9 to more Galaxy phones[64]三星向更多 Galaxy 手机推出 One UI 9themobileindian.com
Samsung began rolling out the Android 17-based One UI 9 update to Galaxy A and M series phones in India, Galaxy S23 series phones globally, and US, European, and South Korean units of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5.

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