Samsung Electronics flagged a 10% jump in quarterly profit today - a sign of robust early sales for its new Galaxy S7 smartphones although doubts abound whether momentum can be maintained in the face of new rival offerings.
The South Korean tech giant's estimate for first-quarter operating profit handily beat market forecasts.
It also boosted hopes that its struggling mobile business will post its first annual profit gain in three years, also benefiting from an improved performance for mid-to-low tier devices and cost-cutting efforts.
Samsung said its January to March operating profit is set to reach 6.6 trillion won ($5.7 billion), well above the 5.6 trillion won profit tipped by a Thomson Reuters estimate derived from a survey of 23 analysts.
The firm will not disclose a full breakdown of its results until late April, and gave no comment on the performance of its business divisions.
Stockbrokers have lifted forecasts for Samsung earnings since late March encouraged by reports of better than expected sales of its Galaxy S7 models, which boast an improved camera, waterproofing and microSD storage support.
Samsung's mobile business was probably the top earner for the first time in seven quarters, analyts said.
A decline in the value of the South Korean won is also expected to help lift the firm's first-quarter bottom line.
But even so, competition from new products such as Apple recently launched iPhone SE and Huawei's upcoming flagship P9 phone are tempering investor enthusiasm.
Investor caution stems from last year's launch of Galaxy S6 phones, which boasted major design changes and features and were widely praised.
Initially expected to be Samsung's best-selling phones ever, sales fizzled following the launch.
Other analysts said Samsung's decision to launch the Galaxy S7 models a month earlier than their predecessors may have simply have brought forward sales that would have been made in later quarters.
