Samsung's Q3 profits expected to hit record levels, but smartphone numbers will continue to drop

Samsung is not due to report final financial results for the July - September 2018 quarter for a few more weeks, but it’s pretty obvious that the company is headed for yet another record-breaking profit score.

The world’s largest smartphone vendor continues to rely heavily on its semiconductor business, projected to account for almost 80 percent of the 17.2 trillion won overall Q3 operating profit.

That currently equates to around $15.3 billion, but analysts expect quarterly profits to start shrinking soon, as prices of various types of extremely lucrative chips for Samsung ...