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SAMSUNG - South Korea's Samsung scored a psychological point Friday in the game who opposes the U.S. Apple announced record quarterly profits on the day of the release of its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, a competitor of the iPhone 5.

While Apple announced the first decline in net profit in nearly a decade , Samsung has presented impressive operating performance, including the margins, its Achilles heel compared to the U.S..

The South Korean net profit up 41.6% over the first three months of the year, 7.150 billion won ($ 4.9 billion) against 5.050 billion in the first quarter of 2012. It beats the previous record of 7.040 trillion won made in the last three months of last year, a generally prosperous season for vendors who benefit from mobile purchases related to Christmas and New year.

Especially, the jump in operating profit (+54% year on year to 8.800 trillion won) shows a significant improvement in operating margins through the Galaxy S3, launched in May 2012 and sold (more than 400 euros without subscription ) from about 60 million units, according to analysts. The turnover of the group has increased "only" 16.8% to 52.900 billion won during the period under review.

S4 available everywhere from Saturday, April 27

South Korea, whose range is very wide, from S3 to cheaper models for emerging markets, however, remains far from Apple in terms of profitability with an operating margin twice for the American. The publication of the quarterly results coincide with the highly anticipated Friday in South Korea, then this weekend around the world, the new smartphone from the South Korean launch of the Galaxy S4 intended to counter the iPhone 5.

No more than the iPhone 5, the S4 offers technological revolution but improvements that can be decisive in the fierce competition between smartphones and tablets using him as Android, the Google mobile software. The S4 has a large, high definition screen (5 inches, 12.7 inches), a battery and a more powerful camera. It can recognize eye movements to scroll or turn pages automatically as and when reading, or stop video when the user looks away.

"The S4 is lightweight plastic and holding well in hand, but not as elegant as the front glass of the iPhone or the metal shell of the HTC One," the New York Times. "In short, no one in the office Note that you bought the (smartphone) the newest, the best. "

Samsung expects to sell 80 million units

However, consumers flocked Friday morning in the department store in Seoul Samsung hoping to be among the first to acquire the S4 to 615 euros. "I do not know if it is very different from S3, but it is a technological leap compared to my old laptop, and I want to stay on Android," confided Kim Yu-Ri, a student owner of a Galaxy S2 .

Analysts estimate that sales of S4 could reach 80 million, taking advantage of Apple's problems in its supply chain. Problems facing the South Korean itself on Apple's land ... U.S. carriers Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile have pushed the arrival in their stores Galaxy S4 because they have been delivered.

With the S4, Samsung hopes to strengthen the position of world leader in smartphones (and all types of mobile phones) that had delighted to Apple in 2011 and has consolidated last year and accounted for about 30% market share against 19% for Apple. The vice president of the group, Robert Yi, but warned it could face in the second quarter "greater competition in mobile phones with the growth of the smartphone market average and entry level."

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