LG makes more profit from appliances than Samsung with similar sales

Consumer electronics and home appliances are a big business for Samsung. It faces tough competition in the segment, including from local rival LG.

The latest quarterly results from both companies show that while LG and Samsung's revenues were almost similar, LG was actually profitable.

Samsung's home appliance business, which includes TVs and air conditioning products as well, brought 14.5 trillion won or $10.5 billion in revenue for the second quarter of this year. However, the division posted an operating loss of around 10 billion won or $7.2 million.

On the other hand, LG's revenues from its home appliances, TV, and air conditioning products business came in at 14.92 trillion won or $10.7 billion with an operating profit of 1.14 trillion won or $821 million.

This isn't just isolated to a single quarter. LG's division posted around 1 trillion won or $800 million in profit for the first quarter of 2026 as well. Samsung earned 200 billion won or $144 million in profit in Q1 and posted a loss in Q2.

Both companies face a tough business environment due to slowing demand, aggressive competition from Chinese rivals, increased semiconductor and raw material expenses, as well as higher logistics costs. However, LG's healthy mix of premium products, cost reductions, and improved operational efficiencies have enabled the division to remain profitable despite the challenges.