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Samsung halts all home appliance sales in China as pivot to AI accelerates
The South Korean firm had seen its market share in mainland China dwindle amid intense competition from a slew of domestic rivals
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Wency Chenin ShanghaiPublished: 10:48am, 7 May 2026South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it would end sales of all home appliance products in mainland China, retreating further from a consumer market increasingly dominated by domestic rivals as the group doubles down on its far more profitable semiconductor business.
Samsung’s home appliance portfolio in China includes televisions, monitors, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. In a notice published on its official website, the company said after-sales services would continue as normal, adding that the move was made “in response to rapidly changing market conditions”.
The company said its smartphone products would remain on sale in China, though the world’s leading handset maker is struggling to compete with a string of local rivals and Apple in the market. Samsung’s smartphone market share in China has fallen from nearly 20 per cent in the early 2010s to less than 1 per cent today, according to IDC data.Advertisement
Samsung’s withdrawal from a market where the firm has long faced pressure from lower-cost and increasingly sophisticated Chinese brands comes as the group continues a broader strategic shift towards its more lucrative semiconductor business.
The company has seen its earnings soar in recent months amid the global artificial intelligence boom, which is driving up demand for memory products. It reported revenues of 133.87 trillion won (US$92.3 billion) and an operating profit of 57.23 trillion won for the first quarter of 2026, exceeding its earnings for the whole of last year.Advertisement
The firm’s share price in Seoul has risen 107 per cent so far this year, with Samsung’s market capitalisation hitting a record high of 1,710.8 trillion won on Wednesday.
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