[20] The joint venture's early products were electronic and electrical appliances including televisions, calculators, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines.

[25] Samsung's mobile phone division also struggled with poor quality and inferior[clarification needed] products until the mid-1990s, and exit from the sector was a frequent topic of discussion within the company.

In addition, Samsung outlined a 10-year plan to shrug off its image as a "budget brand" and to challenge Sony as the world's largest consumer electronics manufacturer.

[41][42][43] In 2010, Samsung was granted immunity from prosecution by the EU for acting as an informant during the investigation into the LCD price-fixing cartel, leading to the implication of other companies, including LG Display and HannStar.

"[46] Samsung has since set ambitious goals, aiming for $400bn in annual revenue within a decade, with 24 global research and development centers contributing to these efforts.

[citation needed] In 2011, Samsung sold its hard disk drive (HDD) operations to Seagate Technology for $1.4 billion in cash and stock.

His departure signaled the transition to a leadership structure with three co-CEOs, which lasted until 2021, when Kyung Kye-Hyun and Han Jong-hee were appointed as new CEOs after a company-wide reorganization.

The same year, Samsung also entered the rapidly growing Internet of Things (IoT) market by acquiring the smart home company SmartThings.

[50] In 2016, Samsung faced one of its most publicized crises when its Galaxy Note 7 devices began to overheat and catch fire due to defective batteries.

In November 2016, it announced its acquisition of Harman International Industries for $8bn, marking a major step into the automotive technology sector, particularly in connected car solutions.

In 2023, the company announced a partnership with British Gas to integrate its services into Samsung's SmartThings app, helping users reduce energy consumption through smarter home management.

As part of the partnership, British Gas began offering Samsung's energy-efficient heat pumps to support the UK's 2050 net-zero goals.

[55] In 2024, Samsung continues to be a leader in consumer electronics, semiconductors, and AI development, shaping technology through its innovations in smart homes, connected devices, and sustainable energy solutions.

The LCD business area focuses on producing TFT-LCD and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for laptops, desktop monitors, and televisions.

Samsung Electronics produces LCD and LED panels, mobile phones, memory chips, NAND flash, solid-state drives, televisions, digital cinema screens, laptops and many more products.

While reducing the thickness substantially, the company maintained the performance of previous models, including Full HD 1080p resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate,[77] and 5000:1 contrast ratio.

[147] In 2009, Samsung sold around 31 million flat-panel televisions, enabling to it to maintain the world's largest market share for a fourth consecutive year.

With the launch of 3D Home Theater, Samsung became the first company in the industry to have the full line of 3D offerings, including 3D television, 3D Blu-ray player, 3D content, and 3D glasses.

[162][163] It features a 32-inch mini LED 1000R curved display with 1,196 local dimming zones that supports HDR10+ with a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits, and is G-Sync- and FreeSync-certified.

[173] In 2015, Samsung announced a proposal for a constellation of 4600 satellites orbiting Earth at 1,400 kilometers (900 mi) altitude that could bring 200 gigabytes per month of internet data to "each of the world's 5 billion people".

[198] In August 2011, at The Regional Court of Düsseldorf, Apple was granted a preliminary injunction against the sale and marketing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 across the whole of Europe excluding the Netherlands.

Samsung won the awards in five categories including external hard disk, full-touch screen phone, "side-by-side" refrigerator, compact digital camera, and laser printer toner.

[209] All Samsung mobile phones and MP3 players introduced on the market after April 2010 are free from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs).

[211] In the newly re-launched guide, Samsung moved down two places (occupying fifth position in October 2010), but scored maximum points for providing verified data and its greenhouse gas emissions.

Although Samsung is known to disfavor trade unions,[219] these sick workers organized in the group SHARPS (Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in the Semiconductor Industry).

In May 2014, Samsung offered an apology and compensation to workers who became ill.[221][222] The company subsequently did not follow all the recommendations of a specially appointed mediation committee, paid several families outside of a scheme to be agreed on and required them to drop all further charges, prompting SHARPS to continue legal and public action.

[244] Samsung then asked the uploader to sign a legal document requiring him to remove the video, remain silent about the agreement, and surrender any future claims against the company to receive a replacement.

[249] On 1 September, the company released a statement saying it had received 35 reports of battery failure, which, according to an unnamed Samsung official, "account for less than 0.2 percent of the entire volume sold".

[264] In 2015, users on the website Reddit began reporting that some Samsung Smart TVs would display advertisements for Pepsi products during movies when viewed through the Plex application.

[275] Despite donating $6 million for humanitarian aid,[276] Samsung continued sourcing Russian metals [277] and considered leasing its Kaluga factory to local businesses instead of leaving.