8 Historical Facts about Samsung

Samsung is one of the pioneers of the mobile world. Have you ever pondered upon what made it so big and how Samsung built itself into a massive mobile and electronics empire?  Here I will talk about some interesting facts about this electronic giant and its history.

1. Samsung has Nearly 489,000 Employees

Samsung has Nearly 489,000 Employees
Samsung has Nearly 489,000 Employees

Although many of you would have known it earlier, Samsung is much more than just an electronics and mobile company. It has 59 unlisted companies and 19 listed, which ranges from construction to financial services, medical industry, and even shipbuilding. Overall, the company employs over 489,000 people, across 80 different countries.

Another biggest truth is, Samsung’s construction division built the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, known as the tallest building in the world at 2,722 feet.

2. Samsung Group has Big Contribution to South Korea’s GDP

Samsung Group has Big Contribution to South Korea’s GDP
Samsung Group has Big Contribution to South Korea’s GDP

With so many listed and unlisted firms, Samsung takes up a massive amount of the total GDP of its home country, South Korea nearly about 15 percent of the country’s GDP.

3. Samsung’s Journey Starts with Black and White TV

Samsung’s Journey Starts with Black and White TV
Samsung’s Journey Starts with Black and White TV

The first electronics product that Samsung produces was a black and white TV in 1970. It finally entered into the mobile game in 1986 introducing a car phone. While Samsung’s TV efforts were well received, but the first car phone failed.

4. Samsung Electronics Efforts Start in 1993

Samsung Chairman Lee Kun Hee
Samsung Chairman Lee Kun Hee

Although the efforts were on, it was in 1993 that Samsung Chairman Lee Kun Hee pushed forward a new management philosophy encouraging product quality as one of its core focus. Samsung is the dedication of Lee and his board, and their willingness to perform an extreme drop test, for the products they create and we enjoy today.

5. First CDMA Phone

First CDMA phone
First CDMA phone

In 1996 Samsung SCH-100 released the very first CDMA phone. CDMA was a new technology at that time before fast 4G/LTE technologies.

6. First Watch Phone

First Watch Phone

Samsung was the pioneer, and the first one to build a watch that doubled as a phone — dubbed the Samsung SPH-WP10.

This watch phone could not only tell time, but you can also make calls for up to 90 minutes. There were voice commands for dialing your contacts. Although this device could not gain success this was the start of shifting to a smartphone for the company.

7. Samsung Entered Smartphone Game long before Android and iOS

 Samsung Entered Smartphone Game long before Android and iOS
Samsung Entered Smartphone Game long before Android and iOS

Thought Samsung was not the first to make smartphone but it was one of the first players to truly get aggressive about the market, introducing its first “PDA phone” with a color display in 2001 in the US market.  

8. The Best Selling Samsung Mobile Phone is the E1100

The Best Selling Samsung Mobile Phone is the E1100
The Best Selling Samsung Mobile Phone is the E1100

E1100 is the best seller mobile phone of Samsung of all time. Introduced in 2009, and Samsung sold 150 million devices untill the phone ended in 2012. Samsung’s best-selling smartphone is the Galaxy S4 with over 80 million total sales.

Synopsis

Whether you’re a Samsung fan or not, this technology giant has an interesting past, with its fair share of successes and failures.