While the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5 were generally well-received handsets, and some of the best made by the company in years, Samsung Mobile has faced declining profits for some time. Increased competition, particularly from Apple and high-profile Chinese vendors, has left the company struggling to keep a hold of its dominant market position.
To help the company grow and turn a larger profit, Samsung has appointed a new president of their mobile division. Dongjin Koh, previously head of the research and development division, and responsible for recent products like the Galaxy S6 and Note 5, will take over the role and handle the day-to-day operations of the business.
The previous president of the mobile business and current co-CEO of Samsung Electronics, JK Shin, will focus on the long term strategy of the mobile division in his new role. Although Shin has less control over the division in this leadership change, he will technically remain head of Samsung Mobile.
With Koh in charge, Samsung hopes to arrest a long period of declining profits. Despite launching products like the Galaxy S6, seven of the company's eight previous quarters saw profits decline, with only the third quarter of this year reporting slim growth.
If Samsung can continue to develop attractive high-end devices, and create more compelling mid-range and budget devices, the company may be able to combat the rise of Chinese OEMs such as Xiaomi, Lenovo and Asus. Whether or not Koh is up to the task remains to be seen.