Samsung's 2013 in Review

It was another banner year for Samsung, which further expanded its Galaxy lineup, and experimented with flexible, curved, and ultra high-definition displays. But while it held its own against Apple in the smartphone market, it was less successful in the courtroom as the two firms' patent fight stretched into another year.

Samsung kicked off 2013 at CES, where it showed off a prototype flexible display - dubbed "Youm" - as well as a wraparound smartphone screen. At the time, it seemed unlikely that we'd see anything like that on store shelves in the near future. By year's end, however, Samsung (and LG) introduced a curved smartphone known as the Galaxy Round, making the idea of a flexible display seem less like science fiction.
The company this year also called on innovators to submit ideas for future start-ups that would use flexible display technology, and tipped 4K devices with foldable displays by 2015.
Curved displays were not limited to smartphones, though. Samsung's 55-inch Curved OLED HDTV arrived in Korea in June for $13,000, and in the U.S. two months later for a slightly more affordable $9,000. If that's not big enough for you, though, Samsung will show off a 105-inch curved 4K TV at next month's CES. And if you like your TVs flat, Samsung has 98- to 110-inch 4K sets on offer.

Dominating the Smartphone Galaxy

While Samsung has a far-reaching business - from mobile gadgets and home appliances to PCs and processors, its Galaxy lineup of smartphones and tablets once again dominated coverage of the South Korean company in 2013.
The year opened with news that global sales of Galaxy S smartphones had hit 100 million units since 2010. Samsung looked toward another 100 million in March with the launch of its newest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4. The device was unveiled during a huge (and puzzling) presentation at New York's Radio City Music Hall, sporting a 5-inch, 1,920-by-1,080 Super AMOLED display with a 441 ppi density, as well as Samsung's usual treasure trove of software add-ons.
But why have one version of a new flagship phone when you can have four? Over the next few months, Samsung also unveiled a 4.3-Inch Galaxy S4 Mini rugged Galaxy S4 Active, and Galaxy S4 Zoom with a souped-up camera. For those who love a huge smartphone, meanwhile, Samsung offered up the huge, 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega.
That dwarfed the 5.7-inch display on the stylus-equipped Galaxy Note 3, which arrived at the IFA trade show in September. Also at the show, however, was the Galaxy Gear, Samsung's foray into the smartwatch arena. The much-hyped device - which initially paired with the new Galaxy Note 3 and Note 10.1 tablet - was advertised as futuristic tech come to life. But it didn't fare too well in the PCMag Lab. "Samsung's Galaxy Gear advances the smartwatch concept, but it's too expensive, limited, and difficult to use in its current form," lead analyst Jamie Lendino found in his review.

The Patent Wars Continue

Samsung ended 2012 with a patent win. Judge Lucy Koh found that Apple had not adequately demonstrated that it would suffer irreparable harm if 26 Samsung devices were not pulled from the market, denying Cupertino's request for a ban. This year, however, a U.S. appeals court ordered Judge Koh to review her decision, making way for a ban after all.
And so it went in 2013: two steps forward and one step back for both companies, though Apple seemed to have a bit more luck than Samsung. In February, Samsung earned a victory when Judge Koh ordered a new trial on 14 Samsung products and dropped more than $450 million in damages from the $1.05 billion the jury awarded to Apple in Aug. 2012. A retrial ultimately gave Apple about $290 million of that $450 million, or about $900 million in total.
Samsung failed to secure bans on iOS gadgets in Japan and its home country of South Korea. The White House also stepped in to overturn a ban on Apple gadgets in the U.S., but declined to do the same for Samsung.
In the EU, meanwhile, where Samsung has been investigated for patent abuse, the company offered to back down on gadget ban requests - sort of - to avoid an antitrust smackdown.
Patent woes aside, however, Samsung still has a lot to celebrate this holiday season. In the first quarter, 95 percent of all Android smartphone profits were snapped up by Samsung, and that only continued throughout the year. Stay tuned for the rumored Galaxy S5 and a possible update for the Gear.