That bounce was thanks in part to solid demand for the memory chips used for servers and fatter margins in its business making chips for others.
Fourth quarter operating profit was projected to be its highest in four years- -at $11.5 billion.
However, the result was not as high as a Refinitiv SmartEstimate had expected.
Analysts put that lag down to items such as employees' bonuses, marketing expenses, and ramp-up costs for new display panels, all being included in the fourth quarter.
Samsung's shares climbed 11 percent over the past couple of months in anticipation of memory chip prices rebounding.
The recovery is driven by new data centers and demand for videos, games, conferencing and other traffic-heavy services.
Samsung's detailed earnings are due to be released towards the end of the month.
