Samsung Electronics has replaced the head of its mobile business for the first time in six years, as it seeks to reverse a recent trend of falling smartphone sales.

Shin Jong-Kyun, who fostered the successful Galaxy smartphone series as Samsung’s head of mobile communications from 2009, will hand the mantle to Koh Dong-jin, head of mobile research and development, the company said on Tuesday.

三星电子(Samsung Electronics)六年来头一次更换其移动业务部门主管，试图逆转近期智能手机销量的下跌势头。

Mr Shin, 59, will retain his formal position as one of three co-chief executives, to focus on long-term strategy — but he will “step back from day-to-day operations”, Samsung said.

作为2009年以来的三星移动通信部门主管，申宗均(Shin Jong-kyun)曾在其任内推出了极为成功的Galaxy系列智能手机。周二，三星表示申宗均将把这一重任交给移动研发部门主管Koh Dong-jin。

The move follows extensive speculation — beginning in the lead-up to last year’s reshuffle — that Mr Shin would be sidelined in response to setbacks in the mobile division.

三星表示，59岁的申宗均将保留其作为三名联席首席执行官之一的正式职位，以便把主要精力放在长期战略上，不过他将“退出日常运营”。

Samsung remains the world’s leading smartphone producer by sales but its handset profits have fallen since the first half of last year, as it lost share to lower-cost Chinese peers at the low end of the market, and a resurgent Apple at the high end.

在三星这一举措前，去年三星的洗牌之前就开始有大量猜测认为，为回应移动部门所遇的挫败，申宗均或将退出该部门。

“In the context of Samsung’s culture, somebody has to be held responsible,” said Daniel Kim, an analyst at Macquarie. “I expected him to resign last year, actually, but he stayed another year and the handset division is still not showing any meaningful sign of improvement.”

三星依然是全球销量顶尖的智能手机制造商，不过自去年上半年以来，随着其市场份额在低端输给成本较低的中国对手，高端输给再次崛起的苹果(Apple)，其手机盈利已经滑落下来。

Mr Shin’s retention as co-chief executive seemed a “mark of respect for his contribution in the past”, Mr Kim said, calling his move “one step towards retirement”.

麦格理(Macquarie)分析师丹尼尔•金(Daniel Kim)表示：“按照三星的企业文化，必须由某个人承担责任。事实上，我本来预计他去年会辞职，然而他却又呆了一年，手机部门仍未显示出任何改善的明显迹象。”

The Galaxy series achieved huge market success from 2011 onwards, spearheading Samsung’s rise to become the world’s leading smartphone maker. But as competition intensified last year, the bloated portfolio of products that cost more than those of Asian rivals failed to attract consumers.

丹尼尔•金表示，申宗均留任首席执行官似乎是“表示对其过去贡献的尊重”，并称他的这一变动“离退休更近了一步”。

This year’s Galaxy S6 flagship won enthusiastic reviews but sales undershot targets.

2011年以来，Galaxy系列智能手机取得了巨大的市场成功，引领三星崛起为全球头号智能手机制造商。然而随着去年竞争加剧，臃肿的产品组合导致成本高于其亚洲对手，不能吸引客户。

Cost cuts have borne some fruit and the mobile division’s third quarter operating profit rose year-on-year for the first time since 2013 — but the figure of Won2.4tn was just over a third the record earnings achieved exactly two years before. During the same period Samsung’s global smartphone market share fell from 33 per cent to 24 per cent, according to analysts at IDC.

今年推出的Galaxy S6旗舰手机赢得了热情洋溢的评价，销量却未能达到目标。

Analysts do not anticipate a significant new driver of sales for the smartphone division until Samsung’s widely anticipated launch of phones with flexible screens, rumoured to be planned for 2017.

削减成本的举措已收到一定效果，今年第三季度移动部门运营利润出现2013年来的首次同比上升——不过2.4万亿韩元的数字跟整整两年前的创纪录盈利相比，仅刚刚超过了后者的三分之一。根据IDC分析师的说法，同一时期内三星在全球智能手机市场的份额从33%下滑到24%。

There were no other key role changes among the promotions announced, with no change in title for Samsung vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong, the only son of chairman Lee Kun-hee.

分析师预计，在广受期待的三星柔性屏幕智能手机推出（传闻该手机计划于2017年推出）之前，其智能手机部门不会出现重要的新的销量推动因素。

There had been some speculation that the younger Mr Lee might be elevated to the chairmanship, with his father bedridden since a major heart attack in May last year. It is unclear how such a decision would be taken: Samsung’s “chairman” position is informal in terms of South Korean law and does not entail a seat on the board, though it comes with sweeping de facto power.