Is $2.3 billion quarterly profit enough for Samsung? For all of Android?

The only one making real money on smartphones is...Apple.

And Samsung.

Apple just announced its prior quarter earnings. The company posted a profit of just over $13 billion. iPhone accounted for approximately $8 billion of that.

Though Apple had an absolutely blowout quarter, driven by the uber-popular iPhone 4S, for all of 2011, however, Samsung just eclipsed Apple in total smartphone sales. From Philip Elmer-DeWitt:

"Apple's introduction of the 4S in the fourth quarter unleashed tremendous pent-up demand for the iPhone as consumers awaited the arrival of the latest model," said IHS senior analyst Wayne Lam. "This caused the company's smartphone shipments to surge, allowing it to retake market leadership by a slight margin. However, Apple and Samsung continue to run neck and neck in global smartphone shipments, setting up a tight battle for leadership that will continue throughout 2012."

However, whereas Apple had a profit from iPhone of about $8 billion, Samsung's was $2.3 billion. For all of "mobile". Not just its Android line. 

Let's assume, though, that nearly all was from Android -- $2 billion, as I'm feeling generous. 

Apple had a 4X profit improvement over Samsung. Plus, Apple can profit from iTunes and App Store. Sales of iPhone support incremental sales of iPad and Apple TV, no doubt. And Macs. The Apple golden halo still remains supreme.

Will Samsung be content with this massive differential?

They are crushing it on sales. They have the most popular Android device and Android product line-up in the world. Unlike nearly *every single other* Android handset maker, they are actually making money. Is this $2 billion enough?

It's obvious how Samsung copy from Apple. No one can deny this. Yet they are only making $2 billion in profit from their extremely popular Android Galaxy line. How much better can they do with Android? They are the #1 Android vendor, the #1 smartphone vendor, have the best and most popular Android devices in the world and are sucking Apple's fumes profit-wise.

Have they peaked?

Google will soon be overseeing all phone development at Motorola, which admittedly makes quality Android devices but can't make a dollar off them. How much love will Google give their biggest ever acquisition? The acquisition that is bigger than all others combined? Should Samsung be concerned? Of course! 

Will Sony finally get their act together in 2012? Will LG? Will the flood of Chinese knock-offs of Samsung Android devices undermine Samsung sales?

Samsung knows this so what will they do? Creating an alternate ecosystem is possible but unlikely to succeed. What deal will Microsoft -- or Amazon -- offer Samsung to jump ship? Or at the least join their rebel alliance?

The Android fanboys will insist that Android -- open source! -- will ultimately destroy iPhone. Perhaps. But not in 2012. Instead, 2012 is the year where I suspect that Android makers willl start devouring one another.