SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Samsung Electronics, South Korea's tech giant, posted a double-digit growth in operating profit in the third quarter, the highest in the company's history, a regulatory filing showed Friday.

Operating profit reached 17.5 trillion won (15.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the July-September quarter, up 20.4 percent from a year earlier.

It was the highest-ever quarterly profit in the company's history, surpassing the market expectations of 17.17 trillion won (15.2 billion U.S. dollars).

Revenue increased 4.8 percent over the year to 65 trillion won (57.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the third quarter. It was up 11.2 percent from the prior quarter.

The results were preliminary figures. The net income and detailed profits of each business were scheduled to be disclosed later this month after audit and approval by the board of directors.