Samsung Electronics Co believes the global DRAM price is near a bottom but it will take some time before the price starts rebounding, a local online news provider said on Friday, citing a company executive.

"We see the DRAM price as being near the bottom," EDaily quoted Lee Yun-woo, vice chairman of the world's top maker of memory chips, as saying on the sidelines of a meeting of business executives in Seoul.

"It will take more time before the DRAM (dynamic random access memory) price rebounds," he added.

Analysts estimate prices of DRAM chips, used in personal computers, have fallen nearly 30 percent in October-December.

Makers are betting that spending cutbacks from cash-starved manufacturers and improving demand will salvage the sector this year, but it is unlikely to be a smooth ride.

The reported remark came days before Samsung Electronics reports fourth-quarter results. The electronics giant is expected to post on Tuesday a 16 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit from a year earlier. - Reuters