TOKYO — Samsung Electronics, the largest maker of smartphones, confirmed on Friday that growth in sales and earnings slowed sharply in the fourth quarter of 2013, and the company said business conditions would remain challenging in the first few months of the year.

Samsung, which is based in Suwon, South Korea, cited a range of macroeconomic and company-specific factors, including the recent strength of the won currency and concerns that a move by the Federal Reserve to scale back its stimulus efforts could curb economic growth. A special bonus that Samsung paid out to employees on the 20th anniversary of a new management initiative to improve quality also cut 800 billion won ($745 million) off the company’s quarterly earnings.

“Looking at the quarterly earnings trend, we expect 2014 to follow last year’s pattern of a weak first half and a strong second half, as usual,” Robert Yi, senior vice president and head of investor relations, said in a statement.

Analysts said increased competition in smartphones, which account for a majority of Samsung’s earnings, also played a role.