Samsung officially launches latest Galaxy foldables in 50 countries

Customers take a look at Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphone at the Galaxy Experience Space in Berlin, Germany. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Samsung Electronics officially launched its Galaxy foldable series — the Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 — in 50 countries on Thursday with a target sales objective of at least 100 million units globally.

The phones were released in 50 countries including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Singapore and China. Global rollouts will be completed within the next month, Samsung said.

“During the preorder period, we were able to check how enthusiastic customers are about the latest Galaxy series,” Roh Tae-moon, Samsung Electronics President and head of the mobile business, said in a release Friday.

“Samsung Electronics has tried to deliver a new and attractive experience for diverse customer lifestyles with the next-generation foldables, watch and tablets.”

Preorders for the Flip 5 and Fold 5 have already surpassed sales figures for the previous series, the Z Flip 4 and Fold 4, in major markets such as Europe, Central and North Americas and Southeast Asian region, Samsung said.

In Korea, especially, the latest foldable series was well-received. The company recorded 1.02 million preorders in just seven days, a record figure among all of its foldable series launched to date.

The Flip 5 accounted for some 70 percent of preorders. It underwent a significant upgrade in design this year topped with an enlarged cover display that enables the user to type replies and watch YouTube videos without flipping the phone open. It also changed the folding hinge to its "waterdrop hinge" which enables lids to fold flatter.

The Flip 5 and Fold 5 also got an upgraded processor, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 customized for the Galaxy series.

Samsung also rolled out the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Tab S9 on Friday. The watch, which has had its wellness function fortified, attracted more preorders compared to the previous version, although the specific figure was not disclosed. The tab is deployed with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]