[DigitalToday reporter Jin-ho Lee] Samsung Electronics said on Aug. 6 it will launch its Galaxy Z8 series of foldable smartphones and the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 in South Korea on Aug. 7.

The Galaxy Z8 series sold 1,440,000 units during a pre-order period from July 28 to Aug. 3, setting a record for Galaxy smartphones.

About 7 in 10 pre-order customers chose the Galaxy Z Fold8. Half of Samsung.com pre-order customers were in their 10s to 30s. The number of female customers in their 10s to 30s who bought the Fold8 Ultra and Fold8 more than doubled from the previous model, the Fold7.

By color, preferences were high for the Fold8 Ultra in Graphite and Violet Shadow, the Fold8 in Cream and Graphite, and the Flip8 in Pink and Cream. One in two customers who pre-ordered unlocked models on Samsung.com joined the New Galaxy AI Subscription Club.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra has a 203.1 mm large display. It weighs 215 grams and is 4.1 mm thick when unfolded. It also has a 5,000 mAh battery, a 200-megapixel camera and, for the first time in the Fold series, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 offers a 193.2 mm main screen in a 4:3 ratio when unfolded and a 138.4 mm cover screen in a 10:16 ratio when folded. At 201 grams, it is the lightest Galaxy Z Fold series model to date. It applies a 4,800 mAh battery and a 50-megapixel dual camera.

The Galaxy Z Flip8 weighs 180 grams and is 6.1 mm thick when unfolded, making it the thinnest and lightest in the Flip series to date. It also newly added a Mirror View function that lets users quickly check their appearance.

In August, Samsung Electronics will provide Galaxy Z8 series buyers with a 10 percent discount coupon for the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 and a 30 percent discount coupon for cases and accessories. It will also give subscriptions including a 6-month Google AI Pro subscription and a 3-month Welaa subscription.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 has an 800 mAh battery and a display with brightness of up to 5,000 nits. It supports professional outdoor sports such as trail running and diving. The share of women among Ultra2 pre-order customers rose by about 15 percent from the previous model.

The Watch9 provides vital signs, a heart health score, daily cardio load and a physical fitness index to help users check their health status and improve lifestyle habits.

Samsung Electronics will provide Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 buyers through Aug. 31 with two 50 percent discount coupons for dedicated bands and a 6-month subscription to the Timeflick watch face.

Ho-jin Jeong (정호진), vice president of Samsung Electronics' Korea business, said, "The 8th-generation Galaxy Z series applies foldable know-how accumulated over 7 years to achieve true mass adoption of foldable smartphones." He added, "We hope people will experience the Galaxy ecosystem together with the new Galaxy Watch products that provide personalized, tailored healthcare guidance."

The new products will be released sequentially in more than 100 countries worldwide, including South Korea, the United States, Britain, India and Japan.