Samsung Launches Galaxy Z8 Series Amid Record Pre-Orders

Samsung Electronics launched its Galaxy Z series and Galaxy Watch lineup on August 7, 2026, distributing the new hardware across 106 markets worldwide. The foldable series includes the Galaxy Z Flip8 and two versions of the Fold: the Galaxy Z Fold8, which utilizes Flex Titanium technology to reduce screen creasing, and the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, featuring an 8-inch display and a 200 MP main camera. The company also introduced the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 for outdoor performance and the Galaxy Watch9 for wellness tracking.

The devices utilize Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Snapdragon Wear Elite platforms. Early market reception has been strong, with Samsung reporting record-breaking pre-orders in the U.S., South Korea, and India. In India, pre-orders reached a three-day milestone that previously took fifteen days for the prior generation. To incentivize early adoption, Samsung is offering six-month trials of Google AI Pro for foldable buyers.

Simultaneous industry developments include the reveal of the Google Pixel 11 family, with prices reaching $1,899 for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Google is also transitioning WearOS from Google Assistant to Gemini, with Assistant access scheduled for removal starting September 4. Additionally, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5V series is set to debut in Xiaomi's Redmi K100 Pro next week.