Samsung Electronics launched its latest foldable smartphones—the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8, and Z Flip8—across multiple markets this week, embedding new artificial-intelligence tools that simplify content creation. The most conspicuous addition is My FanCam, an AI-based editing function in Samsung’s One UI 9 interface that automatically tracks a selected subject in a crowd video and crops the frame to follow it, generating a professional-looking spotlight reel without manual editing. The feature operates on saved footage rather than in real time and is exclusive to the new foldables, though it has already been spotted in test builds for older Galaxy S and Z series devices, signalling an impending wider rollout.

The launch is as much about pricing and distribution strategy as about hardware. In its home market of South Korea, Samsung priced the entry-level Galaxy Z Fold8 (256GB) at 2.28 million won (approximately US$1,700), slightly below the equivalent previous model, while the premium Ultra starts at 2.58 million won. Co-CEO Roh Tae-moon told reporters that the domestic price was set lower than anywhere else because of the market’s strategic importance. In Indonesia, state-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) is offering exclusive pre-order terms—discounts of up to 5 million rupiah and zero-interest instalments for up to 36 months—for credit-card holders at official Samsung channels and partner stores, a move that underscores the role of consumer financing in driving upgrades across price-sensitive Southeast Asian economies.

The devices arrive as the foldable segment approaches a turning point. Roh declared that foldables have reached technological and market maturity, arguing that the imminent entry of Apple—expected to launch its first book-style foldable iPhone as early as September—proves the category has gone mainstream. Viewed from Seoul, the seven-year head start in engineering and user understanding represents a moat that cannot be crossed overnight. Analysts in regional financial centres note that Samsung’s simultaneous push on AI differentiation, competitive pricing, and mass-market financing deals in India and Indonesia is designed to lock in users before Apple’s ecosystem begins to attract aspirational buyers.

The new line-up will go on sale in a staggered global rollout beginning 7 August, with pre-orders already underway in South Korea until 3 August and running through mid-August in Indonesia. The next key milestone will be Apple’s expected September event, where the contours of a more direct competitive struggle in the premium foldable space will become visible.