L-R: CU Kim, President & CEO of Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania, Won-Joon Choi, President and COO of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile eXperience (MX) Business and Head of R&D Office, and Carl Nordenberg, VP & Regional Head of the Mobile eXperience Business for Southeast Asia and Oceania

Following the launch of the new Galaxy Z series at the Galaxy Unpacked event in London, Samsung leaders engaged with media from Southeast Asia and Oceania, sharing insights about how AI is evolving from a technology that people experiment with into one that is woven into everyday life.

Won-Joon Choi, President and COO of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile eXperience (MX) Business and Head of R&D Office, CU Kim, President & CEO of Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania, and Carl Nordenberg, VP & Regional Head of the Mobile eXperience Business for Southeast Asia and Oceania discussed changing consumer expectations in the region and what comes next for mobile AI experiences.

As Samsung introduced an all-new form factor this year, CU Kim revealed that sales of the Galaxy Z7 Series have increased by almost 15% year-on-year compared with the previous generation, indicating growing consumer interest in foldable experiences across Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Highlighting the region’s growing adoption of AI, CU Kim shared that AI usage among Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 users in Southeast Asia and Oceania has increased from 84% in August 2025 to 96% in June 2026^[1]. He noted that consumers often utilise AI for practical daily tasks, with Circle to Search, Now Brief and Photo Assist among the most frequently used features.

CU Kim, President & CEO, Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania

CU Kim said “The next phase of AI will not be about more features. It is about relevance”, emphasising that as AI works across the various Galaxy mobile devices and other Samsung appliances and screens, it will be able to better understand user needs and become more helpful and personalised over time.

Galaxy AI also currently supports 22 languages, including Filipino, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese, reflecting Samsung’s commitment to delivering localised experiences for consumers across this diverse region.

The session explored how AI is changing the way people interact with their mobile devices as well, with CU Kim reiterating that in this region, mobile phones are the primary gateway to AI.

When discussing the future of mobile AI, Won-Joon Choi highlighted that the value of AI will be determined by how well it can remove friction in the background while giving users greater flexibility and choice.

“From a consumer’s perspective, there is no single AI that’s right for everyone. We want users to have the flexibility to use the right one at the right time, and that’s why we’re building Galaxy AI as a platform, with multiple AI agents working together to deliver the most seamless experience,” he added.

Building on the foundation established with the Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy Z8 series and One UI 9 will provide an enhanced agentic AI experience through deeper system-level integration and more intuitive user controls. With multiple agents working seamlessly across apps, services, and device features, users will enjoy greater flexibility and choices for how they interact with AI.

Looking ahead, Won-Joon Choi shares that Samsung’s foldable portfolio is evolving to meet more lifestyles and needs. “Since we launched this category in 2019, we’ve studied closely how consumers interact with their foldables. Our broader, more diverse portfolio lets us better meet each user’s needs, and we are excited about what that will bring to Southeast Asia and Oceania,” he said. The Galaxy Z8 series will give users more ways to experience AI across productivity, content, creation and self-expression.

Through this 8th generation of foldables, Samsung is moving the category into its next chapter, one where foldables are no longer a niche choice, but a mainstream mobile experience that more consumers can confidently choose as part of their everyday lives.

As consumers in the region await the arrival of the new line-up, Galaxy Z8 Series will be available in Australia on 14 August.

[1] Samsung Internal Big Data Portal

“Samsung’s strength in the foldable category comes from connecting user needs with our technologies that deliver tangible benefits in everyday life,” said Sunghoon Moon, EVP and Senior Executive, Mobile R&D Office – H/W, Samsung Electronics. “For the next generation of Galaxy foldables, Samsung is building on years of expertise to bring display innovations into devices that enhance user experiences, anchored by exceptional viewing experiences.”

Building on Years of Foldable Experience

Samsung has played a leading role in advancing mobile display innovation and bringing it to consumers at scale through mobile devices. This legacy includes the widespread adoption of AMOLED displays in 2007 and the evolution of displays into flexible form factors.

Innovative technologies can only reach their full potential and provide meaningful user experiences through continuous refinement in real-world conditions, and the foldable category is no exception. Across seven generations of Galaxy foldables, Samsung has listened closely to consumer feedback. This has given the company a deep understanding of what users expect from the category: larger, more immersive viewing experience with less visible crease — without compromising strength or portability.

To meet these expectations, Samsung had to rethink how foldable displays are constructed by bringing together breakthroughs in technology, materials and mechanical engineering. The result is the latest milestone in foldable display innovation: Flex Titanium technology. By successfully integrating display innovation with device engineering, Samsung will continue to shape the direction of the mobile industry and deliver standout user experiences.

Flex Titanium: Next-Level Viewing

To create a display that provides an immersive viewing experience while maintaining its ability to withstand everyday use, Samsung took a new approach to structural design. This required a material strong enough to withstand external environments, flexible enough to endure repeated folding and thin enough to fit within a refined device structure. Balancing all three factors was essential to advancing foldable displays — and titanium offered the right mix.

Known for its resilience and strength, titanium has been used in some of the most demanding applications, including satellite antennas and the wheels of a Mars rover. While its strength makes titanium a dependable material, it also presents significant engineering challenges when applied to the thin and flexible structure of a foldable display due to its stiffness. Drawing on its expertise, Samsung has integrated titanium into two key components: a titanium-alloy film and a titanium plate.

The titanium-alloy film is a component that supports the display from within, sitting below the OLED panel. A precision rolling process makes the material exceptionally thin  enabling a slimmer display panel.

Below this sits a robust titanium plate, a flexible structure that supports the display module from beneath. It allows tighter bonding with the display module by eliminating air gaps between the module and the adhesive on the plate through advanced hole processing technology. This new structure helps provide more stable support underneath the display when unfolded while retaining the flexibility needed to accommodate repeated folding.

Furthermore, by integrating a high-resolution architecture and next-generation materials, the new display delivers ultra-vivid display resolution while helping to reduce power consumption — delivering a dramatic boost in overall power efficiency.

“By introducing sophisticated micro-patterned holes to the folding section of the titanium plate, we have successfully secured flexibility with robust durability,” said Kyung-Jin Yoo, EVP and Head of Mobile Display Product Development Team, Samsung Display. “Combining high-resolution display architecture with new materials that helps maximise power efficiency, we will further strengthen the competitiveness of next-generation Galaxy foldable devices.”

Together, these advancements help enable a strong foldable display that maximises content immersion on a seamless screen and reduces crease visibility — all while keeping it slim. By balancing strength, flexibility and structural stability, Samsung continues to set the bar for foldable displays.

The new Flex Titanium technology will debut with Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy foldable devices. Further details will be unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22 at 11pm AEST.

Leveraging its unique foldable form factor, the Galaxy Z Flip6 and Galaxy Z Fold6 are accelerating a new era of communication, productivity and creativity. Find out the top reasons why users love the Galaxy Z series, their favorite Galaxy AI features to use, and more.

[1] The Samsung Consumer Market Insights’ SEAO Galaxy Z Flip6/Fold6 Post-launch survey was conducted from 27 August to 9 September 2024, with a total of 2,424 participants from 8 countries in Southeast Asia & Oceania including Australia (300), Indonesia (303), Malaysia (300), New Zealand (301), Philippines (305), Singapore (307), Thailand (300) and Vietnam (308).

Check out the video below and learn about how Samsung puts its foldable smartphones to the test.