People check out products in a pop-up store in London, Britain, on Aug. 11, in this file photo provided by Samsung Electronics. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics launched its latest foldable smartphones in some 40 countries Friday, hoping the new products could jump-start the lackluster global smartphone sales amid high inflation.

The world's largest smartphone maker said the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4, along with the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, are officially released in South Korea, the United States and France, among others, and plans to expand the products' availability into around 130 countries by September.

Preorders for the foldable phones had been available in approximately 70 countries since Samsung unveiled them earlier this month during an online "Unpacked" event.

In South Korea, 970,000 preorders were made for the seven days ended on Aug. 22, according to the company, the biggest figure for any foldable phones and up around 5.4 percent from the previous record.

The clamshell-style Galaxy Z Flip 4, fitted with a thinner hinge, comes with a longer battery life and stronger camera performance. The much larger Galaxy Z Fold 4, which opens like a book, became lighter, and offers an enhanced multitasking and user-friendly screen environment with a layout similar to that of a PC. It also comes with a longer battery life and better shock protection features.

While Samsung is an early trailblazer in the global foldable market, the new phones seem to lack breakthrough innovations and have similar specifications, some experts said.

"There is no noticeable change in the new phones, but they seemed to have improved the shortfalls of their predecessors," said Lee Dong-ju, an analyst at SK Securities.

"Samsung is banking on the success of the new foldable phones," he said, forecasting around 16 million of Samsung's foldable phones will be sold this year.

"Despite little changes in the specifications, the target could be achievable because of the company's aggressive marketing push."

The latest foldable smartphone series came at a time when the world's largest smartphone maker, like many other consumer devices companies, is facing headwinds from global economic woes that have left consumers with less money to spend on nonessential goods.

Samsung shipped 60 million smartphones in the second quarter, leading the global smartphone market with a 21 percent market share, according to market research firm Canalys. The tally is down 19 percent from the previous quarter but slightly up from 58 million a year ago.

Global smartphone shipments declined 9 percent on-year in the three months ending in June, as consumers' disposable income has been cut by spiking inflation. (Yonhap)