Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone maker by shipment, announced the official launch of its Galaxy S23 series in 55 countries Friday, touting record-breaking preorders in South Korea.

Starting sales in 55 countries, which include United States, Britain, Dubai and Australia, the tech giant will ultimately launch the new flagship models in 130 countries, the company said.

In South Korea, the Galaxy S23 series garnered 1.09 million preorders in seven days, up slightly from the previous Galaxy S22 series' first-week preorders of 1.01 million. The highest-end model in the lineup, Galaxy S23 Ultra was the most popular in the preorders, chosen by 60 percent of the customers, the company said.

“The great momentum we’re witnessing speaks to customers’ excitement about products that push the envelope and give them the freedom to express themselves creatively,” said Samsung Electronics President and mobile business chief Roh Tae-moon said.

“This year’s preorder numbers echo our customers’ strong trust in our brand and demonstrate how our commitment to ground-breaking innovation and sustainability continues to resonate with consumers.”

The Galaxy S23 series is equipped with “industry-leading” innovations, with the camera featuring 200 megapixel Adaptive Pixel sensors and an embedded stylus to offer premium phone experience for users, the smartphone maker said.

The Galaxy S23 series also implements the world’s fastest mobile graphics Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform to offer epic cameras to give users more freedom to explore their creativity, the company said.

The new flagship models also use more components made of recycled materials than any other Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

To celebrate the launch of its latest smartphone series, Samsung said it is introducing an eye-catching 3D billboard campaign to highlight the design, which is inspired by the planet. The billboard campaign will first kick off in Seoul, and move to other cities around the world over the comping weeks, the company said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)