Left to right: Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Z Fold 6
(Credit: Eric Zeman)
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 carry over many of the basic characteristics that make the phones popular, but Samsung pumps up the Flip's internals while revamping the Z Fold's externals. It also peppers both with a hearty dash of AI. The phones are available for pre-order now. The Z Flip 6 starts at $1,099.99, while the Z Fold 6 starts at $1,899.99. Both cost $100 more than last year's models.
We got to check out the latest Galaxy foldables in New York ahead of Samsung's Unpacked event. Read on for our first impressions. We also tried out the Galaxy Ring and the Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6: Up Close and Personal
Galaxy Z Flip 6: Similar Outside, But Different Inside
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is physically similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 5. They both measure 2.83 by 3.35 by 0.59 inches closed (HWD) and 6.50 by 2.83 by 0.27 inches open, with a weight of 6.60 ounces. I found the Flip 6 to be as comfortable as the Flip 5, meaning it is light and easy to hold either closed or open. The Flip's hinge has the right amount of resistance when opening and closing the device—it's not too stiff or loose.
The Flip 6 features a matte back and frame, unlike the Flip 5's glossy look. The matte finish looks cleaner and should hide fingerprints better. Samsung matches the rings around the main camera units to match the color of each phone, which is a nice touch. The Flip 6 is available in four colors: Blue, Mint, Silver Shadow, or Yellow. Three more colors, Crafted Black, Peach, and White, are available only when ordering from Samsung's website.
As for durability, the Z Flip 6 is rated IP48, which is an improvement on the Z Flip 5's IPX8 rating. They both can withstand water, but the Z Flip 6 is officially protected against dust and debris greater than 1mm in size. For comparison, the latest Moto Razr and Razr+ are rated IPX8.
Ports and buttons are exactly where you would expect them to be. The bottom houses a USB-C port and speaker grille, while the right side contains the combined volume button and fingerprint scanner/power button. A SIM tray is found on the left side.
Displays: What Crease?
The Flip 6's outer display (which Samsung calls the Cover screen) is the same as last year's model: a 3.4-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 720 by 748 pixels and a refresh rate of 60Hz. Samsung says software improvements let you put multiple widgets on the cover screen. In our short time with the Z Flip 6, the outer screen was bright and responsive.
The inner OLED display is 6.7 inches with a resolution of 2,640 by 1,080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. This is essentially the same inner screen found on the Z Flip 5 and Z Flip 4. However, it features a peak brightness of 2,600 nits compared with the Z Flip 5's 1,200 nits. This brightness boost should make it easy to see regardless of lighting conditions.
In-person, the display crease is difficult to see and appears to be improved from the previous generations. The Z Flip 6 looked like a regular slab phone when open. This could be a trick of the eye since the display is so bright, or perhaps the crease is not as visible before wear sets in. I will pay close attention to this when I get the phone in for testing.
The Biggest Improvements
The biggest change to the Z Flip 6 is a new 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) at an aperture of f/1.8 and an 85-degree field of view. The previous generation featured a 12MP main camera at f/2.2 with OIS and a wider field of view, so the Z Flip 6 should produce better pictures and video. The Flip 6's ultra-wide camera is unchanged from the Flip 5 at 12MP with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 123-degree field of view, while the Flip 6's selfie camera also remains the same as last year's 10MP model.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor runs the phone and is the same chip in the Galaxy S24 series and the Z Fold 6. All Samsung Z Flip 6 models come with 12GB of RAM, which is up from 8GB in the previous generation. This processor and RAM combination is on par with the Galaxy S24+, so it should perform similarly. Internal storage options for the Flip 6 remain at 256GB or 512GB.
The Z Flip 6 comes with a 4,000mAh battery, which is the largest in a Z Flip device. Fast wired charging is available at 25W and wireless charging is supported at 15W. For cooling, the Z Flip 6 includes the first-ever vapor chamber in the Flip series. Samsung says it is 50% larger than the Galaxy S23 Ultra's vapor chamber. This should help keep the chip cool when it's under a heavy processor load.
Galaxy Z Fold 6: Different Outside, Similar Insides
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 features a new design that resembles the Galaxy S24 Ultra with its boxy, squared corners. Closed, the Z Fold 6 measures 6.04 by 2.68 by 0.48 inches, while open it expands to 6.04 by 5.22 by 0.22 inches. The Z Fold 6's cover screen is wider and the inner screen is a slightly different aspect ratio than the Z Fold 5. The Fold 5 comes in at 6.10 by 2.64 by 0.53 when closed and 6.10 by 5.11 by 0.24 inches unfolded.
As for weight, the Fold 6 weighs 8.43 ounces, which is 0.49 ounces lighter than the Z Fold 5 and 0.21 ounces heavier than the S24 Ultra. Overall, the new shape is comfortable to hold open or closed. The wider cover screen looks to silence a long-running complaint about the Z Fold series—that the front screen is too narrow. While the closed device is just 1mm wider, Samsung says the screen is 3mm larger. That may not seem like much on an absolute scale, but the front screen feels like a noticeable improvement and the symmetrical look is sharp.
Like the Flip series, the Fold 6 moves to a matte finish for its colors and hinge. The phone is available in Navy, Pink, or Silver Shadow. Crafted Black and White colors are available through Samsung only. The Fold 6 is IP48 rated like the Flip 6, which is better than the Fold 5's IPX8 rating.
Ports and controls are unchanged from the Z Fold 5. A SIM tray is on the left of the device (when opened), with a volume rocker and fingerprint sensor/power button on the right side. A USB-C port is on the bottom for charging. There are two speakers (one at the top and one near the USB-C port), though the grille design is more streamlined than before.
Displays: Shorter and Wider
The front screen of the Z Fold 6 is 6.3 inches at a resolution of 2,376 by 968 pixels with an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz. For comparison, the Z Fold 5's outer screen is 6.2 inches at a resolution of 2,316 by 904 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate of 48 to 120Hz. In my time with the Z Fold 6, the front screen felt more comfortable to type on than the Z Fold 5. The adaptive refresh rate should help with battery life as well.
The inner 7.6-inch display has a resolution of 2,160 by 1,856 (in a 20.9:18 aspect ratio) with an adaptive refresh rate matching the cover display. I'm always happy when the inner and outer screens feature matching refresh rates, as it leads to a more seamless experience when using the phone. The Z Fold 6 also ups its brightness to 2,600 nits compared with the Z Fold 5's 1,750 nits.
The inner display crease of the Z Fold 6 is similar to the Z Fold 5, though it is less severe. I moved the Z Fold 6 around under different lighting conditions and angles to see if the crease became distracting. It's hard to say if there is a real improvement here, but the inner display looks more modern with its squared-off look.
Tweaks Inside
Samsung usually packs the Z Fold series with the best tech possible. The Z Fold 6 gets the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy in the Flip 6. All Z Fold 6 models ship with 12GB of RAM and the same storage options (256GB, 512GB, 1TB) as the Z Fold 5. I would have liked to see some kind of bump in RAM or storage here, though even the base configuration should be powerful enough for just about anything.
As for cameras, there's some new mixed with some old. The camera in the outer display is a 10MP shooter at f/2.2, while the under-display camera of the inner screen is still 4MP. The main rear shooter remains at 50MP with OIS and the telephoto camera stays at 10MP with OIS, though Samsung says digital zoom is improved. A new 12MP ultra-wide camera on the back will handle low-light conditions better and has improved noise reduction.
Samsung sticks with a 4,400mAh battery that supports 25W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging like the Fold 5 and the Fold 4. Considering the price of the Z Fold series, I would have liked faster charging and/or a bigger battery. Some of the internal space in the Z Fold 6 is taken up by a new vapor chamber, which is 1.6 times larger than the one in the Z Fold 5. Perhaps Samsung is attempting to ensure the Z Fold 6 remains cool under pressure.
Galaxy AI
Both the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6 are equipped with Galaxy AI, Samsung's suite of AI tools first introduced in the Samsung Galaxy S24 line. Thanks to the dual screens and Galaxy AI, both the Flip 6 and the Fold 6 can act as a translator, showing one language on the outer screen and another on the inner one. Samsung introduced a listening mode to its translation tool that continuously translates what it hears, which could be useful for announcements or lectures.
Samsung has also added some new AI photography tricks. Thanks to the new Portrait Studio feature, pictures of people can be turned into comics, 3D cartoons, watercolors, or sketches. There's also a generative AI tool that fleshes out your sketches. In a quick test, I drew a simple cat and then tapped Generate. I received several options, one of which you can see below.
Z Assurance
To get more people to flip to the Z side, Samsung is touting Z Assurance. This program gives Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 owners one free inner screen protector replacement at qualifying vendors and a one-time discounted whole screen replacement (set at the same pricing as the S series).
The Z Assurance branding also says that the Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 can withstand 200,000 folds over their lifetime, the same number as last year's models.
We're in the process of testing both phones now. Check back soon to see if they're worth the big bucks in our full reviews.
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