Galaxy Z Flip 6 evaluation: Iterative upgrades

Most smartphone reviewers might be harsh on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 as a result of it is so much like final yr’s Z Flip 5. Whereas that is a good argument, tech YouTubers and bloggers typically overlook the typical smartphone person is not upgrading their smartphone yearly. Actually, individuals are hanging onto smartphones for longer than ever earlier than, due to improvements in hardware durability and multi-year commitments to software program updates, significantly on the Android aspect.

That is the place Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 is available in. In the event you evaluate the machine to final yr’s Flip 5, there is not so much right here past a couple of minor spec bumps. The brand new clamshell foldable incorporates a extra squared-off design, a sooner chip, a long-overdue rear digicam improve, and some surprisingly intelligent AI methods, however past these modifications, it is almost similar to final yr’s Flip 5.

Because of this when you’re into foldables and already a Flip 5 proprietor, there is not sufficient right here to warrant an improve. However, when you’re nonetheless utilizing a Flip 3 or Flip 4, otherwise you’ve been on the fence concerning the wild world of folding gadgets, now is a superb time to dive in, primarily as a result of the notable trade-offs beforehand tied to foldables are almost solely gone.

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Galaxy Z Flip 6

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 does not mess with a great factor, but it surely does include a bigger battery, higher cameras, and extra RAM to make your total foldable expertise smoother.

Execs

• Gorgeous design
• Affordable price ticket for a foldable
• Upgraded rear digicam and chip

Cons

• Not a lot of an improve over the Galaxy Z Flip 5
• Cowl Display screen does not wrap round lenses just like the Razr+
• You continue to must be extra cautious with foldables

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Worth, availability, and specs

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 is accessible in two storage configurations: 256GB for $1,100 and 512GB for $1,220, straight via the Samsung Retailer. This yr’s Samsung Retailer unique colours embody crafted black, peach, and white. The remainder of the choices are yellow, mint, silver shadow, and blue. The smartphone is accessible as of July 24.

On the specs entrance, the Fold 6 provides a {hardware} array similar to the Fold 5, although there are a couple of upgrades value highlighting. This contains the identical 50-megapixel primary digicam obtainable within the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, and the 12-megapixel ultrawide has a brand new sensor. The foldable additionally options Qualcomm’s highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.

The inner display screen options 2,600 nits of peak brightness (a rise from 1,750 with the Flip 5), and the battery has been upgraded from 3,700 mAh to 4,000 mAh, providing all-day battery life in my expertise, so long as you keep on with average use. Lastly, the Flip 6 options 12GB of RAM over the Flip 5’s 8GB. In apply, this doubtless will not do a lot for the typical foldable proprietor, however when you’re an enormous multi-tasker, you must now have a barely smoother expertise (extra on this later).

Galaxy Z Flip 6 design

An act of refinement

In the case of smartphones, I place a variety of inventory in how a tool appears and feels, with a fair greater precedence on the earth of foldables. This yr, the important thing change is the Flip 5’s extra squared-off sides. This offers the machine a sleeker total aesthetic and makes it simpler to carry in your hand, but it surely additionally leads to the Z Flip 6 trying extra like an iPhone. I do not take difficulty with this, however the extra Apple-adverse Samsung followers on the market may not be followers of this variation.

I actually like that the perimeters of the Flip 6 are solely matte and do not present smudges or fingerprints. Additional, the telephone’s energy button and quantity rocker stay clicky and responsive, identical to they’ve been for the previous couple of Flip generations. Alongside the squared-off sides are minimized bezels each on the inside foldable show and the Cowl Display screen. The change is minimal, but it surely’s welcome as a result of it provides the Flip 6 an total extra fashionable look.

The Flip 6 is a pleasure to make use of, and most significantly for a foldable, it feels sturdy and well-made, significantly relating to the hinge. I nonetheless take difficulty with the general sturdiness of foldables, however the Galaxy Z Flip 6 has me questioning this opinion — it feels extraordinarily stable, significantly when quickly opening and shutting the machine. The important thing might be if it holds up over a number of years of use like a normal smartphone. I am additionally keen on the very cute rear lenses and their coloured outlines. The Flip 6 is already a flashy telephone, and this simply provides to its distinctive look.

Individually, I have not been a fan of clamshell foldables. I understood the attraction of book-like foldables as a result of they provide you a pill in your pocket, however the clamshell design? What is the level. I’ve achieved a 180 on this opinion, and here is the place I am at now: they’re cool. The design may not be for everybody, however on a base-level, it is enjoyable to open and shut the Z Flip 6. In an business filled with boring smartphones that look the identical, this makes clamshell foldables thrilling and, extra importantly, totally different.

I am a sucker for a singular smartphone colour, so I am an enormous fan of the mint Galaxy Z Fold 6 Samsung despatched me. It appears nice beneath diversified lighting situations, and the matte inexperienced rear is pleasant to run my fingers down. I like a matte smartphones, and this yr, Samsung has embraced that design course solely.

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Galaxy Z Flip 6 Show

A stable hinge and foldable show

Whereas I’ve hung out with each Flip era, the final Samsung clamshell foldable I used as my day by day smartphone was the Galaxy Z Flip 2. Quick-forward to the Flip 6, and it is clear Samsung’s foldable show expertise has come a good distance. The plastic really feel of earlier generations is gone, and as an alternative is a folding display screen that seems like a normal smartphone show — solely it folds.

On the specs aspect, the 6.7-inch AMOLED panel incorporates a 2,640 x 1,080 pixel decision and a quick 120Hz refresh price. All the things from YouTube movies to looking the web appears beautiful on the Galaxy Flip 6’s display screen. Samsung’s display screen prowess is on full show right here, and at instances, the Flip 6’s display screen matches the 24 Extremely’s constancy. That stated, the crease remains to be very seen, particularly when utilizing the telephone outside. I rapidly bought used to it, identical to I’ve with almost each foldable, however when you have been hoping this may be the yr the crease dies, I am sorry to be the bearer of unhealthy information. It is barely extra noticeable than the Razr+’s foldable show crease.

Sadly, the Flip 6’s Cowl Display screen disappoints this yr. The three.4-inch 720 x 748 60Hz Cowl Show appears dismal subsequent to the Razr+’s edge-to-edge entrance show that wraps round its rear lenses. Hopefully, subsequent yr Samsung opts to enhance the clamshell foldable’s entrance show. I proceed to query the utility of the Cowl Show, and in my a number of days with the Flip 6, I have not discovered that I’ve used it fairly often (it is primarily a simple approach to view and activate notifications for me).

Samsung nonetheless does not allow you to run any app on the Cowl Show straight out of the field, forcing customers to make use of Good Lock. It is unclear why the corporate insists on doing this, however given Motorola’s Razr has allowed customers to run any app for a couple of generations now, it is an odd resolution.

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Galaxy Z Flip Digital camera upgrades

Flagship-level digicam efficiency in a foldable

One of many key points with all of Samsung’s foldables has been lackluster primary digicam efficiency. Because of the brand new 50-megapixel major shooter, that is modified, leading to pictures that is on par with the Galaxy S24 and S24+. The Fold 6’s different shooters, which embody a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel selfie shooter, carry out properly, too.

So long as you are keen on Samsung’s out-there picture post-processing, you will be happy with all of the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s cameras, with the principle digicam being the star of the present. That stated, I do not like how the foldable typically blows out highlights and struggles to snap images of shifting topics, however I’ve additionally encountered this difficulty with each Samsung telephone I’ve ever used. Total, pictures are crisp, clear and have ample element, particularly when shot with the principle digicam.

Samsung has packed in a number of intelligent digicam options that benefit from the Flip 6’s distinctive design, together with the power to snap selfies with the machine closed, permitting you to get a transparent have a look at your face as you shoot. It’s also possible to place the foldable on a desk half-folded, providing you with a built-in tripod for group pictures, full with AI-powered auto zoom that works higher than I anticipated. These aren’t options I am going to doubtless use fairly often, however I can see them being very helpful for many Flip 6 house owners.

It’s also possible to as soon as once more fold the Flip 6 and use it like a camcorder, providing a enjoyable nostalgic blast from the previous. These are nice digicam methods that provide genuinely helpful utility tied on to the Z Flip 6’s distinctive design.

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Galaxy Z Flip 6 efficiency

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 provides ample energy

Final yr’s Z Flip 5 carried out admirably beneath almost all circumstances, and that continues this yr with the Flip 6 and its Qualcomm-made Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Whether or not I have been watching movies on YouTube, taking part in video games, or doom-scrolling on X, efficiency has been clean. In the event you’re into benchmarks, the Flip 6 hits 2,271 for single-core and 6869 for multi-core, putting it even above the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s rating with Geekbench 6.

The machine additionally stays far cooler than earlier Flip fashions, partly as a consequence of its bigger vapor chamber that helps preserve the machine working at a extra cheap temperature.

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Galaxy Z Flip software program

Welcome to the wild world of AI

I nonetheless contend that One UI is just too difficult, significantly if you’re looking for a particular characteristic within the Settings app. Sure, you’ll be able to seek for the setting you are in search of, however you should not have to. Nonetheless, when you’re a long-time Samsung machine person, you will already be accustomed to the intricacies of the corporate’s bloated Android pores and skin, so this may not be a problem for you.

The important thing software program choices this yr embody a number of AI characteristic, and to my shock, a lot of them are literally helpful. I’ve taken a number of Galaxy AI options for a spin, however the important thing standout for me is Sketch to Picture, which lets you draw something on a photograph, and have it seem. The outcomes are blended, however undeniably cool, and I can see a variety of Flip 6 house owners having a good time including enjoyable AI creations to images. Nonetheless, the characteristic does not appear to have the ability to considerably change an individual’s look and solely lets you add enjoyable issues like a hat or horns. This can be a sensible transfer on Samsung’s half given the controversy surrounding AI, but it surely’s noteworthy nonetheless. The flexibility to simply take away or transfer objects round pictures additionally works excellently.

To prime issues off on a extra detrimental be aware, the brand new Potrait Studio AI choices are terrible and in each occasion I examined the characteristic out, the ensuing AI creation was ridiculous (take a look at the GigaChad model of me above — I really feel your ache, Sydney Sweeney).AI options launched with the Galaxy S24 sequence, together with Circle to Search and the Interpreter app, are right here as properly. Much like years previous, Samsung guarantees seven years of software program updates with the Flip 6, which is nice information when you plan to hold onto the foldable for a very long time.

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Do you have to purchase the Galaxy Fold 6?

That depends upon what machine you are presently utilizing

In the event you personal the Fold 5, there doubtless is not sufficient right here to warrant an improve to Samsung’s newest clamshell, particularly at launch (anticipate the inevitable six-month low cost the corporate typically provides).

However, when you’re leaping into the world of foldables for the primary time since you’re in search of a singular smartphone expertise, the Fold 6 is troublesome to beat, particularly when its cheap worth is taken under consideration. In that very same vein, these nonetheless utilizing earlier variations of the Flip will admire the upgrades the Galaxy Z Fold 6 provides, together with a greater major digicam, a sooner chip and a sleeker design.

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Galaxy Z Flip 6