Samsung Z Fold 6 Review
Samsung's popular folding-screen Z Flip phone returns for 2024 with a faster processor, extended battery life, and enhanced AI capabilities.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6, the smaller of Samsung’s two new folding phones launched alongside the Z Fold 6, retains the flat sides and slab-like design of the Galaxy S24+, folding it in half to create a compact clamshell from a large-screen phone.
Despite several minor upgrades, the price has increased to $1,099 – a $100 hike from last year, matching the launch price of the S24+ and surpassing some flip-phone competitors.
The exterior features refined, flattened sides and a matte finish on the aluminum, offering a modern, monolithic feel. The 3.4-inch cover screen remains unchanged, displaying the time, date, notifications, quick settings, and various widgets. It can run a limited selection of apps, like maps or WhatsApp, but lacks the utility of some rivals such as Motorola.
The 6.7-inch interior screen is smoother, crisper, and brighter, making outdoor visibility easier. The fold crease is less noticeable to both eye and touch. Though the folding display allows for a larger screen in a compact form, it’s made of softer material, requiring careful handling to avoid scratches or damage.
Powered by the top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and equipped with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the Flip 6 ranks among the fastest Android phones, capable of handling diverse tasks efficiently. The more efficient chip and higher capacity battery extend its life beyond previous models.
The Flip 6 can last up to 48 hours on moderate use, with about three hours of screen time and a couple of hours on 5G daily, necessitating charging roughly every other day. It fully charges in about 90 minutes with a 25W charger, which is not included in the box, and also supports wireless charging.
Running One UI 6.1 based on Android 14, the Flip 6 will receive software and security updates for seven years from release, making it one of the longest-supported phones, alongside Google’s Pixel 8, with only Fairphone offering longer support.
Its AI features include voice transcription, translation services, summarization tools, and AI assistance for quick message replies and proofing. The phone also supports Google’s Gemini AI chatbot and the Circle to Search feature. Samsung’s new interpreter mode displays translated text on the cover screen, enabling live translation of conversations.
The gallery app's new photo assist tool can turn crude sketches into realistic images, producing impressive results with AI-generated images marked with watermarks.
The Flip 6 boasts a new 50-megapixel main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 10MP selfie camera. The main camera excels at 12MP resolution, handling various lighting conditions and providing detailed and well-balanced photos. It also offers effective 2x in-sensor zoom and up to 10x digital zoom. The 12MP ultrawide camera is suitable for group shots and landscapes. The internal camera is solid, but the main camera offers better selfies using the cover screen as a viewfinder. The camera app includes an auto-framing mode, which follows the user around an area, capturing photos when the palm is shown.
The battery is expected to last over 500 full-charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity. The phone is generally repairable, with inside screen repairs costing about $299. Samsung offers a self-repair program and Care+ accidental damage insurance reducing repair costs to $99.
Made from recycled aluminum, glass, and plastic, the Flip 6 supports Samsung’s trade-in and recycling programs. Samsung publishes annual sustainability reports but not specific impact assessments for individual products.
The sixth-generation Flip, while a minor update, features design refinements and significantly improved battery life, maintaining its status among regular premium phones. The modern look, excellent internal screen, two-day battery life, improved main camera, and new AI features are welcome enhancements. However, the exterior screen is not as large or useful as some rivals, and the durability of folding screens still trails standard phones, requiring careful handling and potentially costly repairs. Nonetheless, the Z Flip 6 remains one of the top flip-phones on the market, offering a big screen in a compact form factor with long-term software support.
Check out our new collection of Samsung Z Flip 6 and Samsung Z Fold 6 cases.