Like clockwork, Samsung has announced its latest iteration of one of the best foldable phones on the market — the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. Sure, the larger Glaaxy Z Fold 6 may get a bit more attention, but the Z Flip series and clamshell foldables in general are still far more accessible to most consumers.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is packing some big improvements over its predecessor, so let's break down what's new and improved.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are here, and I'm more impressed than I expected to be
Finally, a (slightly) larger display on the Fold and a decent camera on the Flip
Pricing and availability
It's more expensive than before
Samsung formally unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 6 at its Unpacked event on July 10, 2024, with preorders starting that same day. The phone is set to become fully available on July 24 from Samsung itself as well as most retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and major carriers.
Pricing has unfortunately increased this year, however. Last year's model had launched at $999, but this year, that price has increased to $1,099 for the base model. That being said, that base model now includes 12GB of RAM rather than 8GB, which is a pretty notable upgrade.
Design and displays
A year of refinement
On the design front, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 hasn't changed a whole lot from its predecessor. We're still looking at a combination of Samsung's trademark Armor Aluminum for the frame combined with COrning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for the back plate. Of course, the primary display is still made of plastic so that it can fold.
The primary difference this year is that Samsung has managed to make the phone just a little bit thinner when folded. last year's model came in at 15.1mm thick, and this year's model takes that down to 14.9mm. However, the unfolded thickness is the same.
Otherwise, it's all familiar here. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has the same 3.4-inch outer display (called FlexWindow) and the same 6.7-inch foldable display on the inside. The outer panel is a Super AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate, but the primary display is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Performance and software
Galaxy AI comes to the Z Flip 6
Performance-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is delivering some notable upgrades over its predecessor. Of course, there's the expected chipset upgrade, coming from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy. But a more notable improvement is the RAM. Samsung has increased the base RAM from 8GB to a very welcome 12GB, something many would argue was sorely needed at this point. With apps beocming more demanding and multitasking being very important, 8GB of RAM wasn't really enough.
On the software side, Samsung is naturally focusing on Galaxy AI, its own brand of artificial intelligence. In the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy AI is being implemented into the FlexWindow display with a new feature called Suggested Replies, which analyzes the last few messages in a conversation and provides quick responses you can send from the cover screen with just one hand. Another AI-powered featured is Photo Ambient, which changes your wallpaper based on the time of day and current weather.
Beyond AI, the FlexWindow display also now supports even more widgets, plus it can now show information from multiple widgets at the same time.
Cameras
Some big upgrades
The big Achilles heel of the Samsung foldables of the past has been the camera, and the company is addressing that with this year's iteration. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes with an all-new 50MP main camera sensor, along with a new 12MP ultra-wide camera. The higher resolution 50MP sensor should result in significantly better photos, and it supports 2x optical zoom, plus 10x AI-based zoom.
Samsung is also boasting its "Nightography" capabilities, promising great low-light photos and videos, including support for video HDR. What's more, the camera's night mode will be available directly from Instagram Stories in the app, meaning you can enjoy high-quality night shots without having to switch apps to share them.
On top of that, the FlexCam feature has been enhanced with a new Auto Zoom feature. When standing the phone up with the hinge half open, the camera can now detect and automatically zoom in on the subject of a picture to ensure that everyone fits in the frame, so you don't have to fiddle with the phone to get the perfect shot.
Samsung is once again aiming for the clamshell foldable crown
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is launching just a few weeks after Motorola introduced the latest version of the Razr+, and once again, Samsung is stealing the spotlight with its own highly-popular foldable clamshell. At least on paper, the two seem to trade blows, with Samsung offering a better chipset, more storage options, and a refined design, while the Razr+ has higher-resolution cameras (though resolution isn't everything), a larger external display, and a lower starting price.
Whether Samsung can truly outclass Motorola this time around remains to be seen, but no matter how you slice it, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is looking pretty good.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
- SoC
- Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 3 for Galaxy
- Display
- 6.7-inch AMOLED main screen with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 3.4-inch AMOLED cover display
- RAM
- 12GB
- Storage
- 256GB
- Battery
- 4000mAh non-removable
- Ports
- USB-C
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes with some big camera and eprformance upgrades over its predecessor, making it the company's best clamshell foldable by far.
