I spent per week with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6. Here is what you must know earlier than shopping for one

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The $1,099 Galaxy Z Flip 6 is Samsung’s newest tackle a modernized flip telephone.
• It comes with a couple of upgrades, comparable to a more durable design, higher efficiency, a brand new most important digital camera, and a much bigger battery.

• Nevertheless, it is from thrilling, given its similarities to the Z Flip 5, and it prices $100 greater than Motorola’s Razr Plus.

Samsung is already on the sixth iteration of its Galaxy Z Flip, and by now, we have all grown aware of folding telephones, what they’re able to, and what their uncommon kind elements carry to the desk. The Z Flip 6 is essentially the most polished clamshell we have seen so far. In comparison with the Z Flip 5, Samsung has modified little or no, with solely a handful of options to market the brand new mannequin with.

Additionally: I changed my Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely with the Z Fold 6 for per week – and may’t return

The beginning value has additionally gone up $100 to $1,099. So, after utilizing the Z Flip 6 for a little bit over per week, the large query for me is whether or not or not the brand new price ticket is justified, particularly when Motorola’s Razr Plus, the Z Flip’s closest competitor, did not go up in value in any respect. Here is my reply.

View at Samsung

Samsung would not should reinvent the wheel each time it ships a brand new folding telephone, however there’s been room for enchancment on the Z Flip’s design for some time. On the Z Flip 6, Samsung switched again to matte aluminum sides as an alternative of shiny like on the Z Flip 5, which I respect. 

Additionally: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Z Flip 5: Key variations you must know earlier than shopping for

The brand new Z Flip additionally has an IP48 score, marking the primary time one of many firm’s folding telephones has provided any licensed type of mud safety. The hinge has additionally been strengthened, leading to a shallower crease alongside the center of the show.

These enhancements are good to see however are certainly not monumental. I might’ve cherished to see a much bigger cowl show; Samsung upped the ante final yr when it swapped the Flip 4’s 1.9-inch cowl show for a 3.4-inch panel on the Flip 5. The Flip 6 carries that very same bigger display screen on the surface, nevertheless it’s dwarfed by the a lot cooler-looking 4-inch panel on the 2024 Razr Plus.

Additionally: I examined Motorola’s new Razr Plus (2024) and it made the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip really feel outdated

Not solely does Motorola’s show stretch to every edge and behind the cameras, nevertheless it additionally permits you to run any app you need, so that you not often have to open the telephone to do fast issues like reply to a textual content. On the Z Flip, you are restricted to the panels and widgets Samsung provides you entry to, which makes the expertise far much less helpful than Motorola’s.

Naturally, I discovered myself opening the Flip 6 show quite a bit, however that is not a nasty factor. The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X is beautiful, with a pointy Full HD+ decision and glorious shade replica. There is a 120Hz refresh charge that retains every little thing silky easy, and Samsung even threw in 2,600 nits of peak brightness, which is way brighter than the 1,750-nit panel on the Flip 5. 

I additionally love the efficiency of this telephone. Inside sits a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 12GB of RAM, and both 256GB or 512GB of storage, and it is quick. Whether or not you are scrolling Instagram, flipping between your calendar and to-do listing, gaming, or taking photos like a loopy individual, the Flip 6 could have no drawback maintaining.

Additionally: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs. Motorola Razr+ (2024): I’ve examined each, and the winner shouldn’t be so apparent

What I would wish to see Samsung work on is warmth administration. There’s little or no area for firms so as to add the identical air flow and cooling methods as regular telephones, so most foldables are likely to endure from extreme warmth even while you’re doing regular issues like checking TikTok or firing off emails. The Flip 6 is not any exception; I’ve seen it will get actually heat very often, each in the summertime warmth and in my 62-degree bed room. When gaming, it might get even hotter. 

The cameras are a step up from the Flip 5, however they proceed to fall wanting what regular flagships are able to. I like a lot of the images I’ve taken with the Z Flip 6; the brand new 50MP most important digital camera collects extra element and sharpness than the previous 12MP sensor did on the Flip 5, and you may take full-resolution 50MP images if you wish to crop in or have them printed. In the meantime, the 12MP 123-degree ultra-wide performs fantastic in the course of the day, however will get fairly darkish and muddy at night time with loads of synthetic gentle injected into it.

In case you care about digital camera high quality and desire a clamshell flip telephone, the Z Flip 6 is the one to get. I in contrast among the images I took to images I captured with the Razr Plus, and the distinction is sort of night time and day. Colours are extra true to life on Samsung’s telephone, lighting is oftentimes higher, and you may take photos at night time with out every of them popping out unusable. Video high quality can also be higher on the Flip 6 than the Razr Plus.

Additionally: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 hands-on: The foldable most individuals can purchase will get one key improve

After all, the capturing expertise stays unmatched with the Z Flip’s versatile kind issue. Like different foldable telephones, you’ll be able to prop it up like a kickstand for hands-free images, use the duvet display screen as a second viewfinder, document movies in traditional handheld camcorder vogue, and extra.

That complete expertise is pushed by software program, and the software program on the Z Flip 6 is stable. The overarching story is that it is nonetheless purely Samsung, with One UI 6.1 and its smorgasbord of options piled on high of Android 14. There are Edge panels, split-screen modes, an array of customizable UI choices, efficiency and battery optimization settings, and extra, together with all of the options that make foldables so distinctive. Samsung can also be promising as much as seven years of software program updates on the Flip 6, which implies it falls in step with the path the trade is heading.

Additionally: The Galaxy Watch Extremely satisfied me to switch my Apple Watch in lower than per week. Here is why

Samsung additionally features a listing of AI options on the Flip 6 prefer it does with its different 2024 flagships, together with context-aware replies for messages on the duvet display screen, stay translations, dialog recording, and automated transcriptions. None of those options have been ground-breaking, however they’re good to have and add a little bit of aptitude to the expertise. It is solely a matter of time earlier than Samsung goes as arduous as Apple is in iOS 18 with AI, so let’s all get pleasure from it whereas it is nonetheless complimentary.

Battery life on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 can final a full day, as long as you are cautious. Samsung elevated the scale of the battery from 3,700mAh to 4,000mAh, which helps it stretch effectively into the later hours of the day, nevertheless it’s certainly not a two-day telephone.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

At $1,100, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is straightforward to understand as “boring” or “overpriced,” particularly when the Z Flip 5 was so comparable and value $100 much less. Nevertheless, the percentages are that nobody who owns a Flip 5 goes to purchase a Flip 6, and Samsung is banking on older Flip prospects or of us who’re new to foldables altogether to spring for its newest clamshell, and for many who do, you may get a reasonably respectable telephone in change.

That mentioned, the Motorola Razr Plus is on the market looming over the Flip 6 with its superior cowl show, vegan leather-based design, and cheaper price. In case you do not thoughts giving up your ultra-wide digital camera (and do not want seven years of software program updates), you would possibly wish to take into consideration choosing up the Razr Plus as an alternative.