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, equivalent to a more durable design, higher efficiency, a brand new important digital camera, and an even bigger battery.
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Nonetheless, 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 acquainted with folding telephones, what they’re able to, and what their uncommon kind components carry to the desk. The Z Flip 6 is probably 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 replaced my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Z Fold 6 for a week – and can’t go back
The beginning worth has additionally gone up $100 to $1,099. So, after utilizing the Z Flip 6 for a bit over every week, the massive 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 worth in any respect. Here is my reply.
Samsung would not must 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 a substitute of shiny like on the Z Flip 5, which I admire.
Additionally: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Z Flip 5: Key differences you should know before buying
The brand new Z Flip additionally has an IP48 ranking, marking the primary time one of many firm’s folding telephones has supplied any licensed type of mud safety. The hinge has additionally been strengthened, leading to a shallower crease alongside the center of the show.
Here is the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s cowl show subsequent to the bigger show on Motorola’s Razr Plus (2024).
Max Buondonno/ZDNET
These enhancements are good to see however are under no circumstances monumental. I’d’ve cherished to see an even 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 tested Motorola’s new Razr Plus (2024) and it made the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip feel outdated
Not solely does Motorola’s show stretch to every edge and behind the cameras, nevertheless it additionally enables you to run any app you need, so that you hardly ever must 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 offers 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 gorgeous, with a pointy Full HD+ decision and wonderful shade replica. There is a 120Hz refresh charge that retains every part silky clean, 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 checklist, gaming, or taking footage like a loopy particular person, the Flip 6 could have no downside maintaining.
Additionally: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs. Motorola Razr+ (2024): I’ve tested both, and the winner is not so obvious
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 techniques as regular telephones, so most foldables are likely to undergo from extreme warmth even if 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 normal flagships are able to. I like many of the photographs I’ve taken with the Z Flip 6; the brand new 50MP important digital camera collects extra element and sharpness than the previous 12MP sensor did on the Flip 5, and you’ll take full-resolution 50MP photographs if you wish to crop in or have them printed. In the meantime, the 12MP 123-degree ultra-wide performs superb through the day, however will get fairly darkish and muddy at night time with loads of synthetic mild injected into it.
Captured with the principle 50MP digital camera.
Max Buondonno/ZDNET
In the event you care about digital camera high quality and need a clamshell flip telephone, the Z Flip 6 is the one to get. I in contrast among the photographs I took to photographs I captured with the Razr Plus, and the distinction is nearly night time and day. Colours are extra true to life on Samsung’s telephone, lighting is oftentimes higher, and you’ll take footage at night time with out every of them popping out unusable. Video high quality can be higher on the Flip 6 than the Razr Plus.
Additionally: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 hands-on: The foldable most people should buy gets one key upgrade
After all, the capturing expertise stays unmatched with the Z Flip’s versatile kind issue. Like different foldable telephones, you possibly can prop it up like a kickstand for hands-free photographs, use the duvet display screen as a second viewfinder, report movies in basic handheld camcorder style, and extra.
That entire 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 be promising as much as seven years of software program updates on the Flip 6, which suggests it falls consistent with the path the trade is heading.
Additionally: The Galaxy Watch Ultra convinced me to replace my Apple Watch in less than a week. Here’s why
Samsung additionally features a checklist of AI features on the Flip 6 prefer it does with its different 2024 flagships, together with context-aware replies for messages on the duvet display screen, reside 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 exhausting 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 properly into the later hours of the day, nevertheless it’s under no circumstances a two-day telephone.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
At $1,100, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is simple to understand as “boring” or “overpriced,” particularly when the Z Flip 5 was so related and value $100 much less. Nonetheless, 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 individuals who do, you may get a fairly first rate telephone in alternate.
That stated, the Motorola Razr Plus is on the market looming over the Flip 6 with its superior cowl show, vegan leather-based design, and lower cost. In the event you do not thoughts giving up your ultra-wide digital camera (and do not want seven years of software program updates), you may need to take into consideration selecting up the Razr Plus as a substitute.
