The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is here, and it’s essentially the same phone as the Galaxy Z Flip 5, just with a few color accents around the cameras and a higher price tag. While it’s a solid phone that excels in many areas, its lack of significant improvements makes it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend.
Let’s start with the positives. The Flip 6 boasts exceptional build quality, with a sturdy aluminum frame that feels well-made. Samsung’s experience in foldable technology is evident in the smooth, resistant hinge that allows the phone to be propped up at various angles. The hinge is also incredibly durable, featuring a new “dual rail hinge” design that offers better shock distribution and resistance to pressure. Adding to the durability, the Flip 6 has an IP48 rating for dust and water resistance.
Beyond the hinge, Samsung has meticulously crafted the finer details. The buttons are firm and responsive, the speaker is loud and surprisingly full, and the fingerprint sensor is lightning-fast. These are often overlooked details that other flip phones sacrifice, but Samsung has retained them.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 also offers a vibrant selection of colors, including yellow, mint, blue, and gray. If you purchase directly from Samsung, you gain access to three additional colors: peach, white, and “Crafted Black,” which features a Kevlar-like texture.
Moving on to the displays, the inner screen is fantastic. It’s a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with a 2640 x 1080 resolution, up to a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2600 nits. The increased brightness is a welcome improvement, and overall, the display is bright, colorful, and sharp. Samsung’s expertise in displays is once again evident here. The crease on the inner screen is also significantly less noticeable than on the Flip 5, though it’s still present.
However, the cover screen is a disappointment. While the Flip 5 expanded the cover screen to a more substantial 3.4 inches, the Flip 6 maintains the same size. It’s a 3.4-inch AMOLED panel with a 720 x 748 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. This feels cramped compared to the 4-inch, 1080 x 2640 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate cover screen found on the Motorola Razr Plus. The low resolution and slow refresh rate make the cover screen feel sluggish and outdated. You also still can’t run apps on the cover screen without a cumbersome process.
The cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 are good, but not amazing. The 50-megapixel primary camera, shared with the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, is capable and delivers sharp, detailed images with bright colors. The 12MP ultrawide camera provides a 123-degree field of view for capturing wider shots, and the 10MP selfie camera is located at the top of the inner display. While the cameras are solid, the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens limits the phone’s versatility.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the same as the Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra. It’s equipped with 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage, a significant upgrade from the 8GB of RAM on the Flip 5. The phone delivers exceptional performance, and the larger vapor chamber helps keep it cool even under pressure.
The 4,000 mAh battery is the largest Samsung has ever included in a Z Flip, and it provides reliable one-day battery life. While charging speeds remain unchanged, with 25-watt wired charging and 15W wireless charging, it’s a disappointing omission for a phone in 2024.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 runs Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6.1.1 interface. The interface is smooth, polished, and feature-packed, but it’s not everyone’s preferred take on Android.
Samsung has also implemented some updates to the cover screen software, allowing for full-size widgets and pages with multiple smaller widgets. The Galaxy AI features introduced with the Galaxy S24 series, such as Circle to Search and Chat Assist, are also available on the Z Flip 6. The Flip 6 adds a couple of exclusive features, including Interpreter mode on the cover screen and a new “Sketch to Image” feature that allows you to sketch on top of a photo and have Galaxy AI turn it into a more impressive image.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is promised seven years of software updates, including major Android OS upgrades and security patches.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is available for preorder now at a starting price of $1,100 in the U.S., a $100 increase over the Flip 5. While price increases are common, it feels particularly unjustified with the Z Flip 6, which is largely an iterative update.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a good phone, but it’s difficult to justify the price increase when so little has changed. If you’re upgrading from an older Z Flip, you’ll likely enjoy the Flip 6, but it’s not a must-buy. If you’re seeking a good Samsung foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 offers a similar experience at a lower price. And if you’re open to other manufacturers, the Motorola Razr Plus surpasses the Flip 6 in many areas and costs $100 less.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a solid phone, but it’s a lazy update. Samsung got a lot right, but it also failed to address some key shortcomings.
