Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 Review: Should You Upgrade or Skip?

Samsung’s latest foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold6, aims to be the best in the market. It’s thinner, stronger, and smarter than its predecessor with a luxurious design and powerful performance. But the question remains… Is it worth the high price? This review will dive into the Galaxy Fold6’s strengths and weaknesses, examining whether it’s a true game-changer or just a small step forward for foldable phones. Having spent considerable time with this foldable beauty, we’ll see if Samsung’s newest offering lives up to the hype and delivers on its promise of innovation.

Design and Display

The Samsung Z Fold6 is a significant step forward in Samsung’s foldable journey, and it’s been a pleasure to use. The book-style fold is definitely my preferred style, and the refined, squared-off design aligns perfectly with the Galaxy S24 series. The frosted glass back feels incredibly premium and does a great job of minimizing fingerprint smudges.

Right out of the box, I was impressed with the phone’s build quality. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the external panels and the reinforced Armor Aluminum hinge, which is 10% stronger than its predecessor, instill confidence in its durability. The hinge’s flexibility is also a huge plus, allowing me to prop the phone open at any angle I like. And the official  IP48 dust resistance rating is a major bonus for someone as accident-prone as me.

The display is the star of the show here. The 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover screen is vibrant and responsive, perfect for quickly checking notifications or replying to messages. But it’s the 7.6-inch inner display that truly steals the spotlight. Unfolding the phone reveals a stunning expanse of screen real estate with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and a peak brightness of 2600 nits under HDR content. Whether I’m watching videos, playing games, or simply browsing the web, the immersive experience is unparalleled. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and animations, making everything feel incredibly fluid.

The phone’s dimensions are also worth noting. When closed, it measures 6.04 by 2.68 by 0.48 inches, and when open, it expands to 6.04 by 5.22 by 0.22 inches. At 238 Gram, it’s surprisingly lightweight for a phone of its size.

Samsung has also included a few thoughtful touches. The under-display selfie camera is a clever implementation, disappearing seamlessly when not in use. However, the crease on the inner display remains a minor annoyance. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something I wish Samsung would address in future iterations.

Overall, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is a triumph of engineering and design. It’s a phone that effortlessly combines cutting-edge technology with practicality, offering a truly unique and enjoyable user experience. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a multitasker, or simply someone who appreciates innovative design, the Z Fold6 is a phone that deserves your attention.

Software

Samsung’s One UI 6.1, built upon Android 14, is an absolute delight to use on the Z Fold6. It enhances the overall user experience, particularly when it comes to multitasking and utilizing the unique flexible screen states. Samsung’s software expertise truly shines through with its robust app continuity features, seamlessly transitioning tasks from the cover screen to the main display without missing a beat.

One UI 6.1.1 on top of Android 14 is a match made in heaven for the Z Fold6. The taskbar at the bottom, reminiscent of a tablet interface, allows for quick access to frequently used apps and tools. The transition between the cover and inner screens is incredibly smooth and can be customized to your liking. The Flex Mode panel is a game-changer, intelligently splitting the UI of certain apps between the two halves of the screen when the phone is partially folded, optimizing the experience for various use cases.

Multitasking is an absolute breeze on the Z Fold6. You can effortlessly drag and drop app icons to enter split-screen mode, running up to three apps simultaneously. Alternatively, you can opt for floating windows, offering even greater flexibility in how you organize your tasks.

Samsung has integrated several AI-powered features from the Galaxy S24 series into the Z Fold6, including voice recording transcription, Circle to search composer within the keyboard, and even Google Gemini. These features, while not essential for everyone, add an extra layer of convenience and functionality to the overall experience. Additionally, the Z Fold6 will receive extensive software support, matching that of the S series, with seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security patches, ensuring that your device remains up-to-date and secure for years to come.

One UI 6.1 introduces a couple of new tweaks specifically tailored to the Fold’s unique form factor. The first is the ability to translate text in place, preserving the original formatting, which is a nice touch although somewhat niche. More significant is the dual-screen translation capability, allowing two users to view text in their preferred languages on their respective sides of the unfolded screen – a potentially useful feature for bilingual conversations or collaborations.

The Z Fold6 also boasts some artistic AI tools like Portrait Studio, which generates artistic renditions of photos in various styles such as comic or watercolor. While fun and potentially entertaining, the long-term practicality of such a feature remains to be seen. Another addition is the Sketch to Image feature, which transforms simple drawings added to photos into more realistic elements within the final image – a creative tool that could prove useful for some users.

While these additions are certainly interesting, I find that Samsung’s basic AI photo editing tools, such as object removal and quick touch-ups, remain the most practical and frequently used. The ability to effortlessly enhance photos with a few taps is incredibly convenient and saves a lot of time and effort.

Overall, the AI features on the Z Fold6 are a nice bonus, adding a touch of fun and creativity to the user experience. However, the real star of the show is One UI 6.1 itself. It seamlessly integrates with the Z Fold6’s unique hardware, making it an absolute joy to use and elevating the foldable smartphone experience to new heights.

Performance

Let’s talk about what’s under the hood. The Galaxy Z Fold6 is rocking the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, along with a whopping 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM. Trust me, this thing flies. Apps launch in a blink, multitasking is a breeze, and switching between apps is lightning fast. I didn’t experience a single freeze or hiccup during my testing, and never even had to restart the phone.

If you’re into benchmarks, the Z Fold6 doesn’t disappoint. On Geekbench 6, it absolutely crushed it, scoring 2,221 on the single-core test and 6,821 on the multi-core test, way higher than the Z Fold 5.

Now, for the gamers out there, this phone is a beast. I fired up Genshin Impact on the big, beautiful inner screen at medium graphics and 60fps, and it ran like a dream. Even cranked up to the highest graphics settings, the game was smooth as butter, and the phone only got a little warm after playing for 20 minutes straight. Casual games like Alto’s Odyssey ran flawlessly, too.

Battery Life

Alright, let’s talk battery life. The Galaxy Z Fold6 packs a 4,000mAh battery, which is the same size as the one in the Z Fold 5. In my tests, streaming full HD video at full brightness, the phone lasted a solid 11 hours and 30 minutes. That’s 10 minutes longer than the Z Fold 5 and a good bit longer than the Pixel Fold, which only lasted around 8 hours.

Charging was pretty quick too. With a fast charger (you’ll have to buy one separately, though), the phone went from zero to 100% in about an hour and 35 minutes, which isn’t bad. A quick 15-minute charge got me to 24%, and 30 minutes got me up to 42%.

I do wish Samsung had bumped up the wired charging speed a bit, though. It’s got 25W fast wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and even reverse wireless charging, which is cool, but honestly, 25W feels a little slow compared to the 45W charging on the Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra.

Camera

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6 continues to lead the charge in the foldable smartphone market, captivating both photography enthusiasts and technology lovers. As the latest model in Samsung’s innovative series, the Z Fold6 enhances its camera setup to offer even more flexibility and high-quality performance, building upon the foundation laid by its predecessor, the Z Fold 5. This review explores the intricate details of its camera capabilities and how they measure up against traditional and foldable competitors alike.

Camera Specifications and Enhancements The Z Fold6 retains the impressive camera array from the Z Fold 5, featuring:

• A 50MP main camera for capturing sharp, detailed images.
• A 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, ideal for distance shots though it sometimes delivers mixed results with occasional blurriness.
• A 12MP ultrawide camera that performs well in capturing expansive shots.

Daylight and Low-Light Performance In daylight, the main camera excels, producing very good quality photos that are rich in detail and color. Low-light conditions reveal decent performance with some noise, but the results are generally satisfactory. The ultrawide and telephoto lenses provide versatility, though the telephoto lens can sometimes struggle with clarity in certain shots.

Selfie and Video Capabilities Selfie enthusiasts have multiple options with the Z Z Fold6:

• Using the rear cameras with the cover screen as a viewfinder allows for high-quality selfies.
• The 10MP cover screen selfie camera, while not groundbreaking, is functional for quick snaps.
• The 4MP under-display camera on the inner screen, though not designed for high-quality photos, serves well for video calls.

Video recording capabilities are robust, offering 8K recording with the main camera. However, 4K recording is more practical for everyday use, providing good stabilization and accurate color representation across all rear cameras.

User Interface and Experience The camera app maintains a familiar 4:3 aspect ratio, easing the transition for users accustomed to traditional smartphones, and leveraging the unique form factor of the foldable device to enhance user interaction and photographic flexibility.

Comparison with Samsung S24 Ultra The Z Fold6 competes closely with Samsung’s own S24 Ultra, particularly in the realm of camera technology. While it maintains many of the previous generation’s specifications, the Z Fold6 introduces subtle improvements that enhance user experience and photo quality, making it a formidable competitor in the high-end smartphone segment.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 impresses with its advanced camera system that caters to a wide range of photography needs, from professional-quality portraits to casual snapshots. Its foldable design does not just innovate in terms of form factor but also pushes forward the capabilities and functionalities expected of modern smartphones. For those who value cutting-edge technology coupled with robust photographic capabilities, the Z Fold6 is a compelling choice, offering a blend of innovation and performance that is hard to match.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Enhanced Durability: Features stronger materials like Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and an improved hinge design.
• Superior Display: Boasts vibrant and responsive screens with a high refresh rate for an immersive experience.
• Robust Performance: Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and 12GB of RAM for seamless multitasking and gaming.
• Advanced Software: One UI 6.1 offers optimized multitasking and unique features tailored to the foldable design.
• Quality Cameras: Maintains a versatile and high-performing camera setup suitable for various photography needs.

Cons 

• Visible Crease: The inner display crease remains noticeable, which could be distracting.
• Modest Upgrades: Incremental improvements may not justify an upgrade from the Z Fold5 for existing users.
• Limited Charging Speed: At 25W, charging capabilities are slower compared to newer models in the market.

Conclusion

So, is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 the foldable phone of your dreams? It certainly has a lot going for it. The design is sleek and durable, with official dust resistance and improved build quality. The screens are brighter and more vibrant, making the device a joy to use in any lighting condition. Performance is top-notch, thanks to the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and the software is feature-rich with excellent multitasking capabilities.

However, the Z Fold6 is not a major upgrade over the Z Fold5. The improvements, while significant, are incremental. The cameras are largely unchanged, and the battery life and charging speeds are similar to last year’s model. If you already own a Z Fold 5, the Z Fold6 may not be a necessary upgrade.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is a solid foldable phone that continues to push the boundaries of what a smartphone can be. If you’re new to the foldable world or coming from an older device, the Z Fold6 is an excellent choice. But if you already have a Z Fold 5, you might want to wait for a more substantial upgrade in the future.

Best Buy Link!

FAQ for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6

1. What are the standout design features of the Z Fold6?

The Z Fold6 boasts a frosted glass back, reinforced Armor Aluminum hinge, IP48 dust resistance, and a book-style fold.

2. How does the display perform?

It features a 6.3-inch cover screen and a 7.6-inch inner display, both Dynamic AMOLED 2X, with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 2600 nits.

3. What operating system does it run?

Samsung One UI 6.1 based on Android 14, optimized for the foldable screen.

4. What are the key performance specs?

Equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and 12GB of RAM, offering smooth multitasking and gaming.

5. How is the camera setup?

It includes a 50MP main, 10MP telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide camera, with capabilities for 8K video recording.