It’s taken a few years, but flip phones are now popular again—at least according to the pre-order numbers for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5. And it’s easy to see why. The Flip5 finally made Samsung’s foldable flip series a viable device for users. Now comes its successor—the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6.
Though it receives a bump in specs, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6’s upgrades aren’t as significant as those of the Flip5. It’s an iteration year for the phone, simply tweaking what’s already good. However, it does have exclusive Galaxy AI features that the other Samsung phones do not.
Does it tip the scales a lot further? Not exactly, but the addition of AI to an already good foldable does bring even more functionality to a device that can do more than the typical smartphone.
Design and Build
Given how big a change its predecessor got, I’m not entirely surprised that the Galaxy Z Flip6 mostly sticks to the status quo. There aren’t any major visible changes to the phone, but Samsung has added silver rims to the rear cameras to have it stand out aesthetically and differentiate itself from the Flip5.
Rather, the changes that the Flip6 does have are ones that you can’t see. The build of the phone is slightly improved, using a new Armour Aluminum with better scratch resistance and an upgraded IP48 resistance (compared to last year’s IPX8 rating). Another tweak is for the crease, which is touted to be less obvious. You still can see it if you’re looking for it, but this iteration is probably the least I’ve noticed the crease.
That’s the basic gist of what’s new for the phone. It’s still mostly the same flexible device that fits easily in your pocket. If anything, most of the aesthetic changes come from the software. For example, you can customise your Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 with new wallpaper options, with interactive wallpapers swirling around the cover screen as you move your phone.
The Flip series was already pretty good with customisation—like letting users use GIFs as their cover wallpaper—so bringing interactive ones like these is a welcome addition. But there are only a few variations at the moment, and it remains to be seen whether Samsung will add more to the catalogue or we’ll have to rely on third-party support to see more.
Oh, and there are new colours as well! The Flip line has usually been the most playful out of Samsung’s smartphone devices and the trend continues with this year’s iteration. While last year’s options veered on the subtle side with lighter tones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 opts for more saturated shades in its Blue, Yellow, Mint (Green), and Silver Shadow (Dark Grey) colourways.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get my hands on those colours. Instead, my review unit was the Samsing Online Store exclusive white variant. There is not much to say about it; if you like simplicity, this would be up your alley, but otherwise, it wouldn’t be my first choice. There are other exclusive device colours in Crafted Black (which has a patterned design) and a lovely Peach option, which are better aesthetics-wise.
Performance
Both the 6.7-inch foldable display and 3.4-inch outer screen are back for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6, but while the displays don’t get any outward change, Samsung has improved the brightness for both; the inner screen gets up to 2,600 nits while the cover has a peak brightness of 1,600 nits and they are much more readable when out in bright sunlight.
Instead, you’ll find that many of the changes are towards the widget system on the cover screen. There are now more widgets to choose from, like one for health tracking and a reminders widget. But beyond that, widgets are now more customisable, users can now combine multiple widgets into smaller ones on a single page. It’s a neat addition that helps me garner more information without needing to continuously swipe through multiple panels.
Specs-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 gets upgraded to Snapdragon’s latest 8 Gen 3 chip for the processor, and as you would expect, there are no real issues with performance. Apps open up fast, and navigation is smooth; there are is no lag when the phone is under heavy load.
While getting the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip was an obvious move for this year’s phone, Samsung has surprisingly managed to add a vapour chamber to the Flip6. It’s a first for the Flip series and a much-needed one as well. With the improved thermal management, gaming is a much better experience on the Flip6, though I still maintain that the crease still makes it a sub-optimal device to play on.
But we can’t end our talk about performance without talking about Samsung’s new baby, Galaxy AI. Technically, the feature isn’t new to the Flip line. Samsung released an update that gave users access to it on several of its older smartphones — including the Galaxy Z Flip5. But the new Flip does have new AI functions that can only be found here and the Fold6 (at least for now).
The first is Interpreter, Samsung’s translation app. Like on Samsung’s other phones, it does live translation between two languages with Conversation Mode, and it is still remarkably fast here. I also like that it has no qualms about translating swear words. However, the feature is further enhanced by making cool use of the Flip6’s folding capabilities and outer display.
You can fold the phone halfway and send half of the dialogue screen to display on the cover screen, translating whatever is said for the other party to see. While it’s still a little awkward for conversing, it is slightly more natural to use especially if you’re standing up and holding the phone; better than having to peer over if it was a normal flat device.
And then there’s Sketch to Image. The feature uses generative AI to turn your doddles into something more professional and there are styles you can choose from, including Watercolour, Sketch, Pop Art, and others. You can opt to start from scratch in the Notes app, draw objects or animals on a photo you’ve taken, or trace over an existing image to add pizazz.
The results it produces can be pretty creative, which is more impressive when the drawings themselves aren’t very good, but this is more of a “that’s kind of cool” feature that you’d try a few times rather than being something that will consistently be utilised. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 simply isn’t built for drawing by finger and I was more frustrated by the process of drawing than amazed by the result. It’s also a little more limited than what it promises, occasionally having trouble identifying what I’ve sketched. And you can’t draw any naughty things with it; trust me, I’ve tried.
Camera
By far, the Galaxy Z Flip5’s biggest drawback was its camera. While the 12-megapixel primary sensor was still usable, it was way behind the curve. At that point, most smartphones—even budget ones—had better camera specs. Its whole selling point of being able to use the supposedly better rear camera for selfies didn’t entice as much as it did previously.
Thankfully, Samsung has finally upgraded the rear cameras. The primary camera now has a 50-megapixel sensor, which is in line with the company’s other smartphones.
Now, photo quality is as good as most flagship phones. Samsung’s signature vivid look is again on show, making it a spectacular camera to use when you’ve got big blue skies or golden-hour sunsets on the horizon. It’s only missing a telephoto lens to make it the complete package. You’ll have to rely on the digital zoom to get closer shots of far subjects, which can still be hit-or-miss.
There’s also a new trick you can do when taking pictures using the cover screen; the device is now able to detect the number of subjects with Auto Zoom, intelligently zooming in and out accordingly to get a better frame for your picture. It takes some getting used to, but it works!
Then, of course, there’s the generative AI stuff already present since the Galaxy S24 series. Spoiler alert, performance is still about the same as when I tried it with the S24 Ultra — good for simple edits like removing small objects or reflections, but not quite as good when words are involved.
Battery
When it launched, the Galaxy Z Flip5 had a low-capacity 3,700 mAh battery, but I was quite surprised by its endurance when I tested it last year. This year, the Galaxy Z Flip6 has a larger 4,000 mAh battery capacity, which helps it last longer.
It won’t make the two-day mark, but the Galaxy Z Flip6 is a comfortable all-day device, even with heavy use. But there aren’t any changes in the charging department—it still supports 25W fast charging (which gets a half-full charge in 30 minutes) and 15W wireless charging.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 is not just an excellent flip phone, it is also a very good smartphone. But it isn’t because of the new AI features that come with it. Instead, tweaks like the new camera and updated internals add polish to an already great phone.
It’s closer than ever to a traditional flagship phone than it has ever been; some might say it already is of the same calibre. It certainly has to be anyway, considering the increase in price from its predecessor. I believe that if you want a device that stands against the grain without compromising on performance, then the Flip6 is worth it.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 can be purchased physically at their retail stores, or online through the Samsung Online Store as well as their merchant platforms on Shopee and Lazada.
Photos by Russell Loh of the DANAMIC Team.
