Last week, Samsung launched a new lineup of devices with the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6 along with the Galaxy Watch7, Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds3 series in Malaysia. This time around, the foldable phones come with an upgrade in terms of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and also support new generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) features.

The new features promise to improve the user experience compared to the previous model. We've spent some time with the Galaxy Z Fold6, so here are our first impressions of the latest premium offering from Samsung.

Design – Similar but not identical

This year, Samsung has made several design changes to the Galaxy Z Fold6. The phone now has sharper edges, a larger display, thinner and lighter body. This makes it more practical while giving off a more professional and premium look, compared to last year's model.

The Galaxy Z Fold6's display is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It also comes with a sturdy Aluminum Armor case and strong hinges, so it feels more durable than before. Another fact worth mentioning is that the phone now has IP48 certification. This means it will be water and dust-resistant to a certain extent.

While this is nothing new in the smartphone world, the IP48 rating for a foldable device is a first, which makes it noteworthy. Additionally, the phone features a 7.6-inch AMOLED display on the inside and a 6.3-inch panel on the outside. For photography, there's a 50MP wide-angle camera with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera. For the front, you get a 10MP camera for quick selfies or video calls.

As for the software, the Z Fold6 runs on the Android 14-based One UI 6.1.1. It's the same as the Galaxy S24 series and Samsung's UI remains one of the best on the market. Best of all, the Galaxy Fold6 also supports software updates for up to seven years.

Everything made easier with AI

While the AI functionality may not seem that different, it's clear where Samsung has been spending all its time and resources to make this smartphone more interesting. The Galaxy Z Fold6's Galaxy AI packs a bunch of Artificial Intelligence features into the device, changing the way you'd use a foldable phone.

We got glimpses of these AI features in the Samsung Galaxy S24 series smartphones earlier this year. AI features like Circle to Search, Interpreter mode, Composer, Live Translate, Sketch to Image and more are now available in the Fold6. We can't wait to further test the phone and its AI features, so look out for a more comprehensive review from us soon.

As you might have guessed by now, the Galaxy Z Fold6 doesn't innovate or reinvent the Galaxy Z Fold. Instead, it feels like a more polished version of Galaxy Z Fold5. Of course, we will test the phone before we share our final thoughts on Samsung's latest foldable phone.

In case you missed it, the Galaxy Fold6 has launched in Malaysia with prices starting from RM7299 and will be available later this month via Samsung Malaysia's website, brand stores, and authorised resellers. Stay tuned for a detailed review of this device in the future.