The recent Samsung Unpacked unveiled the sixth edition of Samsung's foldable phones, including the clamshell Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6. At a glance, this phone seems identical to the Galaxy Z Flip5. But like most flagship smartphones launched this year, the Galaxy Z Flip6 offers a variety of unique artificial intelligence (AI) functions that will enhance your daily user experience.

With prices starting from RM4999, it's a more affordable device than the Galaxy Z Fold6. But is the Galaxy Z Flip6 the best flip phone for you? Would it be better to get last year's Z Flip5, which is even more affordable now? Here are our first impressions of the phone.

Design – Subtle differences

In terms of design, the Galaxy Z Flip6 still maintains similar dimensions to the Galaxy Z Flip5. One difference is on the sides, where the Z Flip6 has a matte finish instead of a glossy one. And if you look at the camera lenses, they now have "rings" around them, accentuating the rear design.

Besides that, the Z Flip6 doesn't look all that different from last year's model. Even the dimensions and the weight are nearly identical. However, the Z Flip is ever so slightly thinner when folded. This is thanks to the hinge, which gives the phone a more even fold.

Design and dimensions have not changed much from Z Flip5

The sides are more matte

The right side houses the volume control button and the fingerprint scanner

'Rings' around the cameras

Screen – Brighter

Another thing the Z Flip6 retains is the size of the main screen and the cover screen. The main screen is a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel (2640×1080) with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the cover screen is a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED screen (720×748). Both screens offer clear visuals, and we especially enjoyed taking selfies with the help of the cover screen.

Although the Z Flip6 screen specifications remain the same, the material is different because it is made with Foldable Thin Glass (FTG). Samsung says this material is more durable than the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) from previous generation devices. It's also designed to make the crease line on the main screen less noticeable.

Main display now uses FTG

At 6.7 inches, the phone is comfortable enough to hold for most people. But the crease remains visible

Same cover screen as the Z Flip5

Of course, even this new glass isn't perfect. Although the crease from folding the phone doesn't seem as noticeable, it's still clearly there. On the flip side, it's now less distracting when you're watching videos.

Another upgrade is the screen brightness. The Z Flip6's main display has a peak brightness of up to 2600 nits, higher than the 1750 nits on the Z Flip5 screen. This means the Z Flip6's screen can be seen clearly under bright sunlight.

Specifications – Now with a bigger battery!

Among the complaints about the previous Galaxy Z Flip model is its small battery of only 3700mAh. Fortunately, this year's Galaxy Z Flip6 has increased the battery capacity to 4000mAh, so you can use it for much longer. Credit should be given to Samsung for increasing the battery capacity without changing the size of this phone.

Additionally, RAM for all Flip6 variants is now offered at 12GB, up from 8GB on the Flip5. Storage is still available in two options, which are 256GB and 512GB.

Besides the RAM and storage, the other specs of the Z Flip6 are similar to last year's Z Flip5. This includes the 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging speeds. Of course, Samsung did upgrade the heart of the device to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This is currently the most powerful mobile chipset, making the Z Flip6 enough performance to handle anything.

Another improvement we can see is in the camera. The Z Flip6 has a 50MP main camera sensor that can capture details more clearly than the 12MP camera on the Z Flip5. The ultra-wide camera is still 12MP, while the selfie camera is 10MP.

You can use the cover screen to take selfies with the main camera

Galaxy AI – New, fun features

Samsung introduced the Galaxy AI during the Samsung Galaxy S24 series launch earlier this year, so we expected the company to add those features to its other flagship devices. And that's what we get with the Galaxy Z Flip6. Features like Circle to Search with Google, Call Assist, Writing Assist, Note Assist, Transcript Assist and Browsing Assist are now available in the Z Flip6.

But those aren't the only Galaxy AI features in the Z Flip6. Samsung also added new features like Sketch to Image, which can convert simple sketches into more complete and interesting drawings. You can also doodle over pictures taken with the camera, and Galaxy AI can turn them into relevant objects.

In addition, the Galaxy AI Portrait Studio can also add interesting effects to portrait photos. For example, it can turn a portrait into a comic-style drawing or give it a 3D cartoon effect. There are also other options like watercolour style and pencil sketches.

Sketch to Image turns simple dinosaur sketches into more complete drawings

Draw any object on the picture and convert it into a better-looking object

Some examples of drawings made with Galaxy AI Portrait Studio

The Galaxy Z Flip6 offers minimal updates compared to the Galaxy Z Flip5. However, the main improvements can be seen in the new Galaxy AI features introduced this year. If you're interested in these AI features and want a small flip phone, then check out the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6.

Of course, there's more about Samsung's latest flip phone to discover, so look forward to a review from us soon. Are you planning to get the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more first impressions like this.