Weeks have passed since the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip6 and Z Fold6. These foldable smartphones bring a lot of new features powered by AI. So, what's new with the Galaxy Z Flip6? Read our review to find out.
Design – Not much has changed on the outside
For this generation, Samsung has a selection of soft colours like mint green, silver, blue and yellow, adding a cheerful touch to the phone's sleek design. The aluminium frame now has a matte finish instead of a glossy one, giving it a luxurious look and feel. This matte finish not only enhances the phone's aesthetics but also prevents fingerprints and dirt from sticking to the device, so it's always looking its best.
In addition, the hinge on the Galaxy Z Flip6 needs special praise. The new dual-rail hinge design is a significant improvement, offering smoother operation and better durability. It opens smoothly and noiselessly. It can also hold the phone at almost any angle, offering some utility when taking photos or videos. On top of that, the crease on the fold is less obvious now. You will still see it, but it's clear Samsung is improving in this area.
Available colours
Very stable when folded 90 degrees, making it easy to take pictures
This time, the rear cameras have the same colour and matte finish as the body, adding to its premium look. The LED flash is still in the same position, but the speaker has a small change. Previously, the phone sported multiple small holes where the speaker was positioned. But now it's just a thin long slit. That means it's easier to clean if you ever get around to that. On the other hand, it might also trap dust easily.
The positions of the other buttons are the same, so there's no change in basic usability. You have the SIM tray on the left side, the power button and audio controls on the right. Next, there's the USB-C port with the speaker on the bottom. The Galaxy Z Flip6's front camera is placed top centre under a punch-hole. Fortunately, it won't affect general video viewing due to the phone's aspect ratio.
However, one significant change is the flat sides. They add a more modern appearance but this may affect the ergonomics, making the Flip6 less comfortable to hold (for some people). While this results in a more compact fold, the new model is harder to open with one hand. This could be a con for people who prefer the rounded sides for easier one-handed opening.
On the positive side, the flat sides allow the phone to rest on its sides and remain stable. Some may not like that, as it could dig into your fingers. But you could always use a phone case to get around that issue.
However, despite all these advantages, the Galaxy Z Flip6 does not offer new innovations compared to the Galaxy Z Flip5. The overall design remains pretty much the same. While this consistency may appeal to some, it can be seen as a lack of improvement by many.
Main display
The cover display is the same size as its predecessor's
Front: Standard punch-hole selfie cam, but it doesn't interfere with viewing videos (due to the aspect ratio)
Back: The dual camera at the back now has a ring around each of them
Right: Power and volume buttons
Left: SIM tray
Bottom: Speaker and USB-C port
Tech specs and features - More AI functions
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset for Galaxy
- 12GB RAM and 256GB storage / 12GB RAM and 512GB storage
- Cover screen: Super AMOLED FlexWindow 3.4 inches
- Main screen: Dynamic AMOLED 2X FHD+ 6.7 inches with 120Hz refresh rate
- Rear camera: 50MP wide camera and 12MP ultra-wide camera
Front camera: 10MP selfie camera - 4000mAh battery with 25W charging
- IP48 waterproof rating
- Security: Samsung Knox with Samsung Knox Vault
- Colour: Blue, Yellow, Mint and Silver Shadow
Based on specs alone, it would seem that the display on the Galaxy Z Flip6 hasn't changed either; neither the main nor cover display offers any significant improvements. The main display is still a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED 2x FHD+ with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It has good colour contrast, making it suitable for watching videos or playing games.
And the cover screen, better known as FlexWindow, is still a 3.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a 60Hz refresh rate. Although these specs should satisfy most users, we had hoped for an improvement somewhere. A slightly larger cover screen could provide more variety in personalisation. Having said that, Samsung did improve the UI part of the equation. Not only can you change the widgets on this display, but there's now an option to combine multiple widgets into one home screen layout, making it easier to see what's important without opening the phone.
Also, we really like the new interactive lock screen that responds to touch and movement, like the lock screen with a donut that moves when you tilt or rotate the Galaxy Z Flip6. While all the new personalisation options with FlexWindow are great, full access to your apps still requires a workaround (via the Good Lock app).
The Galaxy Z Flip6 uses the same chip as the Samsung Galaxy S24, which is Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It provides excellent processing power and the UI has been tweaked to provide a smooth navigation experience, with every movement responding quickly. Switching between apps and running them also feels smooth. All thanks to the phone's fast chipset and 12GB RAM.
The Galaxy Z Flip6 comes with Android 14 and Samsung's One UI 6.1.1 interface. This latest version of One UI is very smooth, neat and loaded with features. If you have used a Samsung phone in recent years, you will feel that the software this time is easier to use and more comfortable.
All the Galaxy AI features introduced with the Galaxy S24 series are also available on the Galaxy Z Flip6. This includes Circle to Search, Interpreter mode, Chat Assist and others. These features work on the Z Flip6 like on every other Samsung phone with Galaxy AI, but the Flip6 has some exclusive additions.
Photo Assist resizing the hat with Generative Edit
For example, Photo Assist allows you to take selfies and photos of yourself and turn them into studio photos, comics, 3D cartoons, watercolours and sketches with the help of generative AI. Generative Edit allows you to adjust the angle of the picture, move, remove or resize people and objects and fill in any gaps in the background.
In addition, the AI can easily recognise objects and provide relevant suggestions to improve photos, allowing users to take photos first and fix them later easily. There's also Photo Ambient for you to create wallpaper lock screens that dynamically change based on the weather or time. It can also cycle through photos taken by the camera.
Interpreter mode
Up next, there's Instant Slow-mo. This one lets you save and share instant slow-mo clips from existing videos or instantly create new ones from existing footage without editing. Another AI feature, Sketch to Image, turns your sketches into more creative pictures with AI technology powered by Galaxy Z Flip6.
Of course, the AI features are not just for the camera. Interpreter improves cross-language communication, which could prove useful for travellers. Standard Mode offers live translation of spoken conversations as voice or text output. Dual Screen mode instead provides face-to-face interpretation through the cover screen, displaying the translation on both screens to make the translation process hands-free and smooth.
Suggested Reply on the external screen
The Suggested Reply feature provides some quick reply suggestions by analysing your last ten messages. Even if your messages are in Malay, Suggested Reply can still analyse them before suggesting accurate responses in English. This saves time and ensures that you send appropriate responses promptly.
The Galaxy Z Flip6's specs may not have improved much compared to the previous model. However, the improvements in performance, display brightness, and AI features provide an overall better experience. Despite some shortcomings, the Galaxy Z Flip6 offers solid performance and a pleasant user experience.
Performance – Faster, more robust
The Galaxy Z Flip6 has proven to be a strong new contender in the foldable phone market, with performance to match its flagship class. The benchmark tests show its strength with GeekBench scores of 1666 for single-core and 5875 for multi-core, marking a significant improvement over its predecessor.
This performance boost is particularly noticeable in graphics processing, where the Z Flip6 maintained an impressive average frame rate of 124 FPS in the 3DMark Wild Life Stress test. This translates to a smooth gaming experience, even in graphics-intensive games like Mortal Kombat and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
GeekBench
3DMark Wild Life Stress
Mortal Kombat
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Multi-window mode, Google Drive in the top window and YouTube below
Multitasking is another aspect where the Galaxy Z Flip6 excels. It can handle three applications simultaneously without any problems, thanks to the combo of multi-window mode and pop-up view. The phone remains responsive and fast, making it ideal for users who need to multi-task.
The Galaxy Z Flip6 is equipped with a 4000mAh battery, the largest ever in a Z Flip model. Although it's good for only one day, it offers more comfortable everyday use than its predecessor. After over three and a half hours running various applications such as YouTube, X and Telegram, the Z Flip6 still had around 25% battery. While there is still room for improvement, this is a step forward.
Samsung has also improved the cooling system with a vapour chamber that is 50% larger than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. This helps keep the Z Flip6 cool under intense use (gaming). The only time it got a little warm was after nearly an hour of streaming a YouTube video at 2160p while running other apps simultaneously.
The Galaxy Z Flip6's camera system is good, though not exceptional. It comes with the same 50MP main camera as the Galaxy S24 and S24+, a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 10MP selfie camera. The pictures taken look sharp with great detail, bright and display natural colours. The jump from 12MP to 50MP is noticeable, delivering sharper photos and improved digital zoom.
Portrait mode
The 12MP ultra-wide camera has a 123-degree angle of view, so it captures more in the frame, although there is some distortion at the edges. Even with the lower resolution, it still provides good detail and colour performance consistent with the main camera. Overall, while the cameras are reliable and capable, they don't quite reach the level of those seen in top-tier camera phones. Having said that, they offer variety and quality that should satisfy most users.
Not only that, the camera also offers features like Single Take. Previously exclusive to the Galaxy S series, Single Take can generate various photos and videos in one take, hence the name. There's also AR Zone, which lets you flex your creativity. You can use this feature to build characters, emojis, stickers, Doodles, Deco Pics and more.
Front camera - Portrait mode
Front camera - standard
Front camera - Wide-angle
Night mode
Single Take
AR Zone
Conclusion – Focused on small improvements and adding AI features
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 is an interesting device in the foldable display flip phone market, offering improved performance over its predecessor plus interesting AI features. Although the design hasn't changed much, the Z Flip6 retains its premium aesthetic and enhanced durability, especially through its improved hinge design and elegant matte finish.
In terms of specs, this device continues to strengthen its position with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, ensuring a smooth and responsive user experience, even in heavy multitasking and gaming. The larger battery also provides more comfortable daily use. However, the price of RM4999 is quite expensive, compared to other foldable display flip phones.
If you want a more affordable alternative, the recently launched nubia Flip 5G could be your choice. It's priced at RM2499 and offers an OLED folding screen, 256GB internal storage and a 4310mAh battery. Another option is the OPPO Find N3 Flip, which has a Dimensity 9200 chipset and three Hasselblad-tuned cameras for RM4399.
So, what do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to TechNave for more reviews like this.
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