Summary
In the U.S., Samsung has led the foldable market.
Now that competition is increasing, the company is under pressure to innovate.
The 512GB and 1TB models cost $2,019.00 and $2,259.99, respectively.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
All three spec tiers have 12GB of RAM and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 3 for Galaxy.
Samsung nailed down its design last year, finally making it so that the handset folded flat.
But the moment you pick up the Fold 6, you’ll feel a difference.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a foldable smartphone that combines the functionality of a tablet with the convenience of a phone. It features a large, flexible internal screen that automatically picks up where you left off on the cover display.
The most noticeable difference out of the box is the weight.
The Fold 6 comes in at 239g, which shaves off 14g compared to last year’s model.
That’s only 7g heavier than theGalaxy S24 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a foldable smartphone that combines the functionality of a tablet with the convenience of a phone. It features a large, flexible internal screen that automatically picks up where you left off on the cover display.
However, slightly adjusted dimensions and screen sizes are the most welcome changes.
When folded, the phone is 1mm wider and 1.3mm thinner than the Fold 5.
Those changes also affect the inside display.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
I have always preferred shorter and wider designs after using theGoogle Pixel FoldandOnePlus Open.
I’m happy to see Samsung move in this direction.
The cherry on top is the frame’s flat edge, found all the way around the phone.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
It makes the Fold 6 feel slimmer and more premium.
Plus, the edges and back glass are matte, which is always preferred over polished metal.
It’s so unstable that it’s uncomfortable to interact with the foldable.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
I almost always pick up the equipment when checking notifications.
Also, the Z Fold 6 is still incredibly slippery despite the matte back glass.
I once had it slide off my bedside table.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
The AMOLED displays themselves are as great as ever.
The same goes for battery life.
That normally equated to five and a half to six and a half hours of screen-on time.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
The experience is incredibly intuitive after playing with the phone for several hours.
So, instead of launching in full screen, you’re free to choose between 16:9 and 4:3.
It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a good stop-gap until developers update their apps.
Samsung went all-in on “Galaxy AI” in January 2024 with the launch of the S24 Series.
This included the launch of Circle to Search with Google, Interpreter mode, and more.
Those same features, plus some extras, made their way to the Fold 6.
Two of the flagship AI features are Drawing Assist and Photo Assist.
The first provides you with a blank canvas to sketch on.
From there, you’re able to choose an art style and generate several versions of your drawing.
This feature doesn’t take too many creative licenses and mostly sticks to the shape you drew.
Photo Assist takes a different approach.
Tap the Generate button and wait a hot second.
Before you know it, the Z Fold 6 offers you several options to choose from.
I’ve included a selection of samples above.
Others, like The Verge, have had better results.
It looks surprisingly realistic, and I would have never guessed it was AI-generated.
The issue is that this watermark is almost transparent and can easily be cropped out of the frame.
As both of these new AI features require you to draw, they would benefit from an S Pen.
Instead, you’ll have to purchase a$130 caseor theS Pen by itself.
Stop Advertising on $2,000 Phones
Samsung has been known to push notifications to advertise upcoming announcements.
I’m sad to report that it’s still happening on the Fold 6.
Overall, the photos all came out pretty sharp, with plenty of contrast.
In basically every instance, I preferred the look of selfies captured using the rear-facing cameras.
They’re more natural-looking, the color is more accurate, and the scene doesn’t look as compressed.
Plus, you have to grip the more fragile inside screen, which is a bit nerve-wracking.
Unfortunately, despite Samsung using this tech for multiple years, the image quality is still terrible.
But when you launch the camera, they disappear.
When you take a selfie, Samsung processes the image and tries to fill in missing details.
Despite this work, you still have a soft and out-of-focus-looking photo.
At this point, most consumers are used to and fine with hole punches, notches, andDynamic Islands.
The under-display camera is potato quality and should be replaced or removed completely.
Despite it also including a foldable display with ultra-thin glass, it targets a different audience.
Unlike the Fold, the Flip has fewer noticeable improvements but’s also slightly thinner and lighter.
The most notable year-over-year change is the improved camera sensors.
It gained the 50MP sensor found on the Galaxy S24 series, allowing you to capture sharper images.
Camera quality has always been poor on the Flip series, so this is a welcome change.
Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6?
I’ve really enjoyed testing theGalaxy Z Fold 6over the past week and a half.
Its ability to function as both a phone and a tablet has been great.
The foldable finally feels like a finished product that shouldn’t be reserved for early adopters.
The improved dimensions, more rugged hinge, and IP48 rating aren’t worth replacing last year’s handsets.
However, you have to consider that Google will launch thePixel 9 Pro Foldin less than a month.
