Samsung has been producing foldable phones for longer than anyone else. Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold line had no genuine competition for the first few years due to the enormous volume of advances made. However, as new competitors like the OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold have entered the market, the rate of innovation has slowed recently. Samsung has strengthened the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for 2024 with a new ultra-wide-angle camera, a number of AI-powered features, and a sturdier but noticeably lighter chassis. Sadly, not much else has changed, thus the upgrade has been somewhat iterative. Therefore, even though the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is still the greatest big foldable available overall, Samsung's dominance in flagship flexible phones seems to be diminishing due to complacency.
Design And Displays: Tweaked Dimensions With Even Brighter Screens
Samsung has changed the Galaxy Z Fold 6's size for 2024 after removing the space between the screen (when closed) on the previous model. However, the changes are so tiny that millimeters must be used to measure them. The phone is somewhat thinner when closed, and the primary screen is 2.7 mm bigger but 1 mm shorter when it is opened (in portrait mode). You do get a little additional space for activities, but it's not much. Naturally, the external Cover Display is also impacted by this; it is only slightly broader, by around 1mm, to allow for more forgiving use of the on-screen keyboard.
From its boxier edges to the more squared-off corners on both panels, the phone appears sharper overall. I hope you'll pardon me for not purposely dropping it to find out, but Samsung also claims that the Enhanced Armor Aluminum utilized in the Z Fold 6's chassis is roughly 10% stronger than previously. All of this is held together by a new dual-rail hinge. This time, Samsung has, in my opinion, struck the ideal balance between being simple to open and maintaining its position when you want it to. The largest design improvement, however, is a 14-gram weight reduction over the last generation. Although that may not seem like much, the Z Fold 6 now weighs about 4 grams less than the S24 Ultra, its non-foldable relative. Additionally, this modification has a significant impact on a phone that is already weighty.
Regarding the screens, I can state that Samsung's panels are excellent because I've been using the Pixel Fold a lot lately, which has a good screen all by itself. In addition to improving both displays' peak brightness to 2,600 nits, as on the normal S24 series, Samsung has also discreetly lowered and flattened the bezels, giving the phone an even more magazine-like appearance. And this is just the greatest screen on a large foldable at the moment, unless I see something better.
Performance: Expectedly Speedy
This year, the Z Fold line received the same upgrade to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip as the S24, but the standard RAM remains at 12GB. The Z Fold line has never been slow. The Z Fold 6 performs quickly and responsively, as you might anticipate. Due to the addition of a larger vapor chamber on the inside, the phone stays cooler during longer sessions, which is a wonderful advantage for all gamers who enjoy playing on a truly big-screen device. There is also no lag when doing pretty much everything.
Cameras: Mostly unchanged
I'm a little let down by the Z Fold 6's photography, not because it can't capture good pictures, but rather because I know Samsung is capable of better. Samsung has chosen to stick with three back cameras this time around, and the new 12-MP sensor for the ultra-wide lens is quite nice. On the other hand, I don't use the ultra-wide lens very often, and it's not near.
Though they are the same cameras that Samsung utilized on at least the first two generations, the other two cameras—the 50-MP primary and the 12-MP telephoto with a 3x optical zoom—are good. The Z Fold 6 created a mouthwatering image with rich, saturated colors and excellent details in a picture of some strawberries. However, you can also notice the rather overdone warm tones that Samsung cameras frequently produce. Additionally, the Z Fold captured a stunning image of a flower at night in a challenging backlit setting.
The problem is that Samsung has no clear justification for the Z Fold 6's inferior photography in comparison to the S24 Ultra now that Google has unveiled the Pixel Fold. The Pixel Fold offers superior overall photo quality and a longer 5x optical zoom. Just look at these two zoomed-in photos from the Pixel Fold and the Z Fold 6. Samsung's photo appears fine in a vacuum. Then glance at the image of the Pixel. It is notably more detailed and crisper.
Read Also: Review of the Samsung Galaxy Flip 6
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Camera Sample Versus Google Pixel Fold
The same is true in extremely low light conditions, such as the picture I took of some Bluey miniatures, where the Pixel Fold produced a crisper, more well-exposed, and less grainy image. And it's unfortunate that Samsung's priciest phone ranks second in terms of photography after being pleasantly impressed by the S24 Ultra's cameras.
Ai Features: Fun And Occasionally Handy, But Not Essential
As we saw at the start of the year, Samsung has updated the Z Fold 6 with the Galaxy AI suite that was first introduced on the S24. Additionally, most of the functions are the same, such as Chat Assist, which allows you to create emails or social media posts with a range of tone options. Along with translation and summary capabilities, Google's Circle to Search is also supported. The phone can now translate text in-place rather than spitting it out into a large, unformatted blob, which is a pleasant but somewhat situational change for the Fold. I should also point out that Google Lens has comparable features already. The capability of dual-screen translation, which allows each user to view text in their native tongue in real time based on which side of the phone they are looking at, is arguably the most significant.
Battery Life: Great Longevity But Could Use Some Faster Charging Tech
Despite not enlarging the 4,400 mAh cell in the Z Fold 6, Samsung's latest chip's increased energy efficiency gives the phone a somewhat longer battery life. Using its huge primary screen for 20 hours and 7 minutes and its outside cover display for 25 hours and 19 minutes was how long it lasted during our video rundown test. The Z Fold 6 is the obvious choice if you need a big-screen phone with plenty of battery life because that first number is even better than what we saw from the Pixel Fold (15:22) and OnePlus Open (19:19).
Sadly, there hasn't been much of a shift in its billing. In 2024, 25-watt wired charging and 15-watt wireless charging are still available, which are both somewhat mediocre capacities. I'm still a little annoyed that a phone this pricey is omitting crucial functions from the spec sheet, even if I wasn't expecting the Z Fold 6 to support Qi2 magnetic charging after Samsung decided not to include it in the main S24 range.
Conclusion
Shortly ago, almost all of the Z Fold line's components were superior than those of its rivals. However, there are now phones with better overall photography, such as the Pixel Fold. Then there is the OnePlus Open, which, despite its recent diet, weighs the same as the Z Fold 6. Not to mention that each of those competitors are 2023 models. Additionally, Chinese rivals that are lighter and thinner than Samsung's champion include the Honor Magic V3 and the soon-to-be Xiaomi Mix Fold 4.
Do not misunderstand; the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is still a decent, if not outstanding, folding device. It has great performance, a long battery life, and useful features including support for native styluses. However, it seems that Samsung has lost its desire for complete dominance after all this time spent sitting smugly on its throne. Long-awaited features like an enhanced under-display camera or a built-in S Pen were replaced with a number of AI-powered tools and stunts that are entertaining but not really standout features. Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the most costly model since the Z Fold 3 at $1,900, which is $100 higher than it was the previous year. However, I suppose that's the cost of Samsung's prolonged dominance.
