Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 hands-on review

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 hands-on review

Physically, there isn't much change in this year's Z Flip6. It measures 71.9x85.1x14.9mm (folded) and 71.9x165.1x6.9mm (unfolded), which is almost exactly identical to the Z Flip5. The Z Flip6 also tips the scale at 187 grams, exactly as much as its predecessor.

Somehow, almost miraculously, Samsung has managed to fit a notably larger 4,000 mAh battery in this year's model, compared to 3,700 mAh last year. Also, the main camera has been notably upgraded, and both engineering feats have been accomplished without toughing the form factor or the weight. Impressive stuff.

And that's on top of the upgraded ingress protection rating, which, just like on the Z Fold6 has gone from IPX8 to IP48 for this generation.

One of the Z Flip6's main attractions is the cover display. Samsung calls it a "FlexWindow," and it is basically physically unchanged compared to last year. It still has the familiar quirky shape forming around the camera island and still measures 3.4 inches with a 720 x 748-pixel resolution. It is still a Super AMOLED unit, limited to 60Hz.

Neither its odd shape nor its limited resolution is much of a problem, though, since, unlike the cover display on the Z Fold6, you are not meant to be able to use your phone on this tiny screen alone fully. It is meant for widgets to get quick info and control things like music playback. There are now more widgets than ever, and you can check information from multiple widgets simultaneously.

Better yet, FlexWindow is now imbued with some AI-assisted functionality. You can do a lot of things without opening your phone. For example, quick replies on the Z Flip6 feature Suggested replies. This AI-powered system analyzes your latest communication and intelligently suggests replies to send back with a single tap on the FlexWindow.

Pretty much nothing has changed about the main display on the Z Flip6. It still measures 6.7 inches in diagonal with a 1080x2640-pixel resolution and a 22:9 aspect ratio. Unlike the Z Fold6, Samsung is making no bold marketing claims about the maximum brightness of the Z Flip6, which leads us to believe that it might actually be using the same panel as the Z Flip5. Not that there is anything particularly bad in that.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6

Like the Z Fold6, the Z Flip6 has a slightly more refined design. One with smaller curves and a larger focus on flat surfaces and straight lines. Again, the difference compared to the Z Flip5 won't immediately jump at you, but it is there.

Let's talk about durability for a bit. We already mentioned the improved IP48 rating. There is also Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protecting the cover display. The frame is made of improved Armor Aluminum.

In keeping with its ambitions for sustainability, the Z Flip6, just like the Z Fold6, incorporates recycled minerals like cobalt and rare earth elements in its construction, along with recycled plastics, aluminum and glass and for the first time ever, recycled gold and copper. The retail box is made from 100% recycled paper materials.

Also, just like the S24 series, the Z Flip6 and Z Fold6 offer seven major OS upgrades and seven years of security updates.

The frame and hinge colors are now more prominent. The Z Flip6 is offered in Silver Shadow, Yellow, Blue or Mint on most markets. Samsung.com will be selling exclusive colors - Crafted Black, White and Peach.

Let's talk about specs and internals. The Z Flip6 runs on Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset. For the first time in a Z Flip, the Z Flip6 comes with a vapor chamber to cool down that big, powerful chip.

The 8GB of RAM from the Z Flip5 is no longer available, and this year, you will get 12GB at minimum with the Z Flip6. You can then choose between 256GB or 512GB of non-expandable storage.

It is worth noting that the Z Flip6 still doesn't offer video output or Samsung DeX support, which is a bit of a shame.

As we mentioned already, the internal battery has been bumped up in capacity notably to 4,000 mAh (up from 3,700 mAh in the Z Flip5). Charging is still limited to 25W wired and 15W wireless. Samsung just refuses to budge on the fast-charging topic and that's it.

We would be remiss if we didn't mention the camera situation on the Z Flip6. The main camera, in particular, has been significantly upgraded this year. It is now a 50MP unit with f/1.8, Dual Pixel autofocus, OIS and 1.0µm individual pixels. It should be a lot more capable than the 12MP main camera on the Z Flip5 and finally brings the Z Flip series closer to the mainstream S flagships in the camera department.

The rest of the cameras on the Z Flip6 appear to be borrowed and carried over from the Z Flip5. These include a 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide and a 10MP, f/2.2 selfie cam. The latter is located in a punch hole inside the foldable display. However, just like on the Z Fold6, you can just as easily use the main cameras to shoot selfies using the cover display as a viewfinder.

The Z Flip6 runs on Android 14 with OneUI 6.1 on top. As mentioned, it comes with the promise of seven major OS updates in seven years of security patches. There are plenty of new and returning AI features to go over, which we will do on a separate page.