Anyone who has seen the Z Flip 6 keeps asking me about the big differences between this new model and last year's Galaxy Z Flip5. Honestly, it’s not immediately obvious. There’s a new main camera and a few software tweaks, but much of it feels quite familiar. Plus, it’s 10,000 Rupees more expensive. So, is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 worth the upgrade? Keep reading to find out
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Design
Let's chat about design first. The Flip 6 doesn’t stray too far from the look of its predecessor. But I don't think, that's necessarily a bad thing! After all, Samsung's been making foldables for a while now, and the Flip 6 is a beautiful testament to that.
It just feels really sturdy and well-made, almost like they perfected the design. It folds up super compact too, and the Armor aluminium frame gives it a nice, solid feel in your hand. Speaking of perfecting things, the new dual rail hinge design offers a more solid feel when you close the phone.
Plus, the crease in the middle of the screen is less noticeable now. It's still there, but it’s not as prominent. One thing I did notice using the phone, though, is that opening it can be a bit tricky.The edges are flatter now, and there's not much to grip onto, especially when you're trying to unfold it with one hand.
Another important upgrade for The Flip 6 is its IP48 rating, which basically means it's the world's first foldable phone that can survive both dust and water. That's a nice peace of mind, knowing your foldable phone can handle both dust bunnies and spills.
Samsung also went all out with some gorgeous new pastel colours this year. I just love this new peach colour, I've been testing, which is exclusive to Samsung's website. The "normal" colours this year are yellow, mint, blue, and silver, which are all pretty slick too.
One minor thing that bugged me though - the rings around the cameras on the peach model aren't the same colour as the back panel, unlike the other phone colours. If the camera accents matched this phone's colour, that would have been an instant win for me!
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Display (Main)
The main screen on the Flip 6 is pretty much the same as last year's, which is a good thing! It's still a big, beautiful 6.7-inch AMOLED display, and everything feels smooth and responsive thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate.
The inner screen also got a significant brightness boost - we're talking 2,600 nits compared to 1,750 on the Flip 5. That's a big jump, and it makes a huge difference when you're using your phone outside on a sunny day.
My only main criticism is that the display's slender aspect ratio does take a little getting used to, and typing when typing on the keyboard's arrow keys isn't exactly easy.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Display (Outer)
As for the outer screen, it's still the same size as last year's at 3.4 inches with a 60 Hz refresh rate. Honestly, I gotta say, I was hoping Samsung would make it a bit bigger, especially since the Moto Razr 50 Ultra comes with a 4-inch cover screen.
Software-wise though, they did give it a little upgrade! You get a whole new collection of widgets to play with, and you can even stack a few on top of each other. It's definitely a step forward, but still feels a tad limited. Moreover, Samsung only lets you use four apps on the outer screen - Maps, Messages, Netflix, and YouTube.
That's not exactly a buffet of choices and you gotta use this app called GoodLock to unlock other apps. Once it's set up, it's fun to use other apps on the tiny screen, but the setup itself can be a bit of a hassle.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Software
Now that we are on the subject of software, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is running Samsung’s One UI 6.1.1 on top of Android 14. If you’ve used a recent Galaxy phone, the look and feel will be pretty familiar.
This year’s flip phone comes packed with the same Galaxy AI features introduced with the S24 series earlier this year, like Circle to Search, Instant Slow-Mo, Generative Edit, and more. But Samsung didn't stop there. They've added some new AI features just for their latest foldable phones.
For example, the new Photo Assist feature lets you turn your selfies and photos into drawings, sketches, and 3D models using generative AI. It's a fun gimmick, but I don't think it’ll get used much. On the other hand, I found the Interpreter Mode super handy. Like the Galaxy S24, it does real-time translation between two people speaking different languages.
The Flip 6 takes it a step further with its FlexWindow display. When the phone is half-folded, both parties can see the translation on their screens, making the whole thing way more practical and user-friendly. But the best part about the software is its longevity. The fact that Samsung offers seven years of OS and security updates is simply amazing.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Performance
Now, let's talk about performance. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset — the exact same one you get in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Benchmark results confirmed my initial impressions: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a mini powerhouse.
It scored 6,210 points in Geekbench's multi-core test and 2,160 points in the single-core test. That's a nice bump compared to the Z Flip 5, which scored 5,291 and 2,045 respectively. In 3D Mark's Wild Life Extreme, the Z Flip 6 also outperformed the Flip 5 by a good margin.
By the way, the Flip 6 gets a built-in vapour chamber cooling system, a first for any Samsung Flip phone. This definitely helps prevent the phone from throttling under sustained loads, which is impressive considering how small and thin this foldable phone is. While it did get a bit warm when gaming, it wasn't anything to worry about.
The Flip 6 also handles multitasking like a champ. It can juggle three apps simultaneously without any major issues. I'm also happy to see that the base model now comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM which is a welcome increase from the 8GB of RAM on the Flip 5.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Camera
(For camera samples, please refer to video)
Camera-wise, the star of the show is the new 50-megapixel primary camera—the same one you get on the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus. It's teamed up with a 12MP ultrawide camera that has an upgraded sensor and a 123-degree field of view, plus a 10MP selfie camera on the inner display.
Photos from the main camera are sharp and detailed, with a good dynamic range, though some textures like leaves can appear overly sharp. The 2x in-sensor zoom works well in bright light, and the digital zoom up to 10x isn't too bad either.
Night photography is also good, thanks to the larger main sensor that captures more light. However, like previous Samsung phones, the Z Flip 6 can struggle a bit with moving subjects and sometimes the colours, especially bright blues, can be a bit too vibrant.
The ultrawide camera is great for capturing landscapes, delivering nice shots without too much distortion, and its colours are consistent with the main camera.
Video recording is strong as well, with effective stabilization for handheld shooting. The 10MP selfie camera does a great job with portraits, but you can take even better selfies using the main camera and the cover screen as a viewfinder.
Overall, the camera setup on the Z Flip 6 is pretty good but it's also not a drastic improvement over the Flip 5 despite the bigger main sensor.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Battery & Charging
Finally, let's talk about endurance! The Flip 6 comes with a 4,000 mAh battery, the largest Samsung has ever included in a Z Flip. While it still falls into the "one-day phone" category like its predecessor, the larger capacity translates to a more comfortable daily experience.
I typically ended the day with around 25% battery left, but your mileage may vary depending on how you use your phone.
Unfortunately, the charging speeds haven’t seen any upgrades. You’re still getting 25-watt wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: Verdict
So, that's pretty much it for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which feels like a refined version of an already great phone. You get a more durable design, better cameras, faster performance, and a slightly bigger battery. It's easily the best flip foldable Samsung has released so far, but it's also not a major upgrade over its predecessor.
If you're using a Flip 5 and it's still serving you well, you might be happy sticking with it. There's no pressure to jump ship. However, if you do decide to switch, make sure to look out for some great trade-in deals for your Flip 5. It can make the upgrade a bit more affordable.
