The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is the latest iteration in Samsung’s foldable lineup, and it brings a host of noteworthy improvements and design changes that still set it apart from its predecessors and competitors.
Thanks to AT&T, I was given a chance to take the Z Fold6 for a spin the past few weeks and here are my thoughts on Samsung’s sixth swing at making a booklet like folding phone mainstream, now that there is stiffer competition entering the market.
Starting at $1,799.99
or $50.00/month (installments) from AT&T
Dimensions
| Size (inches) | Open: 6.10 x 5.11 x 0.24 Closed: 6.10 x 2.64 x 0.53 |
| Weight (ounces) | 8.96 |
Display
| Display size (inches) | 6.2 cover 7.6 main |
| Resolution (pixels) | 904 x 2,316 – cover 1,812 x 2,176 – main |
| Colors | 16 million |
Camera & Video
| Rear-facing camera | 50 MP wide angle lens with ƒ/1.5 aperture 12 MP ultra wide angle lens with ƒ/2.2 aperture 10 MP Telephoto lens with ƒ/2.4 aperture |
| Video capture | Up to UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) | @24fps |
| Video playback | Up to UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) | @60fps |
| Front-facing camera | Cover 10 MP lens with ƒ/2.2 apertureMain 4 MP under display lens with ƒ/2.0 aperture |
| Other shooting options | AR Zone, Bixby Vison, Director’s View, Food, Hyperlapse, Night, Panorama, Photo, Portrait, Portrait Video, Pro, Pro Video, Single Take, Slow Motion, Super slow-mo, Video |
Battery
| Battery capacity | 4,400mAh (non-removable) |
| Talk time (hours) | Up to 40 |
| Audio playback time (hours) | Speaker: Up to 27 Headset: Up to 73 |
| Wireless charging capable | Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 |
| Fast charging capable | Super Fast Charging |
| Time to charge to 50% | 0% to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 25W adapter or higher |
Processor
| Chipset | Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform |
| Cores | Octa-core, 1 @3.36GHz, 4 @2.8GHz, 3 @2GHz |
Memory
| Capacity | 256GB | 512GB |
| RAM | 12GB |
Operating System
| Android® | 13 Subject to change based on future operating system updates |
| Voice dialing and voice commands |
Wireless Technology
| AT&T 5G+ supported network bands* | n77 C-Band, n77 3.45GHz, n260 |
| 5G (U.S. and other countries)* | Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n41, n66, n77, n78, n257, n260 |
| 4G LTE | Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48 and 66 |
| UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA** | 850/900/1700/2100/1900/2100MHz |
| GSM/GPRS/EDGE** | 850/900/1800/1900MHz |
| World phone | Quad-band |
| HD Voice capable | |
| Wi-Fi Calling capable | |
| AT&T Video call capable | |
| Wi-Fi connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Wi-Fi capability | 2.4GHz & 5GHz & 6GHz |
| Near Field Communication (NFC) | Open, Secure |
| Bluetooth® technology | v5.3 + EDR, A2DP, HS, LE, aptX® |
| Mobile hotspot | Up to 10 devices |
| Noise suppression | Goodix |
| Wireless emergency alerts (CMAS) capable | |
| SIM type | Dual SIM capable with Physical SIM (Nano) as primary |
Sensors
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Barometer, Fingerprint, Gyroscope, Proximity, Geomagnetic, Hall |
Design and Build Quality
Perhaps the most controversial aspects regarding booklet foldables in 2024 is the height and width of the outer display/front screen. The discussion around the outer/front display has become the replacement for the incremental megapixel and computational photography talking points that signify yearly improvements for traditional slab phones.
While the Surface Duo died on the vine, Google’s first Pixel Fold assumed the mantel of passport-like foldable for people who wanted an alternative to Samsung’s remote-control design for the Fold6. Eventually the One Plus Open enter the scene and attempted to split the dichotomy between the booklet-like foldable and remote control-like handheld.
Samsung seems steadfast in its decision to offer a longer and thinner outer display experience versus others such as Google opting for a wider front display and while many reviewers are cozying up to the wider display of the Pixel Fold Pro 6 or the One Plus Open, I realize it simply comes down to what the OEMs prefer to highlight as the use cases for foldables.
Do you prefer the idea of a mini tablet that can do phone-like tasks fairly well or a phone that can occasionally double as a tablet when needed?
Are you mostly consuming content on your phone or has your phone replaced your PC as your average personal computing device?
We’ll let those questions marinate while we move on to actual physical design of the Fold6 this year.
What’s new and what’s changed?
One of the most striking changes in the Galaxy Z Fold6 is its contemporary design. Samsung has opted for squared-off edges, giving the device a more modern and premium feel. This design choice not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also improves the grip, making it easier to hold and use, especially when unfolded.
The outer screen has been widened, addressing one of the common complaints about previous models. The 6.3-inch cover display now feels more like a regular smartphone screen, making it more practical for everyday tasks without needing to unfold the device. This wider outer screen is complemented by a brighter and more vibrant 7.6-inch main display, which continues to impress with its Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology.
There is no sugarcoating going on here with Samsung, while it has made some concessions to inch-up the size of the outer screen, the company still stands behind its conceptual usage theory that people will augment their old smartphone uses to the bigger inner display.
Similar to the Galaxy Flip design theory, the outer display can cover the functions of social media scrolling, calls, quick camera shots, and a few other vertically-oriented tasks, but to get the most out of this phone, opening up the inner display is where Samsung would like to justify is investments.
Another notable design update is the introduction of a new dark blue colorway. This color option adds a touch of elegance and sophistication, appealing to users who prefer a more understated yet stylish look.
Battery Improvements
Battery life has always been a critical aspect of foldable phones, and the Galaxy Z Fold6 makes some strides in this area. The device is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery, which is a slight improvement over its predecessor. While this may not seem like a significant upgrade, Samsung has optimized the software and hardware to ensure better power efficiency. Users can expect longer usage times, even with the larger and brighter displays.
However, it’s worth noting that the battery life, while improved, still lags behind some of the non-foldable flagship phones. Additionally, the charging speed remains a point of contention, as Samsung has not introduced faster charging capabilities with this model.
Performance and Software
Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, ensuring top-notch performance for multitasking, gaming, and productivity.
While many reviewers are harping on the ‘stale’ hardware design, I think the fact that Samsung’s OneUI is hardly mentioned in reviews anymore is a testament to the company’s improvements over the UI experience. Back in the day, Samsung’s UI and UX experiences were at the heart of many reviews as being the intrusive and unintuitive obstacles users had to get through to get the most out of their new hardware.
Latest version of OneUI paired with this Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor runs like a well oiled machine on this phone. Animations are crisp, transitions are timely, the phone stores up 18 apps in memory and effortlessly recalls them to action. Samsung has also been slowly creeping in more automated maintenance features for users that help manage battery life and performance for users like putting apps that are rarely used into deep sleep.
Another unsung hero of the Samsung software experience is the Samsung cloud that allows the seamless transition of user data, content, apps, settings and preferences to be transferred over, so that your new phone looks and fells exactly like your old one, if you’re into that.
Samsung still needs to make the multitasking experience a bit more intuitive, especially for users who prefer to navigate the UI with gestures. Getting up two and three apps at time should be something people can trigger as quickly as they can a back motion or app drawer.
The software experience is tailored to take full advantage of the foldable form factor, Samsung just needs to explain it a bit more for the average user. Samsung’s One UI has been refined to offer seamless transitions between the cover and main displays, and the multitasking capabilities are among the best in the market. Users can run multiple apps simultaneously, drag and drop content between windows, and enjoy a desktop-like experience with Samsung DeX, and these are things you don’t get with other foldables.
As far as gaming is concerned, it plays games just as well as any other phone, and I’m not the biggest smartphone gamer so I’m not the reviewer to look towards for details on that. I play games like Marvel Snap, Pocket City 2, Marvel Strike Force, The Sims, Hitman, Metal Slug: Awakening, etc. Each one of the games I play, play well and without any issues regarding heat, frame rates or stutters.
AI
Move on.
While Samsung continues to expand the amount of time it presents its AI software and services, the practicality for users tends to remain the same. You might find yourself playing around with the AI photo features to tweak some experimental photos, or maybe even pulling up Gemini to do some quick translations of websites, or real-world text on signs, products and more, but beyond the handful of instances, Samsung UI tends to be an after thought.
That’s not a mark against Samsung, but an indictment of AI in general at the moment. AI is still too manual of process for most people over the conveniences companies attempt to market. Admittedly, using the AI features in chat have come in handy, but most of the AI services will probably go unused by most users.
Samsung needs to take a page out of Google’s playbook and focus its AI efforts on the call experience to better sort spam, record and transcribe calls, and organize conversations. That’s useful AI.
Comparison with Other Foldables
When comparing the Galaxy Z Fold6 to other foldable phones on the market, several key competitors come to mind:
- OnePlus Open: The OnePlus Open is a strong contender, offering the largest screens at a lower price point. Its multitasking features are highly praised, but it lacks the premium build quality and design refinements of the Galaxy Z Fold6.
- Google Pixel Pro Fold: Google’s Pixel Pro Fold is known for its excellent camera performance and software integration, and with the tweaking of the outer screen this year, it may prove to be the preferred choice of customers this time around. The booklet-like style from last took some getting used for people and developers which held some potential buyers in place, while this year, the expanded candy bar inspiration looks to find a nice new middle-ground for people looking for something more from Samsung.
- Motorola Razr 2024: The Motorola Razr 2024 offers a unique flip design with a larger outer screen than its predecessors. It’s a great option for those who prefer a more compact foldable, but it doesn’t match the versatility and screen real estate of the Galaxy Z Fold6.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6: Samsung’s own Galaxy Z Flip6 is another alternative, especially for those who prefer a clamshell design. It excels in portability and camera performance but lacks the productivity features and larger displays of the Z Fold6.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is a significant step forward in the evolution of foldable phones. Its squared-off edges, wider outer screen, and new dark blue colorway make it a standout device in terms of design. Battery improvements and enhanced performance further solidify its position as a top-tier foldable phone.
While it faces stiff competition from the likes of OnePlus, Google, and Motorola, the Galaxy Z Fold6’s combination of design, functionality, and software optimization makes it one of the most well-rounded foldable phones available today. If you’re in the market for a foldable device that offers a premium experience and cutting-edge features, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is definitely worth considering.
