Verdict
Pros
- +Durable design
- +Excellent low light camera performance
- +Speedy performance
- +New Galaxy AI features
Cons
- -Costs $100 more
- -Battery life could be better
Samsung adds new Galaxy AI features, a larger battery, and a faster processor to offset the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s higher cost, but the flip phone sSamsung ruled the flip-style phone space for years with its Z Flip devices.
Obviously, all the usual upgrades are in tow with this charming little flippable, like its new 50MP main camera, more durable design, and more functional FlexWindow display. These hardware changes are good, but they’re supplemented by the same Galaxy AI features I found helpful in saving me time with the Galaxy S24 Ultra — plus a few new AI capabilities. If that’s not enough, there’s a much bigger emphasis on personalizing the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Specifications
| Price | $1,099 |
| Colors | Silver Shadow, Yellow, Blue, Mint, Crafted Black, White, Peach |
| Inner display | 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED (2640 x 1080) , 1-120 Hz |
| Outer display | 3.4-inch AMOLED (720 x 748), 60 Hz |
| Rear camera | 50MP main (f/2.2), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2) |
| Front camera | 10MP (f/2.2) |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 25W |
| Wireless charging | 10-15W |
| Dimensions | 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 inches (open), 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.58 inches (closed) |
| Weight | 6.59 ounces / 187 grams |
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 : Design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes in four different colors
At first glance, it doesn’t look like much has changed with the design of the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which sports a familiar trim and aesthetic as last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 5. The phone remains incredibly compact when closed, and its Armor aluminum frame gives the Flip a solid feel in the hand.
However, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is not as ergonomic as I’d like because of its flatter edges. The only visible difference with the design this time around is how the outlines of the camera lenses are accented by the same paint job as the phone, giving the phone a much more pleasing contrast.
Speaking of trims, I really like the pastel-like colors Samsung’s using for the Galaxy Z Flip 6 — like my blue colored review unit. It’s better made, too, with a matte finish that prevents smudges and fingerprints from dirtying up the Z Flip 6.
Samsung did increase the Flip 6’s durability with a new dual rail hinge design, giving the phone a more responsive feel whenever I close it. More importantly, however, the crease in the middle of the phone is much more subdued. In fact, I’d argue it’s less noticeable than the Razr Plus 2024’s crease.
On another note, I’m delighted by the dose of personalization that’s added to the Flip 6 when it’s paired with the new FlipSuit cases that combine interactive lock screens to the FlexWindow. There are even a couple of new ones I checked out with built-in LEDs that light up the back of the phone, which takes power via the phone’s wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Cameras
I’m very excited for the cameras in the Galaxy Z Flip 6. That’s because the phone now features an upgraded 50MP main camera paired with a 12MP ultrawide lens. The former is a huge step up from the Z Flip 5’s 12MP camera, but it’s made better because of how the Galaxy Z Flip 6 leverages pixel binning to offer a reasonable 2x zoom with optical-like quality. This is the smarter way of approaching the cameras, seeing that it effectively offers the range in most triple camera setups, but with a more compact dual camera arrangement instead.
There’s also a new camcorder mode, just like on the Razr Plus 2024, that gives a nostalgic feel when the phone’s folded in the halfway position — complete with zoom controls at your fingertips. Another new feature is the intelligent way the Galaxy Z Flip 6 can frame my shots with AI zoom. No matter who I’m shooting, whether it’s just myself or a group of people, the AI zoom will automatically frame the shot correctly.
Similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S flagships, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 benefits from a rich camera app that’s filled with all the modes you’d want in a phone and a few extras — like hyperlapse, dual recording, and portrait video. There’s even a pro video mode with full manual controls, which few camera apps offer. I also love how the FlewWindow can be turned on to act as a preview screen, making it perfect for vlogging and self recordings.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is undoubtedly a phone for creators with its rich set of features and tools, but ultimately its camera performance will show me if it’s worthy of being a best camera phone contender.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Performance
Powered by the same chip in Samsung’s Galaxy S24 flagship devices, the Z Flip 6 leans on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for all of its muscle power. I’m instantly attuned to the fluid actions of navigating around the software, since just about every movement is met with tight responses. Furthermore, it extends to other aspects of the experience, including my regular routines running apps and switching between them.
Benchmark results reveal what I suspected initially: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a powerhouse in the flip-phone space. GeekBench single and multicore scores for the Z Flip 6 have it registering scores of 2,091 and 7,022 respectively, which are incrementally better than the previous Z Flip 5.
| Z Flip 6 | Z Flip 5 | |
| CPU | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| Geekbench 5 (single core/multicore) | 2,091 / 7,022 | 1,354 / 4,288 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited (fps) | 113.4 | 79.1 |
| Adobe Premiere Rush (Mins:Secs) | 0:46 | 0:42 |
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Software and AI
Samsung’s One UI 6.1.1 runs on top of Android 14 on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The aesthetics look familiar for anyone who’s used a recent Galaxy phone, but this year’s flip phone comes out of the box with the same suite of Galaxy AI features first introduced by the S24 series earlier this year.
These include things such as Instant Slow-Mo, Generative Edit, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, and much more. They function the same way as they do on the S24, with some being more useful in saving me time with my day-to-day activities. It also comes with Circle to Search and Google Gemini, although you can’t run Circle to Search on the FlexWindow display — but Gemini works like a charm on the smaller screen.
I’m still a little annoyed that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 doesn’t natively let me run full apps on the FlexWindow display. Instead, I’m forced to go through the same work around as before with the Flip 5 by downloading the Good Lock app through Samsung’s Galaxy Store. After that’s all taken care of, I’m able to access even greater utility with the outer screen — much like how the Razr Plus 2024 does it natively.
Samsung introduces a few new AI features with its latest foldable phones, as well as new optimizations that make them work more effectively with the external displays on those devices. Here’s all of them that I got to check out on the Flip 6:
- Photo Assist: Through the Gallery App, Photo Assist lets me take selfies and photos I’ve taken of myself and transform them into drawings, sketches, and 3D models with the help of generative AI.
- Photo Ambient: In addition to the AI-generated wallpapers I can create, there’s also another option called Photo Ambient specifically for the lockscreen wallpaper. It works best when I use photos of landscapes I’ve captured with the camera, which Photo Ambient will use to change its look in real-time based on the weather and time. For example, I’ve seen it transform into a warmer color tone right for bedtime.
- Auto Zoom: This AI-feature takes the hassle of framing a shot by automatically zooming in the camera app when it detects people. It dynamically adjusts to zoom appropriately to include everyone, but I still sometimes manually adjust it to get the composition I want — even if it means having more dead space in the frame.
- Interpreter Mode: Functionally it’s the same here as it is with the Galaxy S24 by allowing for real-time translation between two people speaking. But the difference here is how much more practical it becomes when it’s used in conjunction with the FlexWindow display by allowing both parties to see the translation on their respective displays when the Flip 6’s folded halfway.
- Suggested Replies: This Galaxy AI feature is exclusive only to the Z Flip 6 and offers AI-generated message replies that appear on the FlexWindow display. But forever what reason, I haven’t been able to properly test it out after following instructions of how to set it up. I’ll revisit this as soon as I get it to work.
- For a flip-style phone, the Z Flip 6 is pretty adept at multitasking — with upwards of three apps running simultaneously. However, I wish more apps were optimized for Flex Mode apart from the native offerings and some Google apps. Take for example Google Photos, which I initially suspected would shift photos and video to the top half of the screen in Flex Mode, but it doesn’t.
- Beyond all of the AI features, the one thing I’m curious to find out is if more apps have been optimized to work in Flex Mode, like the hands-free experience of putting the phone down and shooting selfies. And of course, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 also benefits from the same seven years of software and security updates as the Galaxy S24.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Battery
Samsung is able to cram in a larger 4,000 mAh battery into the Z Flip 6, up from 3,700 mAh in the Z Flip 5, all while keeping the same svelte profile as before. Along with the power efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 easily carries me through a full working day with a single charge.
| Galaxy Z Flip 6 | Galaxy Z Flip 5 | |
| Battery size | 4,000 mAh | 3,700 mAh |
| Battery life (Hrs:Mins) | 11:01 | 9:53 |
| Charging speed | 25W wired, 15W wireless | 25W wired, 15W wireless |
| Charge % after 30 minutes | 55% | 52% |
conclusion
I genuinely like the Galaxy Z Flip 6. It’s a charming flip phone with more utility than the average slate, while still offering one of the best-in-class cameras among foldables. There are also the handful of new Galaxy AI features that add a dash of extra convenience into the mix.
The sixth-generation Flip is a fairly minor update featuring a few small refinements to the design and a big boost in battery life to help keep it on a par with regular premium phones.
The flattened sides and coloured accents give it a more modern feel. The internal screen is one of the very best on the market, rivalling the colour, smoothness and brightness of a quality flat phone display. Two-day battery life means it should make it to the end of even the heaviest of usage days, while an improved main camera and some fun new AI tricks are welcome additions.