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Samsung is betting big on AI to make the Galaxy Flip 6 stand out in the increasingly competitive landscape that flip-styled foldables are. But will that be enough? read more
 "When form meets function, creating something novel")
Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das
Pros:
- Redesigned hinge, solid built quality
- Awesome main display
- Crease on the main display is far less prominent
- Solid performance
- Better IP rating
- Base variant comes with 12GB RAM
- Major upgrades to the camera setup
- Galaxy AI features make things very interesting
- Significantly improved battery life
- 7 years of OS and security updates
Cons:
- No telephoto lens
- No support for 8K video, a common feature in Samsung phones at this price
- Slow wired charging
- Heats up in synthetic benchmarks
- Cover screen functionality can be improved
Pricing: Starts at Rs 109,999 for the 256GB+12GB variant
Rating: 4.75/5
Over the last couple of years, Samsung has been facing some tough competition in flip-styled foldable devices, mainly from smartphone makers like Oppo and Motorola. While the Galaxy Flip 5 was a pretty solid device, the Moto Razr 40 Ultra managed to eke out an edge in the flip-styled foldable phone category.
This year though, with the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung is gunning for that top spot once again. And although from a distance, it seems that Z Flip 6 only comes with a few incremental changes here and there, Samsung has one ace up its sleeve that changes the overall experience of using their latest Flip — Galaxy AI.
The AI features that Samsung has bestowed on their foldables this year, are like a magic sauce that just makes an already interesting pair of devices, and makes them even more special.
Having said that, it isn’t just Galaxy AI that makes the Z Flip 6 a device worth considering if you’re looking for a foldable phone. Samsung has made several tiny changes, along with some major upgrades, which make the Z Flip 6 arguably one of the best foldable devices on the market today. It has a much-improved camera array, a far better battery life, and one of the brightest internal displays fitted to a compact-sized foldable.
Do all of these things, plus Samsung’s Galaxy AI, make the Z Flip 6 a solid option? Or would you be better off spending your hard-earned cash on one of its competitors? We find out.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: Design
On the surface, it looks like that Samsung hasn’t really changed the design of the Galaxy FLip 6, over the Flip 5. And while from a distance, that may look like the case, up close, there are many tiny adjustments here and there that make the Galaxy Z Flip 6 the best in the Z Flip series.
One of the more noticeable changes is the design around the camera rings, where Samsung has added some stylish accents. But that’s just the beginning. The Flip 6 has a flatter design, particularly evident when the phone is folded, especially if you check out the bottom edge.
Another subtle yet significant difference is the plastic frame that surrounds the foldable display. This frame is more pronounced than before, which is part of the reason why the Flip 6 now boasts an IP48 certification. This marks an upgrade from the previous IPX8 rating, which only covered water resistance, while the new rating offers some protection against dust as well.
Durability is another area where Samsung has made strides with the Flip 6. The new dual rail hinge design not only gives the phone a more responsive feel when closing but also makes the crease in the middle of the screen less noticeable.
When you unfold the Flip 6, it feels solid and well-built. While it’s still not a phone you can easily open with one hand, the flatter edges do make it more comfortable to hold. However, because of the flat edges, it is slightly difficult to open the device up. A notch or a lip would have been a fantastic addition here.
And while folding it close with one hand is possible, it’s not as easy as the flip phones from the past. However, the Flip 6 does offer the ability to stay open at different angles, thanks to the new dual rail hinge mechanism, which provides just the right amount of friction, allowing you to take full advantage of Flex Mode.
As For ports and button placements, they are practically the same that we had on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. You get the volume rockers along with the power button, which also houses the fingerprint sensor, on the right side. However, they feel more refined to the touch.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 also comes in a variety of eye-catching colours, including Blue, Mint, and Silver Shadow. The Blue version, which I got to try, looks particularly stunning. There are also special edition colours like Crafted Black, White, and Peach, available exclusively on Samsung’s website. Unlike the Flip 5, the colours on the Flip 6 extend around the frame, giving it a more cohesive and polished look.
The phone feels as premium as it looks, thanks to its solid build and the use of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which offers better scratch resistance. The outer display, a key feature of the Flip 5, returns on the Flip 6 with a few tweaks. It’s not perfectly square, as it’s shaped to accommodate the two main cameras, but these small adjustments make it more functional and user-friendly.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: Displays
Let’s start with the cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. At first glance, it might seem like Samsung kept things exactly the same as the Flip 5. The Z Flip 6’s outer display, or the Flex Window as some call it, still features a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 60Hz refresh rate, a resolution of 720 x 748, and a peak brightness of 1600 nits. The display is still sharp and crisp and is properly vibrant.
However, while the hardware hasn’t changed, the software on the Flip 6 has received a significant boost, thanks to Galaxy AI.
One of the standout features is the “Suggested Replies” option. This feature scans your chat history and conversation threads to offer three context-based responses whenever you receive a message.
Additionally, you can now set Galaxy AI wallpapers on the cover screen, a feature that wasn’t available on previous models. Another cool addition is the Interpreter mode, which helps in face-to-face conversations in different languages by translating spoken words into text on the cover display.
The cover screen interface has also been enhanced. Swiping left reveals a set of standard widgets while dragging down from the home screen brings up quick settings. Swiping right shows your notifications, and a new pinch gesture allows you to zoom out and view all your widgets at once. Samsung has made it easier to navigate by allowing up to three widgets to be displayed on a single screen, reducing the need to swipe around.
While not every app runs natively on the cover display, Samsung has optimized several widgets to work seamlessly on the smaller screen. By tweaking some settings, you can use apps like Google Maps, YouTube, Netflix, Messages, and WhatsApp directly on the outer display.
For other unsupported apps, you’ll need to download an app called Good Lock from Samsung’s Galaxy Store. This workaround lets you run practically any app on the cover screen, though it would be better if this functionality was built-in rather than requiring a separate app. Aside from this limitation, the cover display software on the Flip 6 is well-refined and user-friendly.
Moving on to the main display, Samsung has introduced some meaningful upgrades while maintaining the familiar features of the Flip 5. The Flip 6 still offers a 6.7-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, with a resolution of 2,640 x 1,080 pixels and a dynamic refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz.
It also supports HDR10+ for vibrant colours and deep contrasts. However, the big improvement here is the brightness, which has jumped from 1750 nits on the Flip 5 to an impressive 2600 nits on the Flip 6. This makes the display even more stunning, with colours that pop and a viewing experience that’s perfect for anything from watching videos to gaming.
The crease in the middle of the screen is now less reflective and much harder to notice during everyday use. However, the Flip 6 retains the extra tall and narrow aspect ratio that’s characteristic of the Z Flip series.
One of the best features of the Flip 6, and Samsung’s foldable phones in general, is Flex Mode. When you fold the phone halfway, compatible apps automatically switch to a split-screen interface.
For example, the YouTube app will play the video on one half of the screen while showing playback controls on the other. In the camera app, Flex Mode acts as a built-in tripod or stand, which is perfect for hands-free photos and videos, especially in modes like hyper-lapse and slow motion.
For apps that don’t officially support Flex Mode, you can manually enable it to turn the bottom half of the screen into a touchpad. You can even enable a mouse pointer for precise navigation, giving you a PC-like experience. Flex Mode is also handy for multitasking, allowing you to watch a video on one half of the screen while using another app on the other.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: Camera
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 brings back two familiar cameras from its predecessor, the Z Flip 5: a 12MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 123-degree field of view, and a 10MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture and an 85-degree field of view. The most significant upgrade, however, is the addition of a 50MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, dual-pixel autofocus, optical image stabilization (OIS), and an 85-degree field of view.
By default, the upgraded 50MP camera uses pixel-binning to produce 12MP photos that showcase more realistic colours compared to the Z Flip 5, although there’s still a hint of that familiar saturation boost. When shooting in full 50MP mode, the camera captures excellent detail and more natural colours, making it a standout feature. You also get an auto-zoom feature, powered by Galaxy AI, which is designed to help frame pictures better, requires a second person for testing, so I couldn’t try it out.
Thanks to the higher-resolution main camera, the Flip 6 can take nearly lossless photos and videos at 2x magnification using digital zoom, especially in well-lit outdoor conditions. Samsung has even extended this 2x magnification capability to Portrait mode, a feature not available on earlier models.
The combination of the new camera sensor and the Snapdragon chipset enhances image processing, even at 1x zoom. The quality of photos is comparable to what you’d expect from Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S24 and S24+ models, offering plenty of detail and fairly accurate colour reproduction, particularly in daylight shots.
The 12MP ultra-wide camera also performs well, delivering crisp detail and vibrant colours. However, while Samsung applies distortion correction to these shots, the edges of the images can still appear somewhat unnatural, and darker areas might look a bit muddy. The 10MP selfie camera captures fine detail with a noticeable colour boost, and the portrait mode works impressively, effectively separating your face and glasses from the background. Still, given the superior quality of the main camera, I found it better for taking selfies when possible.
Video recording on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 tops out at 4K/60fps for both the rear and inner cameras. The main rear camera can produce video with a smooth, gimbal-like effect thanks to its OIS system. A particularly interesting feature is Camcorder Mode, where you can shoot video with the phone folded at a 90-degree angle.
Additionally, if you start the camera on the cover screen and then unfold the phone, you can use the auto-framing feature to keep yourself and others in the centre of the frame as you move around. Auto-framing, which was previously available only for videos, now works for photos as well.
While the camera performance on the Flip 6 is quite good, there are a few compromises to be aware of. If you’re used to having a telephoto lens in your camera setup, its absence here will be noticeable.
For some unedited samples from the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s camera, click here.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: Performance, software experience and UI
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip found in Samsung’s Galaxy S24 flagship devices, giving it serious performance muscle. Right away, you’ll notice how fluid and responsive the phone is as you navigate through the software. Every action feels smooth, from opening apps to switching between them, making day-to-day use a breeze.
Benchmark tests confirm what you might suspect: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a powerhouse among flip phones. The user interface is seamless, apps load quickly, and there’s no sign of stutter or lag. With 12GB of RAM as standard, the Flip 6 can keep more apps running in the background compared to previous models, which likely enhances the performance of the Galaxy AI features as well. Samsung also promises seven years of OS, features, and security updates, so you can count on this phone staying up-to-date for a long time.
Another first for the Galaxy Z Flip series is the inclusion of a vapour chamber cooling system, which helps the Flip 6 run cooler than its predecessors. This is especially good news for gamers, as it allows demanding games like Call of Duty to maintain high frame rates for longer periods.
However, it’s important to note that the cooling capabilities of the Flip 6 aren’t quite on par with other flagship Galaxy phones released this year, such as the Galaxy S24 or Galaxy Z Fold 6. The compact clamshell design of the Flip 6 leaves less space for internal components, and there’s only so much that a cleverly designed cooling system can handle. It doesn’t manage heat as effectively as those larger models.
One thing that was surprising was that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 doesn’t support Samsung DeX and isn’t capable of recording 8K videos. That may be because of its diminutive size, because of which it sometimes has issues in managing heat.
Despite those drawbacks, the Flip 6 is still an impressive device that will satisfy most users with its performance.
Graphics performance is another area where the Galaxy Z Flip 6 shines. It handles graphically intensive games like Call of Duty: Mobile and BGMI with ease, maintaining smooth gameplay even during the most demanding sequences. The phone also stays relatively cooler during extended gaming sessions, which is a big plus for mobile gamers.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: AI features
Samsung’s latest foldable phones, including the Galaxy Z Flip 6, introduce several new AI-driven features and improvements, particularly designed to enhance the experience on the external displays. Here’s a look at the features I had a chance to explore on the Flip 6.
Auto Zoom for example, automatically adjusts the camera’s zoom when it detects people in the frame, ensuring that everyone fits perfectly without manual intervention. While the feature does a decent job of framing shots, I occasionally found myself tweaking the zoom to achieve the precise composition I wanted, even if it left some extra space in the frame.
One of the coolest features would be the Interpreter Mode. This feature allows users to have real-time translation during conversations between two people, similar to what’s available on the Galaxy S24. However, with the Flip 6, the process is even more user-friendly thanks to the FlexWindow display. When the phone is partially folded, each person can see their translated text on their respective screens, making it easier to communicate across language barriers.
We also get suggested relies on the Flex Window, which provides AI-generated replies to your text messages.
Then there is Photo Assist in the Gallery App which uses AI to turn your selfies and photos into creative outputs like drawings, sketches, and even 3D models. While it’s entertaining to see how AI reimagines your images, the results aren’t always spot-on. But despite its quirks, this feature could be useful for creating unique avatars for social media profiles.
Beyond just standard AI-generated wallpapers, Samsung introduced Photo Ambient, specifically for the lock screen. This feature is designed to work best with landscape photos you’ve taken, altering the wallpaper’s appearance based on the current weather and time of day. For example, a landscape photo might take on warmer tones in the evening, creating a dynamic and responsive lock screen that changes in real time.
There are several other features powered by the Galaxy AI. Like the S24 series, users get the option to have some of it processed on the device locally, meaning the SoC is fairly capable of running AI tasks. Some, however, are processed on the cloud and need users to create a Samsung account.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Battery Life
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 packs a bigger battery than the Flip 5 which makes a noticeable difference. With a 4,000 mAh battery, the same as the one in the Galaxy S24, we no longer have to worry about reaching for a charger before the day’s end.
Even with fairly heavy use — like watching a couple of hours of YouTube videos, snapping photos and shooting videos for an hour, editing those with Galaxy AI, streaming music for a few hours, and endlessly scrolling through Instagram and Twitter — the Flip 6 manages to keep up.
However, Samsung hasn’t upgraded the charging speed. The Flip 6 still charges at a modest 25W with a cable and 15W wirelessly. It takes about half an hour to get to nearly 50 per cent and around an hour to hit 80-85 per cent. A full charge, though, will turn in around back close to 100 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Verdict
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 brings some significant improvements over its predecessor, the Z Flip 5, which was already a favourite in the foldable category. The brighter inner screen is a joy to use, especially outdoors, and the improved hardware makes everything run smoother. Plus, the design tweaks make it more durable, helping it stand up to everyday wear and tear.
One of the standout changes is the less noticeable crease on the screen, making it look more like a regular smartphone. The Galaxy AI features add a fun and practical edge to the phone, the performance is top-notch, and the battery life is decent enough to get through the day. The design is as sturdy as it is stylish, which is a win.
Of course, the Flip 6 isn’t without its issues. The phone does heat up during long benchmarking sessions, though this shouldn’t be a major issue for day-to-day use. Another point to consider is the absence of a telephoto camera and the fact that it can’t shoot 8K videos, a feature available on other Samsung devices in this price range.
Having said that, we would have loved to see faster charging speeds and a more polished cover-screen experience, but the overall package is still impressive.
The cameras of the Flip 6 are pretty solid. Plus, the foldable form factor opens up a lot of ways where users can get creative with the ways they take photos and videos in unique ways. Plus, the Flip 6 is a real head-turner — it’s more than just a phone, it’s a proper statement piece that turns heads and gets people to start talking about it.
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English (US) ·