Initial Verdict: While it is more of an iterative upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold5, Samsung gave the Z Fold6 improvements with its boxier design that is slimmer and lighter.
Pros
- Slimmer and lighter
Cons
- Very expensive
- Minimal upgrades over the Galaxy Z Fold5
The latest Galaxy Z Fold6 is now official in Paris, and Samsung is taking on a different direction with a boxier look that’s reminiscent of their approach with the S24 Ultra.
We’re covering the Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris as we write this hands-on article, and here are our first impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold6:
Galaxy Z Fold6 Hands-on: Design
The most obvious difference you will notice with the Galaxy Z Fold6 compared to its predecessor is that it has a more boxy look, dropping the curved corners we have been familiar with the Z Fold line through the years.
The boxier look is also more evident with the cover display, where the curved corners are gone and it appears to be visually bigger with those symmetrical bezels. The cover display’s height is roughly the same, but it is wider to give it a more conventional aspect ratio.
Just like the Galaxy Z Flip6, the Z Fold6 has a “Floating Design” where you get a black strip protecting the inner display, along with an IP48 rating that gives the Galaxy Z Fold6 added dust resistance. As for the vapor chamber, you’re getting a bigger area coverage on the Galaxy Z Fold6, so thermal management should be better compared to its predecessor.
The camera rings are also bigger on the Galaxy Z Fold6, but you’re not getting the fun color-keyed option like with the Z Flip6. As a consolation, Samsung is offering the Galaxy Z Fold6 in fun colors like Navy and Pink–yes, Samsung’s most expensive phone gets this fun color at last.
Galaxy Z Fold6 Hands-on: Display
Despite the changes in its body, you’re getting roughly the same display size at 7.6 inches for the inner display and 6.3 inches for the outer display. Both displays drop the rounded corners and have symmetrical bezels, with the inner display having an improved design that makes the crease less noticeable when unfolded.
Both displays come with a 120hz adaptive refresh rate and use Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED panels, so you’re getting the best possible display on a phone. Just like with the Galaxy Z Flip6, the Z Fold6 makes good use of its two displays. One of the best use cases for this is Interpreter, where the outer display is utilized to show translations to the other party for more natural interactions.
Galaxy Z Fold6 Hands-on: Cameras
As an iterative upgrade, you’re getting the same set of cameras with the Galaxy Z Fold6: the triple rear camera setup consists of a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and 10-megapixel 3x telephoto camera, while the selfie cameras are a 10-megapixel one for the cover display and a 4-megapixel under-display one for the inner display.
We’re not expecting any big changes when it comes to camera performance, but we will need more time with the Galaxy Z Fold6 before we can give our final thoughts about it.
Galaxy Z Fold6 Hands-on: Internals and Battery
The Galaxy Z Fold6 is now rocking a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which should give a performance upgrade over its predecessor. RAM is still fixed at 12GB, and storage options include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
The battery is still the same 4400mAh cell that supports 45w wired and wireless charging, and we wished Samsung bumped the capacity–its rivals are already putting a 5000mAh cell on their foldable phones, and some are even thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold6.
While the internals are relatively the same, Samsung is making big changes when it comes to software upgrades: matching Google’s Pixel 8 series, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is guaranteed 7 major Android updates and 7 years of security updates. The long update commitment can be a good justification for the Galaxy Z Fold6’s high asking price since this means that potential users will be using this foldable device for a longer period.
Galaxy Z Fold6 Hands-on: Wrap-up and Initial Conclusions
Outside of a revamped look that makes the Galaxy Z Fold6 boxier, lighter, and, slimmer, it is more of an iterative upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold5–unless having a solid software update commitment is a big must-have for you given its hefty asking price.
Galaxy Z Fold6 Hands-on: Price
The Galaxy Z Fold6 is priced at Php 105,990 for the 256GB model, Php 113,990 for the 512GB model, and Php 130,990 for the 1TB model.