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Foldables are still very much a new form factor in the smartphone industry. Manufacturers have been quick to make improvements year over year, but it feels like Samsung has somewhat stalled. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a good phone – that’s hard to deny – but it feels like little has changed.
The hardware is kind of, sort of new
As a whole, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is built very well. It takes on a matte aluminum frame with very flat sides. this is a considerable improvement from the Flip 5, which has more rounded edges, which I’m not the biggest fan of. Because of the matte, sandblasted look along the aluminum rails, the phone takes on a very clean look. The added radial insert around each camera lens really contributes to that clean look. Even better, the lens accent matches whichever Flip 6 color you bought.
Even in my case, the plain Silver Shadow looks elegantly simple. The phone’s rear has a frosted Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panel, which completes the look. In any matte versus glossy battle, I’ll almost always take the matte side. Even the hinge cover, with a simple Samsung logo etched in, nails its execution.
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Strictly, from a hardware perspective, I don’t think the Galaxy Z flip 6 could look any better. Every material choice fits together in harmony, and a closed Flip 6 on a table just looks great.
Open, it’s a little harder for Samsung to let design choices speak for themselves. The bezel around the inner display feels a little more raised than last year. That contributes to a near-minimal gap when the device is folded. The bezel acts somewhat like a railing around the display, ensuring contact when the phone is shut. As bezes go, it’s plenty thin enough that I can’t complain in any way.
The GalaxyZ Flip 6 is still a thin phone. It measures just 71.9mm wide, which is thinner than any other slab phone you’ll find. This takes a little getting used to, but it isn’t the end of the world in any way. it does tend to make typing a little harder. This is especially the case with the Samsung Keyboard – more on that later.
I’ve also noticed that the screen crease over a period of a few weeks is a little bit better in this model, compared to the Flip 5. it isn’t anywhere near perfect, and I think other manufacturers do a better job of handling the after-effects of bending glass. Overall, it’s completely livable. Dead on, you’ll never notice the crease created by the folding phone. From the side, though, is a little different.
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A display that keeps on hoarding
Since the Z Flip 6 is a flip phone, it’ll often be closed. That’s its whole thing. When it’s in that shut position, you’ll see notiications and alerts through the external cover display, a display that’s essentially a gateway to the phone – the thing that gives first impressions of your super duper cool phone.
That’s why, for the life of me, I can’t fathom why Samsung decided to equip the $1,099 phone with a 720p cover display that only goes up to 60Hz. That is nuts.
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If done properly, the cover display turns your phone into a dual-action unit. You can respond to messages from the front quickly and choose to open it for more demanding tasks that require more real estate. What Sasung has done is make it quite infuriating to use the cover panel.
For one, there’s a huge contrast between the outer and inner panels. One is clean and crisp at 1080 x 2460, while the other is somewhat blurry and slightly laggy at 720 x 7248. On top of that, Samsung doesn’t seem to understand the importance of developing a user-friendly front panel. If you haven’t set a fingerprint lock yet, you’re greeted with the smallest PIN numbers in the world. Once you’re in, you’ll find that your interaction options are a few widgets and a total of 8 Quick Setting toggles in the drop-down menu.
This is no longer a case of “Hey, at least they’ve developed a big front display that works.” It is a case of “Every other manufacturer has figured out how to take advantage of more real estate and bring a UI that offers the ability to use third-party apps and proper widgets.”
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Once Samsung figures out that the front display is the productivity gateway to the phone itself, the Z Flip series might be the best out there. Right now, the abject face of the phone is the problem.
On a positive note, the cover display offers some really nice lock screen customization features, though it lacks AOD.
To be fair, Samsung is marketing this phone as the fun one. That means colorful cover display wallpapers and fancy RFID cases that light up.
It feels like the Flip 6’s front lacks function.
One UI feels right at home
I’ve never been a huge fan of Samsung’s One UI, but it’s improved a lot over the years.The latest version running on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 – One UI 6.1 – implements features like Quick Settings, notifications, and customization options very well.
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The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 absolutely contributes to the smooth experience, and I’ve come across no performance issues. Videos, albeit smaller due to the aspect ratio, run well and productivity apps work great.
Samsung has also incorporated a lot of AI into the new version of One UI. For instance, there are more translation options throughout the OS, allowing you to easily convert documents, images, and more into a language you understand. There’s even an option in the Phone app that allows you to translate incoming and outgoing calls.
Much like on the Pixel Fold, Samsung adopted the feature that allows you to see translated text one the outer display while you’re speaking. This comes to the Z Fold 6, as well, but it’s especially good on the easier-to-manage Flip 6.
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Google’s Circle to Search function is present in One UI. The feature lets users search any page and, by extension, translate any page. I’ve become reliant on this feature on both the Flip and Pixel series, and it’s nice to see it implemented in One UI on brand-new devices.
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As far as new features go, Samsung’s AI sketch tool is one of the only apparent additions, though it feels a little useless.
The cameras are fine
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 employs a 50MP main shooter next to a 12MP ultrawide lens. The main camera, on paper, should perform very well. In reality, it’s good, not great.
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With the release of the Galaxy S24 series, it felt as though Samsung upped it’s camera game just a little bit. there seemed to be a change in post-processing that meant clear, better images. that change looks to have extended to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, though the changes are as advanced as I would’ve liked.
Images look a little more crisp and detailed than before, but they always seem to lack a little life. I feel like a lot of that comes from poor shadow rendering, where darker parts of the image take on more grain than anything else. Images feel a little unbalanced, in a way.
Ben Schoon echoes the same thought in his Gaaxy Z Fold 6 review. New, better hardware isn’t going to fix it. This is a processing matter and Samsung should be doing better than they are right now with smartphone cameras.
Even still, the Z Flip 6’s camera is plenty usable, and I wouldn’t be upset to be stuck with it. The built-in tripod mode is a nice feature, especially with the auto-zoom function. When it works, it’s a nice little plus. Another plus is the inherent ability to take better selfies than in most other phones.
Battery life I can get behind
The Z Flip 6 takes on a bigger 4,000mAh battery, and the change more than shows. Every day I can get everything I need out of the phone. That includes everything you’d normally do, like texting, social media, and streaming. I don’t find myself playing a lot of games on the Flip series, but I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt the battery life too bad.
I’m pretty sure a part of why the battery works well is the lack of always-on display. In a slab phone, you’ll use AOD as part of the phone’s normal function. In a flip phone, if the cover display lacks AOD, you’ll likely never use it. Samsung does offer the feature for the internal display, but I never leave the phone sitting open.
Another part of it is the low-powered front panel, which likely draws less power than the internal one. Even still, I have enjoyed the daily power consumption aspect of the Z Flip 6. I’ve been able to get it on a charger before I hit 20% each day, but your mileage will vary.
Final thoughts
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is not a bad phone. in fact, it’s a very good one. From a performance point of view, the Flip 6 offers a smooth and easy phone experience. What it’s not very good at is the whole “flip” part of it.
The cover display really kills me. It doesn’t make the experience any better and simply offers a low-res pretty wallpaper at the end of the day. If Samsung had taken a page from Motorola, maybe this review would echo a different sentiment.
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Beyond that, it has a passable camera with good battery life and incredible hardware design. At $1,099, it’s $100 more expensive than the Flip 5. The only major differences are battery and physical camera changes. It’s hard to classify the Galaxy Z Flip 6 as a “new phone,” rather, it’s just wearing some new pieces. Even still, it’s the best flip foldable Samsung has released so far in just about every way.
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