Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 reviewed: too safe and mostly the same

A new generation of Samsung’s foldable flip phone, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is more of the same and feels wholly safe. Is still a great compact powerhouse, or does it have more competition this year?

Flagship phones tend to be big devices with large screens and lots of emphasis on power, but spare a thought for the folks that like smaller phones. They just don’t have the choice they used to.

A few years ago, there were small devices. The compact touchscreen phones from the likes of Sony, or even the equivalent from Apple’s iPhone Mini. Remember those days? Small devices with big hardware inside. Those were the times.

These days, the choice is pretty much down to something bigger or nothing at all. The bigger the screen, the better the hardware, while the smaller screens often get something less exciting.

And then there’s the flipside of life. Literally: the flip-side of what you can find for phones in life.

Foldable flip phones can bring powerhouse tech and with a big screen to a smaller size, thanks in part to a screen that folds into a smaller size. It’s no wonder that folks looking for small phones are eyeing this alternatively, but is this year’s range even different from last year’s offerings?

In the sixth-generation of the Galaxy Z Flip, we’re finding out whether there’s much of a change.

Design

Samsung has been gradually improving its look over the past few years, ever since the first Galaxy Z Flip model and its subsequent 5G model, but this generation probably sees the least number of obvious changes yet.

Glance at the Flip 6 and you’ll see the Flip 5, with minor refinements (if any) to the look, including the flattened edge design and the hinge. It’s all very similar, but that’s not a bad thing.

The Flip 6 is as easy on the eyes as the previous Flip, and just as pocketable. Fold it closed and it makes for one of the smallest phones you can find today, with plenty of power inside.

Features

That starts with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and 12GB RAM, an update to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 8GB RAM we saw last time.

You’ll find the same storage choice — 256GB or 512GB, depending on how much you can afford — and Android 14 replaces Android 13 here. Now that Android 15 is out, Samsung will probably be along with a new version any time now.

Cameras have seen an update, jumping from a 12 megapixel main wide F1.8 camera to a 50 megapixel of the same, while the ultra-wide stays the same at 12 megapixels F2.2, and the front-facing selfie camera is also a consistent 10 megapixels F2.2.

You can also expect more of the same hardware for connections: one physical USB-C port at the bottom for charging, wired audio, and data, while wireless is covered using 4G and 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, WiFi 6E (802.11ax), NFC for Google Pay, and GPS.

A fingerprint sensor can also be found in the body, and the phone itself has seen improved durability, jumping from an IPX8 rating to one with more dust resistance, now at IP48. Something is better than nothing.

The battery is rated at 4000mAh and supports both wired and wireless charging, the latter of which is covered by the original Qi wireless standard.

In-use

Grab the phone and flip it open, and you’ll find a 6.7 inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate waiting for you to use. Or don’t, and just use the 3.4 inch AMOLED cover screen with its assortment of widgets and the like without opening up the phone.

Like Samsung’s previous Galaxy Z Flip efforts, there are really two ways to use this phone: in a compact style with the flip screen on the outside, or as a full phone when the handset is opened up.

Use with the cover screen

Folded closed, the cover screen offers control for widgets and that’s basically it. A widget for weather. A widget for Spotify. A widget for photos and so on and so on.

It’s reminiscent of what you can find on the Galaxy Watch, except larger and on the outside of your phone. You probably won’t use this cover screen for anything more than glance, which given the size feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

Use with the big inside screen

Most of your phone use will come with the large 6.7 inch screen on the inside, with the foldable display opening up to reveal that.

We’ve seen Samsung improve this over the past few years, and the latest doesn’t seem like a huge leap forward, but it’s still nice to use all the same. The fold is still clearly there, visible to the eye and when you run your fingers over it, but it’s definitely better than previous versions.

The large display is nice to have and hold, however, a big screen unfolded from a smaller one, with plenty of room to work. It’s a little like having a full-size phone made from the shadow of something much smaller, and folks who prefer small phones will definitely be into this approach.

It’s full Android, too, so unlike the cover screen’s limitations, you can run apps and play games, and pretty much just use the phone without any issues for a while to come. The hardware has made sure of it.

Performance

Thanks to this year’s chip-of-chips, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Z Flip 6 offers undeniable performance to rival that of Samsung’s other high-end phones, including the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

The chip is the same, and unsurprisingly, the performance is more or less spot on.

The good news is that it means the Flip 6 is pretty much ready for any app or game for the next few years, making it more than capable of standing the test of time.

Even comparing its hardware to older Flip models shows a solid bump, something that should also be unsurprising, but great to know.

It’s a similar situation with regards to 5G, with the performance able to get you downloading as quickly as possible.

Your network performance will vary, but in our testing on the Telstra network in Sydney, we found speeds as high as 138Mbps. That’s on the low side, but 5G being what it is, you should see higher speeds depending on where you are and network capacity at the time.

Camera

Like other foldable flip phones, there are two cameras here, and they are similar to what we’ve seen before.

Samsung has changed the sensor for the main camera, jumping from a 12 megapixel main wide to a larger 50 megapixel module, which means the quality has been improved, but the focal lengths on offer makes it pretty much identical with previous Flip models.

Simply put: you can go wide and ultra-wide, and that’s it. At least the quality has improved for that main camera, which is a good thing.

For many, this will be fine, and the images out of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 are decent enough, for sure.

Daylight pictures are bright, crisp, and easy on the eyes. The wide sensor can handle its own, and does decently at night, but the results aren’t amazeballs, and can feel a little blurry and soft at times. You won’t find a super-sharp close-up camera here, and there’s no telephoto, either.

About the best part of the camera setup is something left over from the original Flip Samsung has been improving upon: set the Flip up on a table and it effectively turns the cover screen into a preview screen with a tripod of sorts. Hold your hand up and the timer is set, allowing you to snap selfies all too easily.

Battery

The battery inside is capable enough for a phone of its size, managing around a day and a half from its 4000mAh battery, which is a slight improvement on the 3700mAh of its predecessor.

However, the lack of Qi2 is confusing, and even placing the phone on a wireless Qi charger can feel slow by comparison.

Like most phones these days, USB-C is going to become your charging friend for this phone, which just provides a more reliable charge.

We’re surprised Qi2 hasn’t made an appearance — the size would make it perfect — but to date, only one Android has seen the magnetic charging technology, and it wasn’t from Samsung.

Value

At least the price is consistent, with the Z Flip 6 able to be found for $1799, which isn’t much of a change from last year, either.

We’re not sure the value is here, that said: the Moto Razr 50 Ultra may not have the same processor, but the form-factor’s $1499 flagship price means Motorola is undercutting its competition in a big way.

What we love

While three hundred dollars is certainly nothing to sneeze at, one of the best features of the Z Flip 6 is the processor, which is this year’s best in class hardware.

Easily the fastest chip in any Android phone this year, it’s a level of performance no other compact foldable receives, and basically screams performance for the rest of the year.

What needs work?

The problem is that’s not enough. Not for this reviewer, anyway.

The cover screen is big, but its uses are limited in comparison to the Moto equivalent. You’re limited to widgets on the front screen as opposed to just using Android.

That’s weather, Spotify, calls, stocks, and the usual assortment of widgets you can usually expect to find on a Galaxy Watch, but not a lot more.

Sure, you get an AI feature or two, but you probably won’t use them.

Much like the AI functionality on the S24 Ultra, it will probably just fade into the periphery, and be yet more things you don’t use. If you’re lucky, you might use the language translation feature on a holiday somewhere, but that’s hardly a reason to grab this phone over the competition.

This year’s Flip update doesn’t feel quite as impressive as what’s out there, missing out on the extra functionality offered by its obvious competition in the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra.

It’s a shame, too, because there’s nothing technically wrong with the Z Flip 6 — it’s a totally fine phone — but by the time this model arrived, we’ve already seen one that’s better. The only thing Samsung has on its competition is the faster chip, and we’re not sure that’s all that much of a position to crow about.

Final thoughts (TLDR)

The problem with the Z Flip 6 isn’t what’s wrong or right about it, but rather what’s changed. The answer is not much.

In what feels very much like last year’s phone with a new hat, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a wholly safe approach to foldable smartphones that doesn’t seem like it improves much of anything beyond a new chip. Is a new chip like a new hat? Maybe. And that might be the problem.

The Flip 5 changed things for Samsung’s foldable, improving the cover screen in a big way, literally. It flipped the script. With the Flip 6, Samsung is keeping things too safe and mostly the same. It just doesn’t feel as innovative as it could be.

Lucky number seven is next, and we have to hope it will be better. It definitely needs to be. The competition from Motorola’s Razr brand is coming thick and fast, and seems to have the upper hand this year.