While there are a lot of competitors in the smaller folding phone space, Samsung is still pretty much on its own in the premium folding phone market in Australia. But some of the novelty has worn off, and now all that’s left is an extremely powerful productivity machine with some quirks that will make people either love it or hate it with few in between.
Samsung’s latest, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, only has minor improvements, with software providing most of the meaningful meat and potatoes. The slowdown in progress can be speculated in many different directions. But how has this already excellent (if flawed) phone been improved?
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review
First impressions
The main thing I noticed as a long-time Fold user is that it’s a bit more comfortable in the hand – a bit thinner, a bit smaller, but the inner screen seems to be roughly the same size (if a little different). Setting it up is easy, and whether you’re a long-time Fold user or even a new convert, it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 specifications
| CPU | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Dimensions (H x W x D, mm) | 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 When folded: 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1 Weight: 239g |
| Display resolution | Main display: 2160 x 1856 (QXGA+) Sub display: 968 x 2376 (HD+) |
| Cameras | Three rear cameras (50 MP + 12 MP + 10 MP) with Optical Zoom 3x, Optical quality Zoom 2x (Enabled by Adaptive Pixel sensor) and Digital Zoom up to 30x One cover camera with 10 MP resolution |
| Storage/Memory | Memory: 12GB Storage: 256GB |
| Connectivity | USB-C Wi-Fi Bluetooth v.5.3 NFC Smart Switch |
| Network bands | 2G GSM 3G UMTS 4G FDD LTE 4G TDD LTE 5G FDD Sub6 5G TDD Sub6 |
| Battery | Battery Capacity: 4400mAh 25W wired charging 15W wireless charging |
| Water resistance rating | IP48 |
| Price (RRP) | From $2,749 |
| Warranty | Two years |
| Official website | Samsung Australia |
The biggest news here is that it’s IP48 rated, whereas the Fold 5 was only IPX8. What that means is that it now has a solid particle rating in addition to a water resistance rating. However, you still should absolutely not take the Fold to the beach or anywhere small grains could get caught in the hinge or in the middle screen. The “4” means that particles larger than 1mm in diameter can’t get in. Most of the things you’re worried about with a folding phone are probably smaller than 1mm. Still, better than nothing.
The other good things are that it’s a bit lighter (239g vs 253g), the front screen is a bit bigger (6.3 inches vs 6.2 inches), and it’s 1.52mm thinner. These numbers are small, but they’re a march in the right direction for a very chunky phone.
The negative is that the battery isn’t any bigger, and it really needed to be, given how power-hungry this phone is. 4400mAh is nothing to sneeze at, but it’s the area that most needed improvement.
Performance
The whole point of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range is productivity, so this is a high-performance phone that means business in both the metaphorical and literal senses. But, aside from incremental benchmarking gains, the temptation to just link to my review from last year and call it a day is pretty strong, given the phones are so similar, aside from software and AI features that came to the whole Samsung range of phones this year.
Benchmarking
| Device | Geekbench 6 CPU single-core | Geekbench 6 CPU multi-core | 3DMark Wild Life Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 | 2,328 | 7,231 | 4,900 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 | 2,289 | 6,985 | 4,465 |
| 2024 Motorola Razr 50 Ultra | 1,947 | 4,918 | 2,946 |
As you can see, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is an absolute beast. There is almost nothing you can throw at this phone that it won’t handle as well as or better than any other flagship phone in the market. I had a great time using it for gaming, running three apps at once, and generally getting stuff done.
Screens
The larger front screen on a thinner device makes this phone so much more usable than last year’s model. That bit of extra space makes it easier to type on, which instantly makes this feel more like a fully realised phone than just a fun concept.
Opening the phone up is a bit difficult, given there’s no lip around it, so opening it one-handed is an unwieldy and challenging task. That said, in previous years I’ve found that it becomes easier to open as the hinge softens with use.
I still wish that the inner screen was rectangular, to be more similar to a tablet screen, but, after 6 years, I am starting to accept the square. There still aren’t many apps that fully take advantage of the square screen, so its superpower is still in multi-tasking – having notes open while I write something, for example, or looking fully present in a Zoom meeting while also playing Pokémon Go. The important stuff.
It’s a specific person who will be able to take full advantage of all these dual screens have to offer, but that group of people will be living their best productivity life.
Cameras
On paper, the cameras are basically the same as last year. In reality, they are extremely similar to last year, with some key differences. For example, the wide lens lets in more life for nighttime photography.
As you can see from these photos on a Fold 6, Flip 6 and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Fold does, indeed, let in more light. Just look at the photo without night mode on to be impressed. However, there are clarity issues with the Samsung phones’ night photos that let them down a bit. On light alone, they win for me. But the subjects of the photos don’t look as good as I would like, and they’re kind of the whole point of taking a photo.
This selfie was taken with the front-facing camera on the front screen of the Fold. But, of course, if you want the best quality selfie you can get, you can just unfold the phone and use the main camera. As a quick photo here, though, you can see how the Samsung phones are a bit kinder to my exhausted, sleep-deprived face and new mum hair styled with newborn vomit.
As I said in my Galaxy Z Flip 6 review, normally I dislike Samsung’s default towards smoothing of features in the same way that I think the iPhone cameras exaggerate my flaws. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. However, I think Samsung is striking a slightly better balance on that here, and I’ll take all the kind and soft lenses I can get at present.
What Samsung cameras and screens are always best at, in my opinion, is green. I love the way these portrait photos bring out the very best of this pot plant. I prefer the effect to the iPhone.
Without the portrait effect, you can see how the AI zoom has done a better job of framing the plant than I did naturally with the iPhone. I’m torn about how I feel about AI framing, because I think it takes some of the spontaneity of a photo, and I often disagree with machines about what I want to focus on. You can turn it off if you don’t want it, but despite my reservations, it does an excellent job.
AI features
Samsung has gone all in on generative AI, and it’ll be interesting to see how that goes for them. A lot of the features (like Sketch to Image and Portrait Studio) are silly gimmicks in the same vein as when we used the accelerometer in our iPhones to make it look like we were drinking a beer.
But the feature that has me paying more attention is the conversation mode for the Interpreter translation app. I think the Samsung folding phones have often tried to pretend that they’re phones with only one screen, you just have to choose which one, but conversation mode uses both at the same time in a way that makes me excited for the different ways Samsung is going to take full advantage of the dual screens in the future.
Conversation mode shows translations on each of the two screens, so you can half-fold it, have it in the middle of the table at a restaurant, and chat with your companion more naturally, even if you’re speaking different languages. That’s powerfully useful. Sure, not all the translations are perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
While I had Interpreter mode open, I said “Eu como massa e morango. Eu falo Português, e eu sou uma tartaruga.” What that should have translated to was “I eat pasta and strawberry. I speak Portuguese and I am a turtle”.
It came out as a bunch of nonsense the first time (apparently I speak podcast and am both pasta and roango), but it absolutely nailed it the second time. It also interpreted a cough as “no entanto” which apparently translates as “Howeverk” (not a typo on my part). It’s not perfect, but also neither is my accent.
Either way, when Interpreter works, it’s an absolute game changer.
Who is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 for?
I’m not really sure, and I’m not 100% certain Samsung knows, either. That said, people who travel a lot for work, students who want to multitask on their phones, and people who like neat gadgets will love it.
The very, very expensive price point will limit the audience significantly. But it’s a great phone, which can do so much, and the people who can make the most of it won’t know how they ever lived without it.
I’ve certainly been a Fold devotee for years because of the multitasking abilities, and the sheer novelty of it all. The Fold 6 might only have small improvements, but they are absolutely improvements that make a difference.
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