The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: AI-Powered Style Meets Familiar Form
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is here, and it’s ready to turn heads with its familiar, yet stylish flip design. Samsung’s legacy of foldable devices has earned them bragging rights, but the foldable market is becoming increasingly competitive with other manufacturers aiming for lower price points. While Motorola has already pushed into this territory with the Razr 40 Ultra, Samsung has chosen to further increase the price of its Flip phone, crossing the lakh mark for the first time. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 starts at Rs. 109,999, but Samsung has upped the base RAM to 12GB, making it a compelling proposition from a performance perspective. This time around, Samsung is heavily pushing "Galaxy AI" as a key feature, touting its importance in the S24 series’ popularity. But does the Galaxy Z Flip 6 truly benefit from these AI features, and how relevant is it in 2024? Let’s dive into our review to find out.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Design: Pocketable Power
The sixth-generation Flip 6 maintains a familiar design language, but includes subtle enhancements like a stronger exterior and an improved dual rail hinge. When folded, the Flip 6 remains remarkably compact, fitting easily into even the smallest pouches, a signature benefit of the Flip series. While the folded dimensions are an improvement, the overall visual change from the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is minimal, with little difference in weight or dimensions between the two generations.
Key Specs:
- Folded: 85.1×71.9×14.9mm
- Unfolded: 165.1×71.9×6.9mm
- Weight: 187 grams
- Colors: Silver Shadow, Blue, Black, White, and Peach
The Flip 6 boasts an enhanced armor aluminum frame, providing a sturdy, premium feel. The rear of the device features a scratch-resistant matte finish that retains its pristine look, even after extended use. The flat edges, while enhancing the premium feel, might feel slightly intrusive during daily use as they press into your palm. However, the Flip 6’s compact size makes it easy to operate with one hand, allowing you to open and close the lid with ease. Many users will appreciate the Flip 6’s sleekness without a case, especially given the added bulk and weight that cases introduce.
Samsung has offered six color options for the Galaxy Z Flip 6: Crafted Black, White, and Peach (Special Edition), and Blue, Mint, and Silver Shadow (regular). Each color carries its own aesthetic appeal: Peach and Mint stand out for their vibrancy, Black exudes an air of sophistication, and Silver Shadow, though initially understated, grows on you with time. The water resistance of the Flip 6 is rated at IP48. In conclusion, the Flip 6, while offering a refined design, doesn’t drastically depart from its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Display: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
The Galaxy Z Flip 6’s display department largely mirrors the design approach: subtle upgrades with some room for improvement. The primary display is a 6.7-inch Full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080×2640 pixels. Samsung has notably increased the peak brightness of the main screen to 2600 nits, a significant upgrade from the Flip 5’s 1750 nits.
Key Specs:
- Main Screen: 6.7-inch Full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display
- Cover Screen: 3.4-inch 720×748 pixels Super AMOLED display
- Refresh Rate: Main screen – 120Hz and Cover screen – 60Hz
On the other hand, the cover display offers a much smaller 3.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 720×748 pixel resolution. A 60Hz refresh rate on a cover display at this price point feels anachronistic, and Samsung should consider a higher refresh rate for future iterations.
The real-world performance of the 6.7-inch main screen is outstanding. The colors are vibrant and accurate, and text appears sharp. This makes the Flip 6 an exceptional device for multimedia consumption. The increased brightness greatly improves outdoor visibility, making it well-worth the investment. Gaming on the Flip 6 feels decent, especially considering the integration of a vapor chamber cooling system, a first for clamshell phones.
The cover screen, unfortunately, falls short due to its limited functionality, lagging behind offerings from other manufacturers like Motorola’s Razr 50 Ultra. The 3.4-inch display offers a pixel density of 306PPI and a peak brightness of 1600 nits, which feels underwhelming. There are limitations in accessing apps on the cover screen, with only select widgets for functions like a calculator, dialer, gallery, and calendar. While workarounds exist, such as the Good Lock app from the Galaxy Store, they fall short of the seamless experience seen on other flip phones.
Samsung’s approach to cover screen functionality is perplexing. Features like seamless access to apps through Good Lock should be included upfront, instead of relying on convoluted workarounds. Good Lock does unlock complete accessibility, allowing users to open any app on the cover screen, even apps like YouTube. However, the experience isn’t seamless, and you might encounter inconsistencies with app performance.
The lack of a smooth transition between the cover screen and the main display is another missed opportunity. Currently, apps opened on the cover screen aren’t retained when you unfold the phone. The ability to seamlessly transition between the two displays would enhance usability significantly.
Overall, Samsung deserves credit for the improvements made to the primary display. However, the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s cover screen functionality lags behind the competition, and it would benefit from more inherent features and improved accessibility.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Performance: A Flagship Experience
The Galaxy Z Flip 6, thanks to Samsung’s commitment to yearly upgrades, leverages the latest hardware. This iteration features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC (not the newer 8s Gen 3), a deliberate choice made for optimal performance at a lower cost. The 8s Gen 3, while designed for flagship phones, sits between the 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3, and Samsung has opted for the more powerful option.
Key Specs:
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform
- RAM and Storage: 12GB RAM + 256GB & 12GB RAM + 512GB
- OS: One UI 6.1.1 based on Android 14
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 delivers a truly flagship performance, handling multitasking with ease and delivering smooth gameplay even for graphically demanding games. This is largely due to the implementation of the vapor chamber cooling system, which significantly improves thermal performance. Samsung’s decision to make 12GB RAM the base variant, effectively eliminating the 8GB option, is also a welcome change that enhances the overall user experience.
In benchmarking tests, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 consistently outperforms its rivals:
| Benchmark | Razr 50 Ultra | Oppo Find N3 Flip | Galaxy Z Flip 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu v10 | 1,283,736 | 1,027,655 | 1,433,798 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 18,011 | 9,824 | 16,911 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 1,926 | 1,116 | 1,687 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 4,950 | 3,325 | 6,520 |
| GFXB T-rex | 120 | 60 | 120 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 120 | 60 | 120 |
| GFXB Car Chase | 87 | 60 | 110 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Slingshot | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 12,050 | 12,769 | 13,889 |
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 shines in everyday use, especially considering its compact design. OneUI 6.1.1, based on Android 14, contributes significantly to the smooth and fluid experience with minimal bloatware.
The Flip 6 offers excellent call quality and impressive data connectivity, even in low network zones. It supports a Nano SIM and eSIM allowing dual-SIM functionality. Despite the small form factor, the speakers deliver decent sound, suitable for a small room.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 AI: Embracing the AI Age
Samsung is aggressively pushing AI features in its premium devices, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 embodies this approach. While some of these features might not be groundbreaking, they undeniably enhance everyday usability. The Note Assist feature in the Samsung Notes app incorporates several AI-powered capabilities, including summarization, spell-checking, translation, and voice-to-text transcription.
Key AI Features:
- Suggested Replies: Smart replies generated on the cover screen for messages across platforms.
- FlexCam with Auto Zoom: AI-powered automatic framing and adjustment for photos and videos.
- Photo Ambient: Dynamic wallpaper changes based on time and weather.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 offers a dedicated settings tab for all its AI features. These include the AI-powered Composer feature on the Samsung Keyboard, providing intelligent text suggestions for emails and social media apps. Users traveling to locations with language barriers will appreciate the Interpreter tool. This feature leverages both screens (cover and main) for seamless real-time translation during face-to-face conversations.
The Gallery app introduces Sketch to Image, allowing users to draw on existing photos, with AI understanding and creating the envisioned elements. AI-generated content is marked with a watermark to clearly distinguish it from original images. The Portrait Studio feature lets users transform portrait photos into different styles, such as comics, 3D cartoons, watercolors, and sketches.
Samsung has also implemented a number of AI-powered features to enhance communication:
- Call Assist: Offers real-time translation during voice calls.
- Chat Assist: Translates messages and aids in composing text.
- Browsing Assist: Provides concise summaries of webpages along with full translations.
Overall, the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s AI features are well integrated and demonstrably enhance the user experience. Most importantly, they are designed to be genuinely helpful for everyday tasks, a significant departure from AI-powered features that exist solely for novelty.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Camera: A Flip Phone Camera Champion
The Galaxy Z Flip 6’s primary camera is its most noteworthy upgrade. It boasts a 50-megapixel primary (wide-angle) ISOCELL GN3 sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, dual-pixel PDAF, and OIS. The ultra-wide camera is a 12-megapixel with f/2.2 aperture, while the selfie camera remains at 10-megapixels.
Key Specs:
- Primary Camera: 50-megapixel wide-angle camera
- Ultrawide: 12-megapixel camera with 123-degree field of view
- Selfie Camera: 10-megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture
The new sensor delivers improved zoom quality, although a telephoto lens is still absent.
In daylight settings, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 consistently delivers exceptional photos with optimal detail, accurate colors, excellent exposure, and wide dynamic range. The color rendition in both photos and videos is visually appealing, and the autofocus is swift and reliable across various lighting conditions. While the lack of a macro sensor results in less impressive close-up photos, the Flip 6 manages relatively well.
The Flip 6 shines in portrait photos, offering accurate depth estimation and exceptional exposure. AI-powered features allow users to transform portraits into cartoon-style illustrations within the Gallery app, effectively bringing a new element of creativity to the photo editing process.
The ultrawide camera also delivers satisfactory results, capturing detailed images with accurate color representation.
Samsung’s marketing push for nightography is also present on the Flip 6. The phone excels in capturing nighttime shots, retaining detail and maintaining noise control. The Flip 6’s ability to reproduce the true color of objects in extremely low-light environments is particularly impressive compared to other rivals.
Overall, the camera department on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 has seen significant upgrades compared to the Flip 5. It excels in various lighting conditions, capturing detailed and visually appealing photos with accurate color rendering. The AI-powered features add a layer of creativity, and the low-light performance is a genuine highlight for a flip phone. Notably, the camera system captures high-quality videos with 4K recording at 30 and 60fps, making it a perfect phone for sharing content.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Battery: A Familiar Drawback
While the Galaxy Z Flip 6 offers a larger battery than its predecessor (4000mAh vs. 3700mAh), the real-world battery life remains a concern. The device supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
Key Specs:
- Battery: 4000mAh battery
- Charging: 25W adapter support
- Wireless Charging: Supports fast wireless charging 2.0 along with wireless PowerShare.
With heavy use (including multiple applications, extensive media consumption, and gaming sessions), the Flip 6 consistently ended the day with a battery level of around 15 percent, despite being fully charged in the morning. The screen on time averaged about 5 hours during the review period. With medium use, the phone could reliably last for 14-15 hours.
The Flip 6’s battery life in our video loop test was slightly better than the Flip 5, reaching 18 hours and 20 minutes. Although Samsung advertises a 32-minute charge to reach 50 percent with a 25W adapter, a full charge takes approximately 80-90 minutes.
Despite the larger battery capacity, the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s battery performance remains underwhelming, particularly compared to other phones with similar specifications.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 offers a compelling package of features, including an impressive array of AI-powered capabilities, a significantly improved primary camera, and a vapor chamber cooling system that enhances thermal performance. The upgrade to 12GB RAM as the base model also enhances the overall user experience.
However, the increased price tag, coupled with the underwhelming battery life, makes the value proposition of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 debatable. When considering the competition, particularly the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra, which delivers comparable performance and a better cover screen experience, the decision becomes even more challenging.
However, Samsung’s aggressive push for AI features provides a clear differentiator. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 offers a level of AI integration currently unmatched by any other OEM. If these AI features are a priority, the Flip 6 becomes a more attractive choice.
Ultimately, for consumers looking for the best value, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 might not be the ideal choice. Devices like the Galaxy S24+ within Samsung’s own portfolio offer many of the same features without the foldable design at a more palatable price.
Despite its shortcomings, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 delivers a stylish and capable flip phone experience with an impressive array of AI-powered features. For users who prioritize these AI capabilities and desire the coveted flip design, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 remains a compelling choice. However, consumers seeking an uncompromised value proposition might find more compelling options within the broader smartphone market.
