Samsung has been the only company producing foldable phones for the longest. The Galaxy Z Fold line has no genuine competition for the first several years because to the enormous amount of upgrades made to it. However, as new competitors like the OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold have entered the market, innovation has recently slowed down. In preparation for 2024, Samsung has strengthened the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with a new ultra-wide-angle camera, a substantially lighter frame, and a plethora of AI-powered features. We now have a highly iterative upgrade because, regrettably, not much else has changed. Samsung’s advantage among flagship flexible phones appears to be slipping, even though the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is still the finest big foldable available overall.
Samsung made a noticeable but insignificant effort to improve the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s appearance. Samsung adjusted the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s size for 2024 once again after removing the space between the screen when the phone was closed in the previous model year. These variations are only millimeter-scale and very slight. The phone is somewhat thinner when closed and has a 2.7mm bigger but one millimeter shorter main screen when opened in portrait mode. There is a bit more space for activities thanks to this tiny increase. The on-screen keyboard is marginally more accommodating due to the outside Cover Display’s additional 1mm of width.
With boxier edges and more squared-off corners on both screens, the phone’s design has become more angular. The Z Fold 6’s chassis is made of Enhanced Armor Aluminum, which Samsung claims is roughly 10% stronger than it was. The most significant design improvement, though, is a 14-gram weight drop from the previous generation. The Z Fold 6 currently weights only about 4 grams more than its non-foldable cousin, the S24 Ultra, albeit this may not seem like much. With a phone that is already heavy, this reduction significantly lightens it.
The display improvements are a highlight. As someone who has been using the Pixel Fold a lot recently, I can say Samsung’s panels are exceptional. The peak brightness has been improved to 2,600 nits for both displays, matching the standard S24 family. Samsung has also subtly shrunk and flattened the bezels, making the phone look even more like a magazine come to life. Until something better comes along, this is simply the best screen on a big foldable right now.
The Z Fold line has always been speedy, and this year we see the same upgrade to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip as on the S24, while the base RAM remains at 12GB. The Z Fold 6’s performance is fast and responsive with no lag in any tasks. Thanks to the addition of a larger vapor chamber, the phone stays cooler during longer sessions, which is a bonus for gamers who enjoy playing on a big-screen device.
The Z Fold 6 is not as good as one may want in terms of photography. Even though the ultra-wide lens has a new, decent 12-MP sensor, I don’t use it as often as I would like to. Previous generations still include the same 12-MP telephoto and 50-MP main cameras with a 3x optical zoom. The Z Fold 6 captured a picture of strawberries that had outstanding details and rich, saturated colors, but also slightly overdone warm tones that are characteristic of Samsung cameras. It successfully took a lovely nighttime photo of a flower in a challenging backlit scene.
The main issue is that, after Google’s release of the Pixel Fold, Samsung doesn’t have an excuse for not upgrading the Z Fold 6’s cameras compared to the S24 Ultra. The Pixel Fold has a longer 5x optical zoom and an edge in overall photo quality. For instance, in a comparison of zoom shots between the Z Fold 6 and the Pixel Fold, the Pixel’s image is noticeably sharper and more detailed. This is the same in low-light situations, where the Pixel Fold captures less grainy, sharper, and better-exposed pictures. Given the improvements in the S24 Ultra, it’s disappointing that Samsung’s most expensive phone falls behind in photography.
Samsung has introduced the Galaxy AI suite on the Z Fold 6, which includes features like Chat Assist for generating social posts or emails with various tones, Google’s Circle to Search, and translation and summarization tools. The phone can now translate text in place, avoiding unformatted blobs, and supports dual-screen translations so each person can see text in their language in real time. There are also new additions like the Portrait Studio tool, which creates AI-generated drawings in various styles based on a photo, and the Sketch to Image feature, which adds realistic renditions of simple drawings to photos. While these features are fun, they feel more like bonuses rather than essentials.
The battery life of the Z Fold 6 is impressive. Although Samsung didn’t increase the 4,400 mAh cell size, the phone has better battery life due to improved energy efficiency from the new chip. In a video rundown test, it lasted 20 hours and seven minutes on the main screen and 25 hours and 19 minutes on the exterior cover display, outperforming the Pixel Fold and OnePlus Open. However, the charging speeds remain unchanged, with 25-watt wired charging and 15-watt wireless charging, both mediocre by 2024 standards. Despite not expecting Qi2 magnetic charging support, it’s disappointing that such an expensive phone lacks advanced charging features.
In conclusion, while the Galaxy Z Fold 6 remains a good foldable with excellent performance, strong battery life, and handy features like native stylus support, it feels like Samsung’s innovation has slowed. With rivals like the Pixel Fold offering better overall photography and the OnePlus Open matching the Z Fold 6’s weight after its recent diet, Samsung’s lead in the foldable market seems to be eroding. Despite being the most expensive Z Fold yet at $1,900, the iterative upgrades and lack of significant new features suggest Samsung needs to reignite its hunger for total domination to stay ahead in the competitive foldable phone market.
The enhancements Samsung has made to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, while notable, are modest. After eliminating the gap between the screen when closed on the previous model, Samsung has further refined the dimensions for 2024. The changes are so minor that they are measured in millimeters. When closed, the phone is just over one millimeter thinner, and when opened in portrait mode, the main screen is 2.7mm wider but one millimeter shorter. This slight increase offers a bit more room for activities. The exterior Cover Display is also about 1mm wider, making the on-screen keyboard slightly more user-friendly.
The design has become sharper with boxier edges and more squared-off corners on both screens. Samsung claims the Enhanced Armor Aluminum used in the Z Fold 6’s chassis is about 10 percent stronger than before. However, the most significant design improvement is a 14-gram weight reduction compared to the previous model. Although this might not seem substantial, the Z Fold 6 now weighs only around 4 grams more than its non-foldable counterpart, the S24 Ultra. This reduction makes a noticeable difference in an already heavy phone.
The display enhancements are a highlight. As someone who has been using the Pixel Fold extensively, I can attest that Samsung’s panels are exceptional. The peak brightness has been increased to 2,600 nits for both displays, matching the standard S24 family. Samsung has also subtly shrunk and flattened the bezels, making the phone look even more like a magazine come to life. Until a better screen comes along, this remains the best display on a big foldable currently available.
Performance-wise, the Z Fold line has never been sluggish. This year, it received the same upgrade to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip as the S24, with the base RAM remaining at 12GB. The Z Fold 6’s performance is fast and responsive, with no lag in any tasks. The addition of a larger vapor chamber helps the phone stay cooler during extended use, which is a bonus for gamers who enjoy playing on a large-screen device.
When it comes to photography, the Z Fold 6 is somewhat disappointing. Although it features a new 12-MP sensor for the ultra-wide lens, which is decent, the ultra-wide lens is the one I use the least. The 50-MP main and 12-MP telephoto cameras with a 3x optical zoom remain unchanged from previous models. In a photo of strawberries, the Z Fold 6 produced a picture with deep, saturated hues and great details but slightly exaggerated warm tones typical of Samsung cameras. At night, it captured a beautiful picture of a flower in a tricky backlit environment.
Samsung’s inability to improve the Z Fold 6’s cameras in comparison to the S24 Ultra is the primary problem, as Google’s Pixel Fold rollout leaves no room for defense. In terms of overall photo quality, the Pixel Fold has an advantage due to its lengthier 5x optical zoom. As an illustration, the Pixel Fold’s image is notably crisper and more detailed than the Z Fold 6’s in a comparison of zoom shots. Similar results are obtained with the Pixel Fold in low light, where images are crisper, less grainy, and better illuminated. Remarkably, Samsung’s priciest phone lags behind in terms of photography, especially considering the advancements made to the S24 Ultra.
With the Z Fold 6, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy AI package, which comes with capabilities for translation and summarization, Google’s Circle for Search, and Chat Assist for creating emails or social media posts with different tones. The phone now enables dual-screen translations so that each individual can view text in their native language in real time, and it can translate text in place to prevent unformatted blobs. Additionally, there are new features like the Sketch to Image function, which enhances images with realistic representations of basic drawings, and the Portrait Studio tool, which uses a photo to make AI-generated drawings in a variety of styles. Although these characteristics are
If you like the article please follow on THE UBJ.