Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Review: An Evolution as Contained and It Is Logical for the Foldable Phone With the Best Software on the Market

Samsung’s offering is typically at the forefront when discussing the pinnacle of foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 represents the company’s effort to dominate the market in 2024, featuring continuous evolution, notable design changes, and some improvements in artificial intelligence.

At Xataka On, we’ve conducted an extensive review of this phone. Keep reading if you’re interested in learning about the leading contender for foldable smartphones in 2024.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Specs

Design, Display, and Audio: One A and Two Bs

The design of this generation is one of the key areas where Samsung has put in the most effort. First of all, it has significantly reduced its weight. The phone has slimmed down from the previous generation's 253 grams to 239 grams. In other words, it’s now a foldable phone that finally weighs the same as a standard high-end phone. It’s still heavy, but it’s not that much heavier than a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

There’s also a slight change in dimensions due to a small variation in the screen format. This Fold is a bit more compact, which is something users will appreciate when the phone is folded. The build materials are still glass on the back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2) and aluminum for the frame. Although it looks quite similar to last year’s model in pictures, the feel is completely different.

This phone now closely resembles the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The flatter bezels make it easier to close. It feels more premium, well-finished, and sturdier. You’ll appreciate this especially if you’ve used previous models. In short, it’s the best-built foldable phone to date, at least externally.

The position of the buttons is also great. Your thumb naturally rests on the fingerprint reader, and it’s easy to access the volume buttons by just lifting your thumb slightly. This is usually a challenge in high-end phones, so it’s nice that Samsung has positioned the buttons at the right height. Additionally, the closure is perfect, with no gap for dust to get in.

Samsung states that its made sure to review the operation and quality of the hinge so that it remains one of the most resistant on the market. Although the manufacturer hasn’t disclosed the exact number of closures, it did guarantee more than 200,000 folds last year, which is far more than you could ever achieve throughout the phone’s lifespan.

There are also some differences in the outer panel. It now grows to 6.3 inches and features Dynamic AMOLED technology, an adaptive refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz, and a peak brightness of 1,600 nits. Interestingly, the screen is now bigger, yet the phone is more compact and slimmer. Additionally, the resolution remains at 968 x 2376, HD+.

Given the aspect ratio, the difference in pixels per inch between Samsung’s display and that of other foldable phones, such as the OnePlus Open, is almost imperceptible to the human eye. Although Samsung is the main reference in the foldable segment, having a higher resolution would be preferable. However, the external display is well-calibrated, bright, and slightly wider.

In my opinion, the change is insufficient. The Fold is still too narrow when folded. While using it with one hand is comfortable, using it with two hands causes thumb fatigue as there’s hardly any space to place your thumbs. The rest of the market is moving towards standard aspect ratios with the phone folded, but Samsung is still above 22:9.

The inner panel remains 7.6 inches with the same resolution as last year: 1856 x 2160. It still uses AMOLED technology with adaptive refresh rate and covers over 90% of the front. Despite the slight change in format, all foldable phones still have the same issue: When unfolded, the larger screen isn’t ideal for watching widescreen videos.

Why? Most videos are recorded in widescreen formats, so the black stripes are very noticeable when you watch a show or movie. This isn’t a big issue in games, considering most games are adapted to the screen format.

The Z Fold 6’s panel has a lower pixel density per inch and is much larger, offering 374 ppi. However, it falls a bit short as high-end phones shouldn’t go below 400 ppi, which is a point at which the human eye can detect a lack of sharpness.

Despite being a key point in a foldable phone, this phone’s screen isn’t the standout feature compared to its rivals, given that they usually have a higher resolution on the inner screen and Dolby Vision support in a more comfortable format.

The phone also falls short compared to its competitors when it comes to the screen crease. Although it’s less obtrusive than the previous generation, it’s still noticeable. This is especially disappointing considering many of its rivals have made this element nearly imperceptible.

Both screens are calibrated to appear identical, which is impressive given the technological differences between the inner plastic panel and the “traditional” rear screen. Only the inner screen is compatible with the S-Pen, and it has a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. The settings allow for configuring two color modes (Vivid and Natural) and adjusting white balance and RGB settings.

Moreover, the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s sound quality is exceptional. It probably stands out as the high-end phone with the best sound quality. It’s simply sensational, so much so that it’s more akin to a portable mini speaker than a phone. The maximum volume is much higher than any other rival, and the bass quality is also outstanding.

In the Z Fold 6’s Settings, you can activate several Dolby Atmos modes and use a ten-band equalizer to customize the sound according to your preferences. This device features a high-end Qualcomm SoC, providing support for major headphone connection protocols such as SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX, and Samsung’s own SSC.

Performance, Software, and Battery Life: (Almost) All Good News

Samsung states that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the first of its foldable phones equipped with a vapor chamber. But what exactly is a vapor chamber, and how does it work? The vapor chamber is essentially the liquid cooling system within Android phones, and its operation is quite straightforward. Using heat pipes, a liquid substance moves through these pipes. It then changes from a liquid to a gaseous state when it reaches the hottest areas. The gas then moves to the coldest areas, where it returns to a liquid state.

This continuous cycle allows the higher temperatures to be dispersed to the cooler areas, with the goal of reducing thermal throttling caused by excess heat. While the theory sounds promising, implementing it in practice isn’t as simple as it seems.

The Z Fold 6 is equipped with the top-notch Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, along with 12 GB of LPDDR5X memory and 512 GB UFS 4.0 storage in our sample unit. As a result, the phone runs smoothly, easily handling games and heavy apps. However, there are some concerns about its thermal performance, which is sometimes even worse than last year’s model.

During the initial setup, the phone felt warm, which isn’t uncommon for high-end devices, especially in summer. However, during benchmark tests, it became evident that the device was experiencing performance drops, especially during the 3DMark stress test.

During the final check using a video call on Telegram, holding the phone became uncomfortable because it became very hot. For some reason, the Z Fold 6 seems to struggle with battery life and tends to overheat, resulting in slower performance and a drop in refresh rate.

Regarding software, with One UI, everything remains the same as last year, except for some new AI options. This phone still offers the best ROM for a foldable phone due to Samsung’s attention to user options. Some uninstallable bloatware include the Microsoft suite, Netflix, and Facebook. Additionally, the phone will receive software updates for seven years, setting a new industry record.

The Flex mode allows you to use the phone while resting on surfaces. In addition, a new feature in this generation is that the Translator app now works in Flex mode, making it convenient to have conversations with the phone resting on a table.

The software still has the floating window options. The lower part houses a quick access bar where users can configure the apps they want. It also automatically shows recent apps. Ultimately, you have a mini laptop in folding format.

At the AI level, the main functions include the following:

• Call Assist
• Chat Assist
• Interpreter
• Notes Assist
• Transcript Assist
• Navigation Assist
• Photo Assist
• Drawing Assist
• Image Background
• Health Assist

Many of these features were already present last year, but some are new, especially in terms of generative AI. From the gallery, you can draw any element you want with the S-Pen (sold separately) and it'll actually pop up. This may seem like a gimmicky feature, but it’s actually quite fun and realistic.

Samsung has also introduced a new feature that allows users to generate images from sketches. You only need to draw a simple doodle and the phone’s AI technology will convert it into an image with various styles. Additionally, the phone can now transform images into different artistic forms.

The Call Assist’s language translation feature now supports Instagram and Google Meet calls in real-time. Moreover, the phone is now equipped with improved message composition capabilities, given that it can generate text based on prompts.

This AI is powered by Google Gemini, and a Samsung account is required to use it. Many of these functions, especially those related to generative AI, also require an Internet connection to work.

In terms of battery life, performance is good. It can last through a day of normal use, and you can expect six hours of screen time. However, screen time may be somewhat less under very intense use. The battery capacity remains the same at 4,400 mAh, and there’ve been no changes in fast charging.

The total charging time is just over 1 hour (1 hour and 18 minutes, to be exact), and it reaches 59% in just half an hour. Additionally, it supports a 15 W wireless charging system, provided you have a compatible charger.

Photography: Finally, What We Expected

The Samsung Galaxy Fold 6’s camera configuration is almost the same as last year’s model. It features a triple camera setup with a 50 MP main sensor with an optical stabilizer and f/1.8 aperture, a 12 MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.

• Main camera: 50 MP, 1/1.56-inch sensor, f/1.8 aperture, 1.0 µm pixel size, OIS, and Dual Pixel autofocus.
• Wide camera: 12 MP, 1/3.06-inch sensor, f/2.2 aperture, and 1.12 µm pixel pitch.
• Telephoto camera: 10 MP, 1/3.94-inch sensor, f/2.4 aperture, 1.0 µm pixel size, and OIS.
• Front camera (outer display): 10 MP, 1/3-inch sensor, f/2.2 aperture, and 1.22 µm pixel size.
• Front camera (inner display): 16 MP, 1/3-inch sensor, f/1.8 aperture, and 1 µm pixel size.

While the specs remain the same, Samsung has improved image processing. The camera app is the same as last year’s, so it’s still very complete, offering manual mode, RAW shooting, and support for Google Lens.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Pictures

I liked the photos the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 took during the day. The white balance and dynamic range were particularly impressive, with no overexposed highlights and an overall great look. While the image quality may not quite match the S24 Ultra, the pictures reminded me a lot of that phone, which is really promising.

In terms of sharpness, the photos are pretty good, although not exceptional. They do appear slightly overprocessed, with more defined edges and somewhat oversaturated colors. However, if you don’t zoom in too much, they look similar to the S24. Overall, these are high-end phone-worthy photos.

When using the telephoto lens, I found that it’s not as capable as the main sensor, but the 3x zoom on this phone works quite well. I appreciate the phone’s processing because it doesn’t overly smooth out the images to reduce noise, and overall, I find the picture quality to be quite consistent with no surprises.

As for the ultra-wide lens, it’s not the best feature of the Z Fold 6, but it’s not bad either. It adds versatility, and there’s minimal distortion in the corners. While it’s noticeable that it’s a wider-angle camera, it doesn’t have the extreme corner distortion issues that other alternatives might have.

Regarding the portrait mode, I'm quite pleased. Samsung remains one of the leading brands in this respect, with excellent image segmentation. It may not be the best at isolating fine details, such as hair, but there are no major inconsistencies.

The processing is excellent. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice some noise in the Android's texture in the image above. This is great news: It means that the denoiser algorithms aren’t being applied in portrait mode, which will result in a more natural look.

The phone’s selfie camera has two sides. The outer screen’s camera takes high-quality photos, although it’s slightly behind its high-end competitors. The HDR function works well but may overexpose highlights. However, the camera achieves good results in portrait mode.

On the other hand, the inner camera has a low resolution, resulting in less processed images. Interestingly, I found this camera’s processing to be better in full sunlight. Nevertheless, the images are only 3 MP.

Lastly, the phone supports up to 8K at 30 fps for video recording. The optimal frame rate is 4K at 60 fps, with excellent stabilization and HDR. Overall, this Fold is one of the best phones on the market for video recording and performs well in various lighting conditions.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Xataka’s Opinion

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers a mix of unusual and logical features. Let me explain: It currently falls behind in several aspects compared to its competitors, with lower screen resolution, more visible creases, poorer thermal performance, and only minor changes from previous models.

However, despite the availability of more advanced alternatives, this is the only foldable phone I would consider purchasing. The reason for this preference lies in its consistency and incremental improvements. The phone has made such gradual progress in design that it stands unrivaled in this generation. Its build quality becomes evident within seconds of holding it.

At the software level, the Z Fold 6 has no rival, which sets it apart in the world of foldable phones. The device comes with seven years of updates, One UI functions smoothly, and it offers all the options tailored for folding phones, including the integration of Google Gemini. If there’s one brand that takes care of software in this format, it’s Samsung.

Last but not least, I’m pleasantly surprised with the improvement in the camera. While I can’t confirm whether it’s the best in its segment, the leap forward is remarkable. We finally have a Fold with a camera that can rival that of a Galaxy S24.

With a price tag of almost $2,000, purchasing the Z Fold 6 is a significant investment. You’ll need to be certain that this is the format you want to commit to. If it is, then the Z Fold 6 is a safe bet.

This article was written by Ricardo Aguilar and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Image | Xataka

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The device has been loaned for testing by Samsung. You can check how we test new products at Xataka On and our Corporate Relations Policy.