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This isn’t going to be an in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. There are already loads of those out there and they’ll all aid your buying decision.
I’ve got a slightly different angle on this, which is the fact that I’m coming to the Z Fold6 having switched recently from the iPhone 15 Pro Max to the S24 Ultra. I’m a recent Samsung daily driver convert, and I’ve really enjoyed it – despite a couple of niggles.
The plan wasn’t to switch again to something else. I was fully intending on heading back to the iPhone later this year when the iPhone 16 lineup arrives. Then, I got my hands on the Z Fold6 and realised that I haven’t ever really given Samsung’s bendy phone a proper chance; I’ve always reviewed it and moved on relatively quickly. The longest I’ve used one for was around three months (the Z Fold4), but that was purely as a secondary phone (the iPhone was still my daily back then).
So, I’ve decided to make the Z Fold6 my main phone for as long as I can. I’ve had it for just a week, but I already have a few thoughts that I think will help your own buying decision.
Specs and pricing
Once again, you’ll find the specs and pricing for the Z Fold6 strewn across the internet, but let’s have a quick recap, for the sake of SEO.
It’s running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy and has 12GB of RAM – there is no other option for the latter. On display duties, we have slightly larger panels both on the outside and inside, and they’re much brighter than before at 2,600 nits.
The Z Fold6 has the same battery as the previous generation but promises a couple more hours of battery life. The camera system hasn’t been tweaked much at all, either, and features a 50MP main camera, as before.
Design-wise, Samsung has opted for the matte sides of the S24 series and made everything a bit smaller and lighter over the Z Fold5. The Z Fold6 comes in silver, pink, navy, black, and white. The last two options are online exclusives – I went for the white version.
Price-wise, we’re looking at £1,799 for the ‘cheapest’ 256GB version and £2,099 for the range-topping 1TB edition.
Thoughts on the Z Fold6
I’m going to give you some entirely random thoughts on my experience with the Z Fold6 during the first few days of ownership. Remember, I’ve used a number of foldable phones, including previous generation Z Folds, therefore this will give you some idea of how Samsung’s latest effort has landed.
The crease is definitely less visible on the Z Fold6. In truth, the presence of that slight dip in the middle of foldable phones has never bothered me; it’s an inevitability at the moment and one which doesn’t really impact daily usage. Samsung has done something to this one, though, and it’s only really there if you go looking for it.
It’s still a very satisfying phone to carry when folded shut. I noted this in my Z Fold5 review – there’s something rather lovely about a phone you can grip wholesomely with one hand without worrying about dropping it (that’s handy on a device this expensive). Is it any lighter than the Z Fold5? Not especially, but it doesn’t feel unwieldy, which is what matters.
The Z Fold6 opens flatter than its predecessor, too. The extent to which a foldable phone flattens when open doesn’t really impact the usage of it, but it does, for some reason, irritate if there’s too much of a ‘v’ shape. The Google Pixel Fold is the worst example of this, but the near horizontal opening of the Z Fold6 demonstrates how much further ahead Samsung is in terms of foldable R&D.
When folded, the first annoyance of the Z Fold6 rears its head: this thing wobbles like a plate of jelly thanks to the camera bump and narrow frame. This can be fixed by adding a case, but it’s irritating if you’d rather leave the device naked. It just makes any usage of the phone while folded on a surface almost impossible.
While I’m having a moan, I should mention the camera system. The Z Fold6 takes some beautiful photos – I’m more than happy with the performance from the wide and standard lenses – but I can’t fathom why Samsung hasn’t given it the same camera setup as the S24 Ultra. This is, after all, a flagship phone (and then some) and the lack of a 5x optical zoom is hugely disappointing. The presence of 3x doesn’t make up for it, I’m afraid – that was the problem with the S23 Ultra.
Onto happier stuff, and I can confirm that I’m really enjoying the big canvas afforded by the internal display. This is where Samsung’s experience with foldables shines through. The OS is built for it, the display itself is the perfect size, and the keyboard is a joy to use – that’s all we need. From a productivity perspective, it’s proving immensely useful.
The bigger surprise for me is the cover display. I’m enjoying it this time around. I’m one of the many people, remember, who has been calling out for Samsung to widen the Fold’s cover display. They’ve actually done that with the Z Fold6, but it’s only a fraction different to the device it replaces. However, I do wonder if I’ve been missing the point.
The Z Fold6 is the first phone since the iPhone 13 mini that I can use one-handed. I can actually send messages to people on this and do parent-based stuff with the other hand at the same time. Dog walkers will appreciate the need for this, as will anyone who’s regularly got something in their other hand while tending to an important piece of communication. The Z Fold6 works perfectly in all of those scenarios and, if you need more room – well, you open it up.
Silly me.
A quick note on battery life: I was reminded, once again, that the Z Fold series isn’t a two-day phone. It’ll just about creep into a second day of usage, but that’s really pushing it. This is a bit of a comedown from the S24 Ultra, but it’s something I’m willing to contend with, given the trade-offs.
What about Galaxy AI on the Z Fold6?
The Z Fold6 has all of the Galaxy AI stuff from the S24 series with some of it tweaked for that larger display and the fact the device can fold. This was inevitable and obvious – I’m glad Samsung has done it. But, rather than dive deeply into each of these AI features, I’m going to hand this over to you.
Are you bothered about AI on smartphones? Let me know in the comments, please.
I have a sneaking suspicion that device manufacturers are slightly more obsessed with it than the user. This is understandable – virtually every digital product that’s released these days has some kind of AI functionality built into it. It’s a race to… somewhere.
I’m not convinced that AI on smartphones is as important to people as the regular stuff – the performance, price, camera, and operating system; that’s what still remains top of mind for most users.
Let me know what you think, please – this topic fascinates me.
Conclusion: where does this leave the iPhone?
It’s early days with the Z Fold6 but I’m enjoying it and I am going to stick with it for as long as makes sense. This means the iPhone needs to once again fight for a place in my daily life and work.
The good news for Apple’s smartphone relates to the Z Fold6’s sub-par camera system. I can’t rely on Samsung’s latest foldable for production work within this business, and that means I need a phone that can do the heavy lifting in terms of photography, video, and linking in with my workflow. That’s where the iPhone still shines.
So, it looks like I’m going back to wielding two phones. Again. Hey ho.
