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SSamsung’s most advanced, high-tech foldable phone for 2024 is the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which looks to beat rivals from Google, OnePlus and others with a lighter frame, bigger and better displays, and the fastest chip available for Android.
The category pioneer’s latest phone-tablet hybrid is designed to be the ultra-premium device of choice for buyers, but it faces stiff competition from several worthy rivals, most of which offer lower prices than the South Korean firm.
The sixth-generation device costs a whopping £1,799 (€1,999/$1,899.99/A$2,749), making it more expensive than last year’s model and even more so than Samsung’s new flagship laptop.
Needless to say, the Fold 6 is only for wealthy people, and its price is based on the many expensive devices it aims to replace: your tablet, phone, and PC.
Samsung made big improvements to the physical design of the Fold series with its fifth-generation model last year. The Fold 6 builds on that in small but significant ways, including a 14g weight reduction that makes it just 7g heavier than Samsung’s regular high-end phone, the S24 Ultra. That alone makes it easier to hold and carry around in a pocket or bag.
The Fold 6’s flattened matte aluminum sides make it easier to open with your thumbs, while the wider outer screen feels less cramped than previous versions for messaging and phone-type stuff.
Open the Fold 6 like a book and you’ll see the tablet’s 7.6-inch display, which is significantly brighter than previous models, making it much easier to read outdoors. HDR movies really pop. You can still see the fold under the glare of lights and feel it in the center where it folds, but it otherwise fades into the background during use.
Specifications
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Main screen: 7.6-inch 120Hz QXGA+ AMOLED flexible display
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Cover Screen: 6.3-inch HD+ 120Hz AMOLED display
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Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 3rd Gen
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RAM: 12 GB
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Storage: 256, 512 GB or 1 TB
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OS: One UI 6.1 based on Android 14
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Camera: 50+12+10MP rear with 3x telephoto; 10MP and 4MP selfie cameras
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Connectivity: 5G, dual SIM, eSIM, USB-C, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, GNSS
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Waterproof: IP48 (1.5 meters for 30 minutes)
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Folded dimensions: 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1 mm
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Unfolded dimensions: 153.5 x 132.6 5.6 mm
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Weight: 239 grams
Multitasking power with two-day battery life
The Fold 6 has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and 12GB of RAM as the S24 Ultra and Z Flip 6 and benefits from the power when multitasking. It runs up to eight apps on the screen simultaneously effortlessly and handles AI, gaming and multiple apps with aplomb. It completely outclasses most competitors in raw power and is fast when connected to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse to use as an Android PC.
The battery lasts about 48 hours between charges when using a combination of the outer and inner displays for about seven hours, which is similar to the best regular phones and more than the main foldable competition.
Sustainability
Samsung doesn’t provide an expected lifespan for the battery, but it should last more than 500 full charge cycles at least 80% of its original capacity.
The phone is generally repairable. Internal screen repairs cost £514. Samsung offers a self-repair programme, as well as Care+ accidental damage insurance which reduces the cost of repairs to £139.
The Fold 6 is made from recycled aluminum, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, plastic, and rare earth elements. Samsung offers trade-in and recycling systems for older devices. The company publishes annual sustainability reports but not impact assessments for individual products.
AI and multitasking
The Fold 6 runs One UI 6.1 based on Android 14 and will receive software and security updates For seven years after his releasemaking it one of the most supported phones available.
One UI is better than competing software at taking advantage of the extra size and flexibility of the foldable display. You can run up to eight apps on the screen at once, use various partially folded modes almost like a mini laptop, and many other tools. Everything you can do with an Android tablet you can do with the Fold, and more.
It has a similar set of AI features to the S24 series and Flip 6, including Google’s operating system. Gemini AI Chatbot and the excellent Circle to searchvoice transcription and translation services, AI-powered note and site summarization, as well as various review, grammar and rewriting tools built into the keyboard.
The new photo assist tool is much easier to use on the big screen compared to the Flip 6, allowing you to turn freehand sketches into real-looking objects inserted into your photos, which is a lot of fun.
Camera
The Fold 6 has a similar five-camera setup to the previous two models, including a 4-megapixel selfie camera beneath the inner display that’s useful only for video calls.
On the back there’s a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera. They take great photos in bright light, capture excellent portraits, and do a good job in low light. The 3x optical zoom doesn’t have much reach compared to the newer 4x or 5x zooms, which is disappointing.
Despite the phone costing twice as much, the cameras are only on par with those on Samsung’s regular S24 models from January.
The selfie camera on the top of the phone is decent, but it’s outdone by the ability to take self-portraits with the main cameras using the cover display as a viewfinder. That’s one of many fun tricks the Fold is capable of, which also include taking photos while propped up if you show the camera your palm.
Overall, the Fold’s cameras are good, but not the best on the market for a foldable or regular phone.
Price
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 costs from £1,799 (€1,999/$1,899.99/A$2,749).
For comparison, the Z Flip 6 costs £1,049, the Galaxy S24+ costs £999, the Galaxy S24 Ultra costs £1,249, the OnePlus Open costs £1,299, the Honor Magic V2 costs £1,200 and the Google Pixel Fold costs £1,299. £1,199.
Verdict
The Z Fold 6 is the most refined foldable phone yet, and another small step toward the holy grail of being just like a regular phone when closed, but with a tablet inside.
It’s still necessarily a bit thick, but it’s only a few grams heavier than Samsung’s top standard phone, the S24 Ultra, and the outer display is now the same width as a small phone like the iPhone 13 mini.
The inner screen is super bright and smooth, on par with the best non-folding devices in terms of quality. The crease down the middle is still present, but it doesn’t interfere with use. The materials needed to make the screen fold are too soft for anything but careful use, and repairs are very expensive if the worst happens.
Samsung’s numerous improvements are welcome, but they’re iterative and haven’t fundamentally changed the way the device handles compared to the last two Fold versions, making the price increase from the already exorbitant sum all the more galling.
This is one of the most powerful and adaptable devices you can buy, but it’s still a niche device for the wealthy. Something radical needs to happen for the tablet-phone hybrid to become a mainstream option.
Advantages: A phone and a tablet in one, powerful multitasking capabilities, phone-like outer screen, fantastic tablet display, maximum performance, great battery life, water resistance, lighter.
Cons: extremely expensive, more fragile than a normal device and expensive to repair, thicker than a normal phone, not a huge leap from the previous generation, the camera is better than cheaper devices.