Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: Flashy, Flamboyant and Fluid

Anupam Das
August 18, 2024

1. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: First Looks

Released in July 2024, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is Samsung’s latest offering in the space of foldable and flip smartphones. It is a flashy and flamboyant smartphone that gives a glimpse into the future of smart devices that are becoming fluid, portable, condensed, and miniaturized. While the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, once unfolded, gives the vibe of a tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Z Filp 6 radiates the aura of a fitness tracker, a smartwatch, or a smart pager, once folded.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the successor of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and takes a giant leap in terms of upgrades. When the phone is unfolded, it looks different than any other regular smartphone. While the front screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 looks like the screen of any other smartphone, the backside of the phone is different. While half of the backside of the phone is aluminum frame, the other half is the folded screen. The main cameras are visible at the top left corner of the folded screen. The fingerprint scanner can be found on the right-hand side of the frame.

Once folded, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 becomes half of any normal smartphone and turns into a squared-shaped, uber-cool, ultra-modern, and smart miniature device. While folded, it is extremely easy to hold and carry. Through the folded screen, a user can easily carry out many tasks such as – viewing notifications, checking emails, sending quick replies to messages, checking the time or weather, etc. The folded screen allows the integration of a customizable widget and incorporates various AI features that come with the Samsung apps. This smartphone takes ‘working on the go’ to a whole new level. The folded screen can also be used to take pictures or selfies with the main cameras.

The main display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 can be used in semi-folded mode. The semi-folded mode allows the users to watch videos or YouTube on the angled main screen, giving of vibes of a miniaturized laptop. The semi-folded mode is also a boon for content users who can use it to record videos without the need for a tripod stand or selfie stick.

However, this flip smartphone does get thicker when folded. The hinge of this flip smartphone may not always feel smooth and the user may have to be careful about the rough usage. The crease in between the unfolded screen, although hidden most of the time, maybe felt while scrolling the main display.

2. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Set Up, Measurements, and Weight

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has an aluminum frame and it is made out of ‘armor aluminum’ that provides better durability, tougher scratch protection, upgraded corrosion resistance, and enhanced fall safety. Aluminum is lighter than steel and more affordable than titanium. Aluminum also has high ductility and hence can easily be molded into any shape. High ductility also helps it absorb the sudden shock stemming from accidental falls.

However, high ductility also means that it is prone to getting scuffed up and leaving dents and marks. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a plastic front. It is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the back including the folded screen. The smartphone comes with IP48 water resistance and dust protection.

When unfolded, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a length of 16.51 cm or 6.5 inches, a width of 7.19 cm or 2.83 inches, and a thickness of 0.69 cm or 0.27 inches. When folded, the length of the phone becomes almost half – 8.51 cm or 3.35 inches. The width stays the same at 7.19 cm or 2.83 inches. Due to the folded half, the thickness of the smartphone increases to 1.49 cm or 0.59 inches. The weight of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is 187 grams or 6.60 ounces. The measurements and the weight of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 have remained similar to those of its predecessor – Galaxy Z Flip 5.

3. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Display

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has two displays. One is the main or unfolded display – visible when the phone is unfolded. The second display is the folded or cover display – visible when the phone is folded. The main display or the unfolded display looks like any other smartphone with a typical rectangular shape with a greater length and shorter width. The cover or the folded display has a squared shape with almost identical length and width.

The main or the unfolded display has a diagonal length of 6.7 inches or 17 cm with a screen area of 101.5 cm² or 15.73 inches². This Samsung smartphone has an 85.5% screen-to-body ratio which, although almost similar to its predecessor, falls short of many of other foldable and flip rivals. Other flip smartphones such as Huawei Nova Flip, Xiaomi Mix Flip, Oppo Find N3 Flip, etc have larger screens with better screen-to-body ratios. Many other premium smartphones, including ones from Samsung, have much larger displays and greater screen-to-body ratios.

The main display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is an AMOLED display with HDR10+ technology and an adjustable refresh rate of 120 Hz. AMOLED display allows for vivid colors with ardent contrast and fervid black. HDR10+ technology uses dynamic metadata to enhance the colors according to the screen and the original setup of the multimedia. HDR10+ also has 10-bit colors which translate to more than 1 Billion colors on the screen, showcasing even the minute variations in the shades of colors in an HD image or a video.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 also uses ‘Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO)‘ technology which allows the display to adjust its refresh rate according to the multimedia. All these technologies also consume less power and generate less heat, improving the battery life and longevity of the smartphone.

The adjustable 120 Hz refresh rate calibrates itself according to the visuals and allows for a better viewing experience. Normal scrolling or browsing is a breeze in this display. Multimedia editing can also be executed without any hiccups. Ultra HD videos or high-intensity games can also be played without any issues. The display has a maximum resolution of 2640 X 1080 with a pixel-per-inch density of 426. It has a peak of 2600 nits which is quite good even in the bright Sunny outdoor environment.

The folded or cover display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a diagonal length of 3.4 inches or 8.63 cm. It is also an AMOLED display with a maximum resolution of 748 X 720 pixels. It has 360 pixel-per-inches and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The cover screen has a maximum brightness of 1600 nits. Although not as vibrant as the main display, the cover display is pretty good considering the evolving technology of flip and foldable smartphones. The cover display is decent for scrolling, browsing, messaging, and checking notifications. Taking selfie images or videos can also be done with decent quality. However, there is a lot of scope for improvement.

4. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: CPU, GPU, AI Engine and OS

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU. Some other Samsung high-end smartphones, such as Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, also use the same CPU. It is an octa-core CPU that comes with a total of 8 cores. It has 1 Cortex X4 core with a maximum clock speed of 3.39GHz, 3 Cortex A720 cores with a maximum clock speed of 3.1 GHz, 2 Cortex A720 cores with a maximum clock speed of 2.9GHz, and 2 Cortex A520 cores with a maximum clock speed of 2.2GHz. The chipset comes with 4-nanometer transistors.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes with an integrated Adreno 750 GPU. It has a maximum clock speed of 0.90 GHz. It supports OpenGL Embedded System 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 FP, and Vulkan 1.3. APIs. Adreno 750 GPU can execute 4.57 TFLOPS (Trillion Floating Point Operations Per Second) at FP16 (Half-precision Floating Point) and 2.29 TFLOPS (Trillion Floating Point Operations Per Second) at FP32 (Single-Precision Floating Point).

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is also equipped with a neural processing unit named – Qualcomm Hexagon. It works in tandem with the CPU and the GPU to execute generative AI use cases. It utilizes deep neural networks to perform various AI tasks integrated with Samsung apps. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also employs Qualcomm Sensing Hub that works low-key AI tasks using minimal battery life. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes with Android 14 and Samsung’s own User Interface – One UI 6.1.1. The UI works perfectly with Android 14 and it integrates various features exclusively for two different displays – the main and the cover. The UI is also good at harnessing various generative AI features.

The performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is top-class as it provides faster execution of multiple tasks simultaneously. CPU, GPU, OS, and User Interface work in perfect balance and synchronization. Users can juggle between a multitude of tasks without any hang-ups or freezes. Heavy-duty games can be played without sacrificing quality. Editing HD videos or images is like a breeze. Complex multimedia tasks can be accomplished with perfect outcomes. The chipset is also lenient on the phone and the battery. Due to the small transistor size of 4 nanometers, the chipset is compact, generates less heat, consumes less power, and lengthens battery life.

5. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Cameras

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has two back cameras that are located side by side at the top-right corner of the back screen. The main camera is the right-most camera. It is a 50 MP wide camera with 2X zoom, 23 mm of focal length, and a f/1.8 aperture. This camera comes with ‘Phase Detection Auto Focus’ and ‘Optical Image Stabilizer‘ technologies. Both of these technologies provide stability to the cameras in a dynamic and chaotic environment. This camera can be used even in low light and the images are able to capture a wide view of the surroundings. The zoom can be used for portrait images with shallow depth of view.

The left-most camera at the backside is a 12 MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 123^o angle. The camera is good for taking wide-angle shots with a larger field of view and a larger depth of field. The back cameras can record videos in 4K, 1080P, and 720P qualities. They can record the videos from 30 frames per second to 960 frame-per-second speed. The smartphone has a wide 10 MP selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture and a focal length of 23 mm. The slefie camera is equipped with HDR and it can record a video in 4K quality with the highest 60 frames per second.

Compared to other Samsung peers and close competitors, the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 are underwhelming. The number of cameras is also fewer. The smartphone does not provide too many options with cameras. The zooming capabilities of the cameras are not up to the mark and hence the cameras lack the capabilities of taking amazing zooming and portrait images with shallow depth of view.

6. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Battery and Charging

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is fitted with a non-removable 4000 mAh battery. Even though the battery is considerably more powerful than its predecessor Galaxy Flip 5, it is less than many other popular Flip smartphones such as Huawei Nova Flip or Xiaomi Mix Flip, and other premium competitors such as Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max or Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and other Samsung models such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra or Galaxy Z Fold 6. The flip design of the smartphone is unable to accommodate a more powerful battery. Hopefully, newer Flip models will incorporate more powerful batteries.

The battery of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 can be charged using wired and wireless options. For wired charging, it uses 25 W charging. This Samsung smartphone uses Qualcomm’s Quick Charging Technolgy QC 2.0 which, Samsung claims, can charge 50% of the battery in just 30 minutes. It can also be charged wirelessly in 15 W capacity. This phone also has 4.5 W reverse charging through which other smart devices can be charged directly from this smartphone.

With normal to light activities, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 battery could last for 2 days. The battery continues for 12-14 hours of repeat video playback. The battery could only sustain intense gaming for 8-10 hours. The battery life can be extended by adjusting some settings and deactivating some apps that run in the background.

7. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Variants, Prices, and Connectivity

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 provides buyers with 7 choices in terms of colors. This Samsung Flip smartphone comes in Black, White, Blue, Silver Shadow, Yellow, Mint, and Peach colors. It has 12 GB of RAM across all the variants. However, it provides only two storage options – 256 GB and 512 GB – which is a direct effect of its novel and compact design.

In the US, the 256 GB variant will cost $1,099.99 and the 512 GB variant will cost $1,219.99. In the UK, the 256 GB variant will cost £1,049 and the 512 GB variant will cost £1,149. In India, the 256 GB variant will cost ₹109,999 and the 512 GB variant will cost ₹121,999.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has top-class wireless and wired connectivity. The smartphone is equipped with 5G technologies. It also has the latest Wifi 6E version that can operate in 5.925 to 7.125 GHz bands. Although, in some countries, such as India, 6 GHz bands will not work. This Samsung smartphone also comes with the latest Bluetooth 5.3 version. For wired connectivity, it has USB Type C 3.2 which can be used for data transfer, charging, and projection.

8. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Main Specifications, Pros & Cons, and Score

Specifications

Chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
GPU: Integrated Adreno 750
Operating System: Android 14
Storage: 256 GB/512 GB
RAM Memory: 12 GB
Battery Life: Up to 48 hours (Normal Usage). 12-14 Hours (Continuous Video Playback). 8-10 (Intense Gaming).
Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, 5G
Bluetooth Version: 5.3

Pros & Cons

Pros

One of the best flip smartphones available in the market that has great style and provides amazing performance
Incredible fast performances with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
GPU and AI Neural Engine work perfectly in tandem
Unique look with the convenience of carrying the smartphone

Cons

Not for those who are not looking for novelty, style, and unique looks
Reduced battery life compared to other Samsung peers and competitors
Comes with a hefty Price tag
Only 256 GB and 512 GB storage variants are available
Underwhelming cameras

Score

Functions	Score
Performance	8/10
Power	8/10
Display	7.5/10
Storage	6.5/10
Battery	7/10
Connectivity	7.5/10
Overall Score	44.5/60

(1 = Lowest. 5 = Highest). (0.5 increments)

Verdict

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a fancy, flashy, and flamboyant smartphone. It is a fluid smartphone that can take different shapes depending on the moods or needs of the users. It can be a regular smartphone or can be a squared-shaped smart device that is convenient to carry and can easily fit into a pocket.

However, this smartphone comes with a hefty price tag, and the features that it provides, apart from the novelty of design, are abundant in the realm of smartphones. There are premium smartphones that are ladened with more features than this one. Then there are budget smartphones that are low on features but do all the necessary jobs that a professional may require.

So, the question a user needs to ask, before buying a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, is whether the style and a unique look are enough to go for a class of smartphones that are yet to be fully developed or fleshed out. Surely, the flip and foldable smartphone will go through a lot of changes and they are only going to get better. If users believe that the style and novelty with good features are enough to make them buy a smartphone and the big price tag is not a big letdown, then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is definitely for them.

*This article is only for information purposes. The information in this article may change or vary.

**Do not make your decision based solely on the information provided in this article. Do your own research.

***Prices are subject to change.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review: Flashy, Flamboyant and Fluid

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