Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review: Master of refinements

I've been pretty pessimistic when it comes to Samsung's lineup of foldable phones, namely the Galaxy Z Fold series. Pessimistic is probably too nice of a word because when looking at the rest of the market, it's abundantly clear that Samsung is no longer the market leader.

As the rumors and leaks made headlines, whatever excitement I had for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 quickly dissipated. And during Galaxy Unpacked, the larger foldable seemed like an afterthought, taking a back seat to the Galaxy Ring and even the Z Flip 6.

I understand that book-style foldable phones aren't as popular, likely due to their higher prices and the fact that not everyone wants or cares about the benefits of having a mini tablet that fits in your pocket. So, while many, including my colleague Derrek, prefer a flip phone, it's just not my cup of tea.

However, the more time that I spent using the Fold 6, the more my disappointment began to fade. Trust me, it came as more of a shock to me than I expected, especially when I looked around at the current state of the foldable phone market. That being said, while Samsung managed to change my mind in some ways, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is still a mixed bag.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Price & availability

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at its Unpacked event on July 10, alongside an array of additional Galaxy devices. The phone is currently available after being released in late July 2024, with a starting price of $1,899 for the 256GB base model and maxing out at $2,259 for the 1TB version.

Additionally, there are a total of five colors to choose from: Pink, Navy, Silver Shadow, Crafted Black, and White. However, the latter two colors are only available if you purchase the Galaxy Z Fold 6 directly from Samsung's website.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Design and Cover Screen

• Wider design and displays feel less cramped.
• Noticeably lighter than its predecessors.

If I'm so pessimistic, what could Samsung possibly have done to even change my mind in the slightest? Well, it actually starts with the boxier design. This move brings it more in line with what we saw with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, complete with the bottom left corner digging into the palm of my hand.

On paper, this design tweak brought with it a 1.05mm increase in the dimensions when closed, making for an ever-so-slightly larger cover screen. It really didn't seem like much, but I've noticed that my hands feel less cramped when typing out messages or jotting down some notes. Really, it's not much of a difference, but it's enough to be noticeable while still falling far short of the OnePlus Open or Pixel Fold.

Arguably even more important is that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is substantially lighter than its predecessor. In terms of numbers, Samsung managed to slim it down to 239 grams, a staggering drop from the 253 grams of the Fold 5. It's definitely noticeable, and welcome, especially when using the Fold 6 with one hand while the phone is closed.

I've made it this far without even talking about the inner display or AI, which is more than what some companies can say. That being said, let's dive into that now, starting with the inner screen.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Hinge

Something else Samsung changed with the design is that it's now much easier to actually unfold the Galaxy Z Fold 6. There's a little bit more of a gap between the two sides of the frame. This might sound like a bad thing, but the outer border of the inner screen still closes tightly so that dust and debris don't make it through.

I discovered this, as one does, when using the Fold 6 as a fidget toy. I don't even know how I managed to do it, but I was able to slightly open the phone with just one hand. The only other book-style foldable I've been able to do that with is the OnePlus Open.

The reason why I'm pointing this out is because it's just much easier to unfold the Galaxy Z Fold 6 compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The hinge feels about as perfect as one can get, even smoother than the Pixel Fold and the Open. Not to mention that I don't feel much resistance (in a good way), and the screen/hinge doesn't make discomforting noises. I'm hoping the hinge will stay this way, but it's obviously too early to say with any certainty.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Inner screen

• Beautiful AMOLED display.
• The crease has improved compared to the Z Fold 5.
• The screen is much brighter and easier to view outdoors.

With the Fold 6 open, I'm now staring at a beautiful AMOLED display with a subtle crease down the middle. Seriously, Samsung does make some of the best screens. It's just a shame and quite frustrating that the company won't offer any reasons or remedies to those who suffer from PWM. One would think that if a company is trying to reach as many people as possible, it would do something or at least give a disclaimer that the screens might affect you negatively.

Nevertheless, let's talk about that crease. If I was just going into this thing blind without having a Z Fold 5 to compare it to, I'd probably say that the crease is the same with the Fold 6. That's not the case, as I do notice a slight difference between the two. It's not much, but there is a difference. However, I'm not sure if that's because the Fold 5 is a year old or if Samsung actually did manage to improve the crease.

Even still, there is one thing that didn't take me long to notice, as all I had to do was use the inner screen while outside. This thing gets BRIGHT. No, it's not going to blind you or anything, but it's definitely brighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. That's because Samsung's display now reaches a peak brightness of 2,600 nits.

This is the same peak brightness level as Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, surpassing the 1,750 nits found in the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The one thing that the Fold 6s main display doesn't adopt from the S24 Ultra is the anti-reflective coating. It's not all that surprising since we're still working with ultra-thin glass and plastic, but I figured it was worth mentioning.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Galaxy AI

• Galaxy AI has some impressive features, but they're hit or miss.
• Sketch to Image is a fun and creative feature, even if it's just a parlor trick.
• Erasing objects from images in the Gallery app is not as powerful as Google Photos.

One of the main draws of Samsung's latest foldable phones is the new Galaxy AI features, "Sketch to Image" being chief among them. Before going further, I invite you to enjoy a hearty laugh at my drawings. There's a reason why I take pictures and type on a keyboard for a living.

Okay, with that out of the way, I think this is arguably one of the coolest things that's possible with Galaxy AI. You can either draw something out in the Samsung Notes app or use AI to generate images. I know my "artistry" is on par with a 3rd grader, but c'mon, I expected results better than what I got.

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However, where this feature managed to impress was when making additions to pictures I've taken. For the first one, I tried to draw a sailboat with shark fins surrounding it. So while it didn't exactly get what I was going for, the end result was much better than expected, even adding reflections in the water.

Next up was drawing a crown on my son's head of a picture I snapped while out at a local crab house. This one turned out just about perfect, and you can't even tell that it's AI-generated, except for the watermark in the bottom left corner. There's no way to avoid this, even when using Samsung's built-in wallpaper generator.

One of the problems here, at least with Sketch to Image, is that it's really just a parlor trick, albeit an impressive one. After spending some time with Pixel Studio on the new Pixel 9 phones, I realized that sometimes it's better to type out what you want to see, as opposed to trying to draw it. 

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Unfortunately, that's not currently an option with Galaxy AI, which is a bit disappointing. Frankly, I didn't even know this was an option I would want until I was messing around with Pixel Studio. But now that I know it's possible, I hope to see Samsung adopt it in a future software update.

So, using Galaxy AI to add things to your pictures can be pretty fun. But what about removing items or people from those pictures? In my time using the Fold 6, it's been pretty hit or miss.

When I went to Alexandria to take some pictures with the Fold 6 on a beautiful and clear day, I stumbled upon the "Providence." It's a "reproduction of the first ship authorized to serve in the Continental Navy," which for someone who's a bit of a history buff, is pretty darn awesome. 

Although I didn't jump on for a tour, I did walk around until the next tour got underway so I could try and snap a few pics from the shoreline walkway. However, there were a few smaller boats that were following behind the Providence but that doesn't really make for a great picture.

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So, I tried using the object removal tool built into Samsung's Gallery app to get rid of the smaller boats. It worked fine with the boat right behind the Providence, but no matter what I tried, I could not get rid of the other boat further back. Pinch-to-zoom, circling the boat, drawing over the top of it—nothing.

Then, I switched over to the Google Photos app, pulled up the same picture, and in a few seconds, it was gone. On the one hand, it's great being able to use Galaxy AI and Photos in tandem to make edits. But at that point, why would I even bother trying to use the native photo editing when Google Photos is going to do a better job anyway?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Performance

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is powerful, but 12GB of RAM falls behind the competition.
• Samsung does a great job with multitasking.
• Good Lock can improve your experience.

Samsung makes the most performant and powerful Android phone on the market. Rinse and repeat for every flagship Galaxy phone, and it continues to ring true with the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Honestly, I could probably just call it here, as we know what the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy can do by now.

Much like the cameras, the rest of the internals remain the same, meaning we have 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and a 4,400mAh battery. Although it doesn't really affect the performance, Samsung is falling a bit behind as the likes of the OnePlus Open and Pixel 9 Fold Pro have upped the RAM to 16GB. 

It would've made sense for Samsung to do the same, even if it might seem like overkill. With seven years of promised updates, there's a pretty good chance that having additional RAM would pay dividends. Only time will tell if that's the case, but I can't help but feel like the Fold 6 is at a disadvantage in the long term. 

Something else that shouldn't come as a surprise is that even with all of the extra software features, the Fold 6 doesn't skip a beat. While it's easy to point out how the competition is leaving Samsung in the rear-view mirror, the reality is that I still much prefer the flexibility and versatility offered by One UI. 

While Open Canvas on the OnePlus Open is arguably more intuitive for multitasking, it just doesn't really work the way my brain does. I much prefer the way that Samsung implements multitasking via split screens, floating windows, and the option to "force" apps to take advantage, even if the developers haven't implemented the appropriate APIs.

And if the "out-of-the-box" experience isn't enough, you always have Good Lock to take things up a couple of notches. Whether you're simply using your favorite icon pack or setting up a bunch of Bixby Routines, Samsung really does offer a "do it all" experience.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Cameras

• "Same" camera hardware falls behind the pack.
• Images are good in perfect conditions.
• Struggles with zoom and moving subjects.

If there's one thing that I've been screaming from the rooftops for the past couple of years, it's that we deserve flagship cameras on foldable phones. I was really hoping that the Fold 6 would finally be the catalyst for change, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Samsung opted to rely on the same hardware it introduced three years ago with the Galaxy Z Fold 4. 

It's not so much that you can't still get great pictures out of the Fold 6 because you definitely can. Instead, it's more of the fact that we know that foldable phones can be equipped with cameras capable of rivaling slab phones. Don't believe me? Just look at the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro or the Honor Magic V3. 

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I'm not really sure what Samsung is doing here, besides deciding to rely purely on image processing to try and offset the outdated hardware. But when you pay $1,800 for a phone, you expect it to be at the top of the class, and that's just not the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

With my mini-rant out of the way, I found the same thing that I usually find when using cameras on Samsung foldable phones — they're good, or even great, as long as the conditions are perfect. As soon as a wrench gets thrown, you're at the mercy of steady hands and steady subjects. 

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A good example of this is when I tried to take pictures of my six-month-old son. He's a wiggle worm in the truest sense, constantly moving around and reaching for something. Needless to say, it's almost like he's unintentionally providing the "ultimate camera stress test." 

In one instance, he had woken up from a nap, and I walked down the hallway to get him up. Seeing as he recently learned to sit up on his own, I was greeted with this adorable and goofy face looking at me before I even made it into his room. I did what most people would do: I grabbed the Fold 6 and tried to snap a quick picture. 

For some additional context, the hallway was dark, and I was still about 20-25 feet away from him, as I didn't want him to move too much if I were to actually go into the room. Instead, I just pinched to try and zoom in and get a closer look from afar.

However, I couldn't have been more disappointed in the results. 

Not only was he no longer looking at me by the time the picture was captured, but he was almost unrecognizable. The amount of processing done to the picture has basically ruined it completely, which, in turn, ruins a moment that I'll never have back. Sure, the same scenario will probably play out again, but I know that if the Fold 6 is the phone in my pocket, I'm better off just taking a mental snapshot and going to get him out of the crib. 

Were the conditions perfect? Nope. And that's my point about these cameras. If I had my iPhone or the Pixel 8 Pro in my pocket instead, that picture would probably turn out a lot better. I can't say with any certainty that would be the case, because it's not like I could put life on pause for a split-second so I could grab another phone. 

So, instead of having a hilarious picture to send to family and friends, I have a blurry mess that looks more AI-generated than what I get when I use Sketch to Image.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Competition

Gone are the days when Samsung and its Galaxy Z Fold was the only game in town. In terms of book-style foldable phones, Samsung's stiffest competition comes from OnePlus and Google. The former burst onto the scene in late 2023 with the launch of the OnePlus Open, which is essentially the Oppo Find N3 with OnePlus branding. 

Meanwhile, Google has the Pixel Fold, which comes with its own list of benefits and pitfalls. However, that shouldn't be the case for too much longer as Google announced the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. However, we'll have to wait and see how the phone performs and whether it arrives as a truly viable alternative.  

That's pretty much all we have if looking at Samsung's competition domestically. The story dramatically shifts when considering global markets as Honor, Vivo, and others have caught up and surpassed Samsung's offerings. Notably, Xiaomi recently unveiled the Mix Fold 4, with an initial launch in China ahead of a global launch at a later date. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Should you buy it?

It's still difficult to decide whether to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Outside of the OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold 9 Pro, there are not many easily accessible alternatives in the U.S. 

With the former, you won't be able to walk into a carrier store and pick one up, and even with trade-in deals, that's a tough pill to swallow. However, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold already looks to be quite an impressive second showing for Google, but you can't buy it just yet.

It's not like I hate the Galaxy Z Fold 6; it's just that I wish that Samsung would be an innovator in the space instead of just sitting back and counting its cash. Yes, the design is a surprising improvement over the Fold 5, and the performance is still top-notch. But it just kind of sucks to see the smallest of updates arrive for a phone that costs $1,800 from a company that has the potential for so much more.

All of that being said, until we can spend some quality time with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is still the best foldable for the majority of people.