The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 easily became one of my favourite devices of last year. Not only are you able to use it as a traditional smartphone in its unfolded form, but also a compact one by utilising its generously sized cover screen. However, its mediocre cameras and below average battery life marred it from achieving perfection.
Fast forward a year later, Samsung introduced the compact foldable’s successor, the Galaxy Z Flip6. This model promises improvements in various aspects, in addition to featuring newer Galaxy AI features that’s currently exclusive to it and the Galaxy Z Fold6. While the claims made are certainly true, I do feel that the South Korean tech giant has been playing it safe for far too long by introducing incremental upgrades in small chunks for each succeeding model.
But I digress, so let’s get on with the review.
Specifications
So, what’s new on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6? Apart from a handful of new additions to Galaxy AI, the newer compact foldable smartphone packs a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, a higher RAM count of 12GB, and a larger battery capacity of 4,000mAh with 25W fast charging via USB-C.
It also features a new 50MP primary camera, which is a significant improvement over the 12MP sensor featured on its predecessors. Additionally, thanks to the improved hinge mechanism, it now boasts an IP48 rating, thereby newly adding dust to the list of element-based resistance.
Looks
At a glance, the Galaxy Z Flip6 looks almost no different from last year’s model, offering the same external and internal display sizes. However, there are several design elements that sets it apart from the Flip5, such as the lens frames on the cover which now matches the phone’s colourways, a flatter surrounding frame, and matte finishes for the rear plate.
As mentioned earlier, the phone features an improved hinge as well as seals surrounding both halves of its display. These not only allow the Galaxy Z Flip6 to fold completely flat, but also provide it with added protection against both water and dust, unlike its predecessor. However, there is a tiny gap at the folding point when the device is closed, which does allow some dust to gather on the display.
Speaking of which, a crease is still visible on this model, though not as jarring as before. Nevertheless, it would be much better if there wasn’t one at all, but here we are.
Functionality
The Flip6 continues to provide the best compact smartphone experience in its folded form, at least in my opinion. Much like its predecessor, you can browse websites through Chrome or Samsung Internet, keep up with social media, as well as view YouTube videos via the cover screen. The screen estate isn’t generous, but this approach works well when you don’t want to brandish a full-sized phone while commuting and so on.
However, not all apps are supported out of the box, and will require you to download Samsung’s Good Lock app to bypass this. It is baffling to why Samsung is still requiring users to do this, despite it’s already been proven that the external display on both the Flip5 and Flip6 are actually capable of running most apps.
That aside, the new compact foldable specifically allows you to add more widgets on the cover display, allowing you to see more information such as weather, messages, and so on. There’s also new animated wallpapers exclusive to the external screen, which features elements that can be interacted with by touch and will also move about when you shift the phone’s orientation.
In its unfolded form, the Galaxy Z Flip6 functions pretty much like a traditional smartphone, albeit with a taller form factor. It feels quite solid in hand, and the hinge does a great job of keeping both halves still in the phone’s multiple modes, such as the half-folded Flex and Tent configurations.
Speaking of which, the various Flex Mode features return on Samsung’s latest flip smartphone, including half-screen video viewer, camcorder-like video recording, and more. Newly added are the Galaxy AI-powered Interpreter mode which helps translate a conversation spoken in two different languages by utilising the phone’s onboard microphone and both displays. Translated transcripts from both sides are displayed on either screen, and you can further enhance the experience by wearing supported Galaxy Buds earpieces which provide you the translations verbally after a slight delay.
Then there’s the new auto-zoom function for selfies that automatically zooms the Galaxy Z Flip6’s primary camera to you, or even a group of if there’s more than one person. The caveat here is that the feature only works when you configure the phone in its tent mode, which also means that you’ll have to place it somewhere away from you. I do find it weird that Samsung didn’t include this ability as an option for the folded mode.
Performance And Battery
I can confidently say you’ll have nothing to worry about when it comes to performance with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6. This is owed to the excellent Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip that’s been fully optimised for the phone, which in turn enables for a silky smooth experience for various activities – be it multitasking, web browsing, image/video editing, or even gaming.
Concerning the latter, the compact foldable could effortlessly run Genshin Impact at the highest settings, maintaining high frame rates of around 60 frames per second in most cases. More surprisingly, heat generation throughout gaming sessions has been low, which is quite impressive. Benchmark-wise, scores show that the phone performs much higher than its predecessor and almost on par with the Galaxy Z Fold6, but still falls behind the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
I should also mention that the phone’s stereo speakers are quite pleasant and loud, which is great for video viewing or gaming. However, don’t expect them to produce hard thumping bass or accurate sound staging, as they’re still smartphone speakers after all.
And it goes without saying that its larger 4,000mAh battery capacity allows for longer usage times than the Flip5, albeit only a couple of hours more. Nevertheless, this improvement has proven to be quite significant for Samsung’s newer clamshell smartphone, especially when compared to its predecessor’s abysmal 12-hour or so battery life. On that note, the Galaxy Z Flip6 manages to clock in just over 15 hours of screen time after going through our non-stop video loop test.
In terms of real-life usage, there have been times where the phone lasted almost two days on a single charge. Granted, I did spend more time utilising its cover screen and I don’t really game that much. That said, I barely experienced battery anxiety throughout my time with the Galaxy Z Flip6.
Meanwhile, fast charging is at 25W, which is the same rate featured on last year’s model. Again, it’s not terrible, but could’ve been much better.
Camera
After six iterations, Samsung’s clamshell foldable finally gets the camera upgrade it deserves. For far too long the company has stuck with its tried-and-tested 12MP primary sensor which, let’s face it, is very dated by today’s standards. Now, the Galaxy Z Flip6 is equipped with a more relevant 50MP main camera, though the accompanying ultra-wide still has a 12MP lens.
Hands down, photos captured with the upgraded primary sensor are superb, featuring tremendous detail, sharpness, clarity and colours. There’s no optical zoom, but the digital alternative surprisingly produces decent results, even when using the camera’s 30x zoom. This is owed to AI-powered detail preservation, which helps restore certain elements and remove noise or grains from images. However, results will vary depending on lighting condition, and it goes without saying that shooting 30x under low-light will still return muddy photos.
Again, thanks to the better image quality provided by the new 50MP sensor, the Galaxy Z Flip6 manages to overthrow its predecessor in the selfie department. Like before, you can easily frame your self-portraits using the phone’s cover display and easily capture them by simply tapping the volume button. For the traditionalists, there’s still the 10MP front-facing shooter that’s housed within the cutout on the main display if you want snap selfies the boring way.
For video, the main cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip is capable of recording up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. You can improve stabilisation by activating the Super Steady mode, but doing so will utilise super sampling and reduce frame rates to 30 fps. Other video features included are the usuals, which include modes such as Hyperlapse, Slow Motion (up to 240 fps at FHD resolution), Portrait Video, and Dual Rec. The latter utilises both the internal display’s 10MP camera and the external 50MP primary shooter.
Sample Images
Competition
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
Nothing like some sibling rivalry. The Galaxy Z Flip5 makes it to the list because it is realistically the closest rival to Samsung’s latest clamshell foldable. But unlike its successor, it offers lesser performance, primary camera quality and, as emphasised earlier, poor battery life.
On the flip side (pun definitely intended), it is currently more affordable than the Flip6, coming in at RM3,999 for the 512GB configuration. If you can look past its flaws, the last-gen model is still a worthy consideration if you’re planning to try a flagship-tier compact foldable smartphone.
OPPO Find N3 Flip
A competitor for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, OPPO’s Find N3 Flip is still a relevant device, despite being a generation old. But unlike Samsung’s own clamshell foldables, it offers a smaller vertical display which, in theory, works better with certain social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and so on.
Hardware-wise, it packs a flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9200 SoC, and has a larger 4,300mAh battery with 44W fast charging. Moreover, the Find N3 Flip comes with more cameras, featuring a 50MP primary that’s paired with a 48MP ultra-wide and a 32MP telephoto. As for pricing, the 12GB + 256GB configuration for the device is currently retailing at RM3,999.
Nubia Flip
The Nubia Flip is one of the more recent clamshell foldable smartphones in this list, and is also the most affordable – coming in at only RM2,499. Its specifications are midrange at best, featuring a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, 4,310mAh battery with 33W fast charging, as well as a dual camera setup with a 50MP main and a 2MP depth sensor.
While it may not impress many in terms of performance and features, the Nubia Flip is an option if you don’t plan to spend too much for a foldable smartphone. However, you may be left wanting due to its limitations.
Conclusion
Samsung’s latest clamshell foldable is definitely a good phone, and I absolutely appreciate the various improvements which it offers. However, to be completely blunt, it honestly feels like a slight update instead of a full-blown sequel. A Galaxy Z Flip 5.5, if you will.
In other words, the Galaxy Z Flip6 is what I had hoped its predecessor would’ve been. This is especially given the fact that other brands, with OPPO being the prime example, have already included aspects such as higher resolution sensors and better battery life on their devices generations earlier.
As mentioned in the beginning of my review, it appears that Samsung has been playing safe with each iteration by only introducing improvements bit by bit. I really feel like it’s about time for the company to take off its training wheels and start setting standards again rather than keeping up with current ones.
So, should you get the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6? Despite my gripes, my answer to that is still yes. Its RM4,999 starting price point is a tough pill to swallow, but if you can look past that, what you’re getting is one of the better clamshell foldable smartphone experiences in the local market.
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