I have never felt more influential than when I held and used the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 This week. From the makeshift tripod design for selfies and chasing viral TikTok dreams to the customizable wallpapers for the outer display, Samsung’s latest foldable phone has a lot of character and I don’t hate it.
Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs. Motorola Razr+ (2024): I’ve tested both and the winner isn’t so obvious
We’re now in year six of the Galaxy Z Flip, and Samsung has clearly delivered on its purpose of being a compact device that inspires creativity with a clamshell design that pays homage to the foldable phones that preceded it decades ago. It’s not hard to appreciate all the technicality Samsung crammed into a phone that, when folded, measures roughly three inches from corner to corner.
The $1,099 Z Flip 6 is also much cheaper than its foldable sibling, the $1,899 Z Fold 6although it is still in a price range that requires a lot of consideration. In fact, it costs $100 more than last year’s model, so what’s up? Here’s the info.
The new Galaxy Z Flip 6 is thinner and lighter than ever, with flattened edges that give the phone an industrial feel in your hand. Samsung is selling the Z Flip this year in a multitude of pastel colors: Blue, Mint, Yellow, Silver Shadow, White, Peach, and Craft Black. For a little extra personality, the camera rings are accented with the color of your choice.
Also: Save up to $1,500 on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 phones – here’s how
If that doesn’t convince you to buy a $1,099 foldable phone, I understand. In addition to the design changes, the Z Flip 6 brings a battery upgrade, from last year’s 3,700mAh to 4,000mAh. There’s also now a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and the first vapor cooling chamber on a Z Flip device, both of which should make the phone run more efficiently, reducing battery drain.
The camera system has received perhaps the biggest boost over last year’s model, with an improved 50MP main sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide. Samsung tells me it decided to stick with an ultra-wide camera rather than switch to a telephoto lens like competing phone makers. Motorola Because it allows users to take better group photos, and I agree. The ultra-wide sensor should be more useful to users when taking photos of taller and wider landscapes, such as the Eiffel Tower.
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The most exciting improvement to the camera is the new AI-powered auto-zoom feature, which automatically detects how many people are in a frame, as well as possible background objects you might want to keep in the shot (think the Eiffel Tower, a shop name, etc.) and repositions itself accordingly.
I was only able to test the feature in a living room, so I can’t attest to how well it works when taking taller, wider landscape shots, but the idea of having my smartphone do the framing work for me seems revolutionary.
Now for the fun part: the outer display, or as Samsung calls it, the Flex Window. It’s the same 3.4-inch screen as last year’s model, but the company has incorporated a few fancy elements:
- Interactive wallpapers They have animations that you can tap, drag, and shake to interact with the phone. One of my favorites had several emojis that moved as you rotated the device.
- Photo Ambient applies a weather and/or color temperature filter, depending on your time and location.
- Generative wallpaper Allows you to create new wallpapers by selecting theme keywords.
- You can quickly reply to text messages with Suggested Answersthat extract context from previous conversations and formulate responses based on your texting style.
- Like the larger Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, you can use the dual screen Interpreter mode for live translations between two languages.
- New Flex Window widgets include Samsung Health, SmartThings, Reminder, and News.
All in all, the outer display, where Samsung has the most room for innovation, feels more functional than before, and users who were already drawn to the Z Flip’s customization will likely appreciate the new changes. There’s even an improved Flipsuit case that, when placed on the back of the phone, automatically changes the wallpaper to match your design via NFC. Plus, with wireless charging, the case’s LED should light up whenever you fold and unfold the device.
Stay tuned to ZDNET for more on the topic. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6For now, you can reserve yours for a starting price of $1,099, with Various promotions and offers Already active.