One of the best foldable phones I’ve ever tested isn’t from Motorola or OnePlus

ZDNET’s key findings

• The $1,099 Galaxy Z Flip 6 It’s Samsung’s latest take on a modernized foldable phone.
• It comes with a few improvements, including a more durable design, better performance, a new main camera, and a larger battery.

• It’s far from exciting, though, given its similarities to the Z Flip 5, and it costs $200 more than Motorola’s Razr Plus.

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Samsung is now on its sixth iteration of its Galaxy Z Flip, and by now we’ve all become familiar with foldable phones, what they’re capable of, and what their unusual form factors bring to the table. Z-Flip 6 It’s the most polished flip phone we’ve seen yet. Compared to the Z Flip 5, Samsung has changed very little, with just a handful of features to market the new model.

Also: I replaced my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Z Fold 6 for a week and I can’t go back

The starting price has also increased by $100, to $1,099. So, after using the Z Flip 6 for just over a week, the big question for me is whether the new price is justified, especially when Motorola Razr PlusThe Z Flip’s closest competitor didn’t go up in price. Here’s my answer.

See on Samsung

Samsung doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time it releases a new foldable phone, but the Z Flip’s design has been in need of improvement for some time. On the Z Flip 6, Samsung has returned to using matte aluminum sides instead of glossy ones like on the Z Flip 5, which I appreciate.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Z Flip 5: Key differences you should know before buying

The new Z Flip also has an IP48 rating, marking the first time one of the company’s foldable phones has offered any kind of certified dust protection. The hinge has also been reinforced, resulting in a shallower crease along the center of the display.

These improvements are nice to see, but they’re by no means monumental. I would have loved to see a larger cover display; Samsung upped the ante last year when it swapped the Flip 4’s 1.9-inch cover display for a 3.4-inch panel on the Flip 5. The Flip 6 has that same larger display on the outside, but it’s dwarfed by the Flip 5’s much more attractive-looking 4-inch panel. Razr Plus 2024.

Also: I tried Motorola’s new Razr Plus (2024) and it left the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip looking dated

Not only does Motorola’s display extend all the way to each edge and behind the cameras, it also lets you run any app you want, so you rarely need to open the phone to do quick things like reply to a text. On the Z Flip 6, you’re limited to the panels and widgets that Samsung gives you access to, making for a much less useful experience than Motorola’s.

Naturally, I opened the Z Flip 6’s screen a lot, but that’s no bad thing. The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is stunning, with a sharp Full HD+ resolution and excellent color reproduction. There’s a 120Hz refresh rate that keeps everything silky smooth, and Samsung even added 2,600 nits of peak brightness, which is much brighter than the Z Flip 5’s 1,750-nit panel.

I also love the performance of this phone. Inside is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 12GB of RAM, and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. It’s fast. Whether you’re scrolling through Instagram, switching between your calendar and to-do list, playing games, or snapping photos like crazy, the Z Flip 6 will have no trouble keeping up.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs. Motorola Razr+ (2024): I’ve tested both and the winner isn’t so obvious

What I’d like to see Samsung work on is heat management. There’s very little room for companies to add the same ventilation and cooling systems as regular phones, so most foldables tend to get excessively hot even when you’re doing normal things like checking TikTok or sending emails. The Z Flip 6 is no exception; I’ve noticed it getting very hot quite often, both in the heat of summer and in my bedroom at 16 degrees. When you’re gaming, it can get even hotter.

The cameras are a step up from the Z Flip 5, but still fall short of what we expected. normal flagships I like most of the photos I’ve taken with the Z Flip 6; the new 50MP main camera captures more detail and sharpness than the Z Flip 5’s old 12MP sensor, and you can shoot full-resolution 50MP photos if you want to crop or print them out. Meanwhile, the 12MP, 123-degree ultra-wide camera works well during the day, but gets pretty dark and muddy at night with a lot of artificial light injected into it.

If you care about camera quality and want a foldable clamshell phone, the Z Flip 6 is the one to get. I compared some of the photos I took with the ones I took with the Razr Plus, and the difference is almost night and day. Colors are truer on Samsung’s phone, lighting is generally better, and you can take photos at night without any of them being unusable. Video quality is also better on the Z Flip 6 than on the Razr Plus.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: The foldable that most people should buy gets a key upgrade

Of course, the shooting experience remains unmatched with the Z Flip’s flexible form factor. Like other foldable phones, you can prop it up as a stand for hands-free photos, use the cover display as a second viewfinder, shoot video in classic handheld camcorder style, and more.

All of that experience is driven by software, which is solid on the Z Flip 6. The overall story is that it remains purely Samsung, with One UI 6.1 and its potpourri of features piled on top of Android 14. There are Edge panels, split-screen modes, a variety of customizable UI options, performance and battery optimization settings, and more, along with all the features that make foldables so unique. Samsung is also promising up to seven years of software updates on the Z Flip 6, meaning it’s falling in line with the direction the industry is headed.

Also: The Galaxy Watch Ultra convinced me to replace my Apple Watch in less than a week. Here’s why

Samsung also includes a list of AI Features The Flip 6, like its other 2024 flagships, includes contextual replies for messages on the cover screen, live translations, conversation recording, and automatic transcriptions. None of these features have been groundbreaking, but they’re nice to have and add a bit of flair to the experience. It’s only a matter of time before Samsung puts as much effort into this as Apple. iOS 18 with AIso let’s all enjoy it while it’s still free.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6’s battery can last a full day, as long as you’re careful. Samsung increased the battery size from 3,700mAh to 4,000mAh, allowing it to last into the later hours of the day, but this isn’t a two-day phone.

ZDNET’s buying advice

At $1,100, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 It’s easy to perceive this as “boring” or “overpriced,” especially when the Z Flip 5 was so similar and cost $100 less. However, chances are that no one who owns a Z Flip 5 is going to buy a Z Flip 6, and Samsung is banking on longer-term Flip customers or people who are new to foldables to spring for its latest flip-top model — and for those who do, they’ll get a pretty decent phone in return.

That said, the Motorola Razr Plus The Z Flip 6 is looming over it with its top-cover display, vegan leather design, and lower price. If you don’t mind giving up your ultra-wide camera (and don’t need seven years of software updates), you might want to consider buying the Razr Plus.