Sensing a lot of activity in the foldable smartphone category, Samsung is back with a revised portfolio for its Galaxy Z series. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 take the baton from their predecessors, upholding Generative AI as the key appeal. In a market where competition comes from similarly priced rivals from Motorola, Vivo and OnePlus, Samsung is relying on its strengths to keep hold of the folding phone market.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 brings a host of improvements that made its predecessor suffer. A new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset finds its way under the hood to not only boost raw performance but aid Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite. The Galaxy Z Fold 6, on the other hand, goes for a major redesign this year to up its ante against all the freshly emerged competition from Chinese brands.
Whether you choose the Flip 6 or Fold 6, Samsung guarantees a quality Android phone enriched with Generative AI features at every step of your user experience. But, if you had to choose between the Flip 6 and Fold 6, which of these should you pick up?
That’s what our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 comparison intends to help you find out.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6: Specifications and beyond
Note that our comparison is based on all the published information from Samsung’s press sources. We are yet to get hands-on with these 2024 foldable phones.
Design
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 retains its now-iconic clamshell design with a folder-shaped cover screen. Thanks to all the refinements in the dimensions, the Flip 6 is lighter and slimmer. The new hinge and a stronger flexible glass material on the main display allow Samsung to reduce the crease. The accents around the camera lenses match the corresponding colourway, thereby giving the Flip 6 a subtle yet trendy presence while masking the thicker bezels around the cover display.
When folded shut, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is easier to carry in the pocket.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 adheres to the book-style foldable design. The Titanium fame allows Samsung to drastically reduce the weight over its predecessor, making it a pleasant phone. The adjustment in aspect ratio along with slimmer bezels means that the Fold 6 feels more identical to a conventional slab phone. The stylised accents around the rear camera hump make the Fold 6 draw attention.
While the design and form factor preference solely depends on an individual, we’d prefer the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for its practical approach to a foldable phone.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
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Display
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 unfolds to reveal an ever-stunning 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a variable refresh rate of 1Hz-120Hz and up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness. For regular usage, this display panel is all that most users may ever need. However, to help with productivity while the phone is folded shut, Samsung provides a 3.6-inch Super AMOLED cover display with a fixed refresh rate of 60Hz. It can run miniature versions of a few apps as well as serve as a viewfinder for the primary cameras.
Being the productivity powerhouse, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 boasts a massive 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display with 1Hz-120Hz variable refresh rate and up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness. Similar to its predecessors, it still features an under-display camera for video calling. Other than being used as a mini compact tablet, the S-Pen stylus compatibility allows for more productivity on the move. When the expansive main display isn’t needed, you can fold it shut to rely on the comparatively compact 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 1Hz-120Hz variable refresh rate.
Courtesy of its properly usable cover screen and a gigantic tablet-sized foldable main display, our choice is once again the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Performance
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 rely on Qualcomm’s beastly 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset – the same chip that powers the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Both phones are equipped with a vapour cooling chamber to keep the thermal throttling in check. Running the latest version of Samsung’s One UI 6 based on Android 14, both the Flip 6 and Fold 6 flaunt Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite of Gen-AI features.
As is the norm with 2024 Samsung flagships, they both are eligible for Samsung’s industry-leading OS update policy promising seven major Android upgrades and regular security patches.
While the difference in performance between these two handsets is negligible on paper, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with its bigger main display allows for multitasking. It is almost as practical as a Windows laptop, especially with its taskbar and multi-window interfaces. The S Pen stylus support only adds to the convenience. The Galaxy Z Flip 6, in comparison, is as practical as a regular Samsung Galaxy S24.
Hence, for this round, our vote goes to the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Cameras
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 features a dual-camera system on the back, consisting of a new 50-megapixel wide sensor and an updated 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor. Compared to its predecessor, the new model’s camera offers 2x digital lossless zoom. The Galaxy AI also enabled automatic zooming while taking a selfie with the main camera. This setup promises good-quality photos in most lighting conditions. The 10-megapixel front-facing camera remains unchanged, promising decent-quality selfies and video calls.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 boasts a more versatile triple-camera system on the back. It includes a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom capability. This camera system is better for capturing good-quality photos and videos. For selfies and video calls, you get a 10-megapixel shooter on the cover display and a 4-megapixel under-display sensor on the main display.
While none of these phones are meant to appease shutterbugs, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is still the better camera of the two with more focal length versatility. That said, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a close second with its upgraded optics.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Battery
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 relies on an upgraded 4,000 mAh battery, which along with the more efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip promises a multifold improvement in stamina. Samsung has given the Flip 6 the ability to support its 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. Although it might seem inadequate, the phone should be able to top up its battery in less than an hour.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 packs a slightly larger 4400mAh battery to offset its larger display and additional power needs. Similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, it should comfortably last a full day on a single charge, with moderate to heavy usage. The 25W wired and 15W wireless charging solution remains standard.
Winner: Tie
Price
This is the only aspect where the Galaxy Z Flip 6 commands a huge (and crucial) advantage over the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The base variant of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 with 256GB storage costs THB 42,900. If you pay THB 47,900, you can get your hands on the 512GB storage variant.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6, on the other hand, starts at a hefty THB 63,900 for the 256GB variant. The 512GB variant will set you back by THB 68,900 whereas the top-end 1TB variant costs a whopping THB 78,900.
Winner: Galaxy Z Flip 6
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6: Our verdict
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Being the better-equipped phone of the two, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a no-brainer pick. Its larger displays are the sole reason the Fold 6 makes more sense, especially for someone who prioritises productivity and practicality over everything else. The more versatile camera system and the S Pen support make it ideal as an all-rounder.
That said, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is ideal for those who prioritise a pocketable design, a fine balance between performance and camera quality and a more earthly price tag suited for mere mortals. If productivity isn’t the utmost necessity, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 might be a more sensible pick.
Pro tip: Last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 continues to sell as a more affordable alternative to the Flip 6 and could be an even better deal for first-time foldable buyers.
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(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Samsung)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a funkier design as compared to the stately-looking Galaxy Z Fold 6. While the design and form factor preference solely depends on an individual, we prefer the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for its practical approach to a foldable phone.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 starts at THB 42,900 whereas the the Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at THB 63,900.
