Price, specs, features, all you need to know

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is finally official! This is the latest and greatest Flip foldable phone from the Korean brand, bringing several key upgrades to the table.

In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about the new smartphone. From pricing and specs to availability and alternatives, we’ve got you covered!

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip 6 on July 10 at its Unpacked event in Paris. This launch is a couple of weeks earlier than last year, when the event took place on July 26.

Price

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (12GB/256GB): $1,099.99 / £1,049
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (12GB/512GB): $1,219.99 / £1,149

The unlocked Galaxy Z Flip 6 will retail for a starting price of $1,099.99 in the US, making it $100 more than the Galaxy Z Flip 5 launch price. This model has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, but Samsung is also doubling your storage to 512GB at no cost as part of an early promotion.

It should go without saying at this stage, but the new Flip phone will also be available via Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and their various MVNOs. These carriers are expected to offer a variety of perks, trade-in offers, and other deals. So you should definitely take a look around before committing to a purchase.

In the UK? Then you’ll be paying £1,049 for the 12GB/256GB variant, while the 512GB model will set you back £1,149.

Availability and pre-orders

Samsung started pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Flip 6 on July 10, and open sales will start on July 24, 2024.

The good news is that Samsung’s foldables are more widely available than pretty much every other brand out there. This trend continues with the Galaxy Z Flip 6, so you should be able to buy it in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and other locales.

Colors

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 will be available in Blue, Mint, Silver Shadow, and Yellow color options. There are also a few Samsung-exclusive colors, namely Crafted Black, Peach, and White. It’s worth noting, though, that not all countries are guaranteed to get all color options.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 looks very similar to its predecessor but brings a few upgrades to the table. Here’s what you need to know.

Cameras

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 sees a major camera upgrade, jumping from the long-standing 12MP main shooter to a 50MP main camera. This sensor is in line with the Galaxy S24‘s 50MP main camera (one-micron pixels). Samsung says the new main camera enables 8K recording, but it also enables “optical-quality” 2x zoom via cropping.

Otherwise, that 50MP camera is still paired with a 12MP ultrawide lens. Samsung is also sticking with a 10MP selfie camera on the punch-hole cutout, but the cover display allows you to take selfies with the rear cameras too.

Speaking of selfies with the rear cameras, there’s now a handy Auto Zoom feature for these situations. This feature works with the cover screen in Flex Mode, detecting a subject and then automatically zooming in up to 3x.

Other camera features worth knowing include a Camcorder Grip capability (holding the phone like a camcorder), native camera app support in Instagram, and Instant Slow-Mo support. The latter means a long press on a video will show that clip in slow motion. The company adds that you can also save and share these resulting slow-motion clips, which apparently wasn’t possible on the Z Flip 5.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 has the same Flex Window cover screen as the Z Flip 5. Samsung says it’s bringing several nifty wallpaper features to this display, such as generative wallpaper functionality, an interactive wallpaper option that responds to touch and movement, and stylistic suggestions when choosing an image for your wallpaper (e.g. black-and-white).

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 also brings some Galaxy AI features to the smaller screen. This includes the Chat Assist option, Smart Reply, and a Conversation Mode feature. The latter feature is extremely similar to the Pixel Fold’s Interpreter Mode, translating your speech and displaying the translated text on the cover screen for the other party. Meanwhile, incoming speech is translated and displayed on the folding display.

Staying with AI, the new foldable also gains other smart features. These include Browsing Assist, Transcript Assist, Circle to Search, and a brand-new Drawing Assist function. The latter is somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft’s CoCreator feature, allowing you to scribble a drawing or write a prompt and then have AI bring it to life. But you’ll need an internet connection for this feature.

Performance

It’s no surprise to see that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, but it’s still a welcome addition. What is notable, however, is that we have a vapor chamber cooling system for the first time in the Z Flip series. That’s good news because Flip-style foldables are typically more susceptible to heating and throttling issues than conventional phones.

Another notable upgrade is that we’ve now got 12GB of RAM, as opposed to 8GB last year. Samsung is undoubtedly laying the groundwork for future Galaxy AI features, although this memory increase should also be a boon for multitasking.

In any event, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 should handle demanding games, video editing, and other advanced tasks just fine.

Expecting massive screen upgrades here? Well, you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment. Samsung is sticking with the same folder-shaped cover screen as the Z Flip 5, which means a 3.4-inch AMOLED 60Hz panel.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 folding screen doesn’t see any significant upgrades either. It’s still a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED screen with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate (down to 1Hz). We haven’t heard about any brightness or durability upgrades.

Design and build quality

Perhaps the biggest design-related upgrade is the switch to an IP48 rating after years of toting an IPX8 rating. It’s worth noting that the IP48 rating means it’s only protected against objects more than 1mm in size, so you’re not really getting a good level of dust resistance. But this is still a welcome move for durability.

Samsung adds that the foldable’s Armor Aluminum frame and hinge offer improved scratch resistance. Furthermore, the company says the Flip 6’s “folding edge” has enhanced resistance to pressure and sharp objects. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 also brings Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the cover screen and back — no anti-reflective Gorilla Armor on the outer display like the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Finally, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is rated for 200,000 folds and unfolds. That’s equivalent to 100 folds/unfolds daily for over five years.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 enjoys a battery capacity upgrade too, jumping from 3,700mAh to 4,000mAh. That puts it on par with the Galaxy S24.

Unfortunately, Samsung is sticking with 25W wired charging once again. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 took 75 to 80 minutes to fully charge with a smaller battery, so we’re not optimistic about charging times with the Z Flip 6. The device also doesn’t come with a charger, so you’ll need to buy a 25W+ USB-PD charger for the best speeds. Wireless charging and reverse wireless charging also return this time.

The combo of a larger battery and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip means that we’re expecting a meaningful increase in battery life. So if earlier Galaxy Z Flip phones had you plugging in overnight, you might only need to charge in the morning. But we’ll need to test the phone to know for sure.