Smartphone reviewSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: The innovations are in the AI
Smartphone review
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: The innovations are in the AI
Samsung is launching a new model of its foldable phone, which looks identical to the previous model and includes a few upgrades. The main innovations come in new AI capabilities - does it warrant an upgrade?
Top Line
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 doesn't innovate much but remains a compact, lightweight, and comfortable device - it's simply more convenient to carry a thin, folded device in your pocket instead of a large one that obviously takes up more space. Those who have not used such a device regularly still have to get used to the way it is used - at first, I repeatedly opened it to check if I missed a message, but you can see notifications even when it is folded.
The new Flip is a good device for those who want to switch to a foldable device, but it does not offer a perfect package. Those who bought Flip 5 will not find convincing reasons to upgrade here, and it is possible that some of the new features will come later as a software update, as already happened with Galaxy AI launched with the S24.
Details
This is how the review of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 began last year: "Foldable smartphones are a kind of child prodigy - on the one hand, they have been with us for several years, there are several manufacturers that offer different models and several generations of the devices have been released. On the other hand, they still occupy a relatively small market share and look like a wonderful technological innovation - it folds!"
Not much has changed in this regard - the market share of foldable devices is still relatively small, and the new generation of devices, which Samsung is launching these days, also does not include exciting innovations. In recent years, there has been a feeling that there are no longer major innovations in smartphones, and now it seems that even the foldable ones have hit a wall. What does the new Flip 6 offer anyway? We took it in for testing.
Structure and design: a little thinner and more durable
As I wrote last year, "Basically, the new model hasn't changed much from the previous generation." This is still true. Samsung managed to shave a few millimeters off the device's thickness, and the weight remains unchanged at 187 grams. Like last year, "it's a similar weight and even lower than some regular devices, meaning they don't fold, and it doesn't feel heavy."
The new Flip is very thin when open, and even when folded, it is relatively thin - the fractions of millimeters that Samsung managed to shave off are noticeable here. The gap that used to be between the screens when folded is gone, and they now stick together.
The external screen, which was the most prominent and successful change at the launch last year, remains a very successful addition. You can use some applications even when the device is folded. Samsung still stands by the promise that the phone's mechanism will withstand 200,000 folds, and it feels stable and high quality.
The protection of the device has undergone a slight upgrade, meeting the IP48 standard: the glass is still Gorilla Victus 2, the device should still survive a 30-minute immersion in fresh water at a depth of up to 1.5 meters, and now there is also protection against dust grains. Despite this, when the device was first activated, a message appeared saying that it is sensitive to sand and should be kept away from it.
The fingerprint reader is located in the power button, as in the previous model, and is available both when the device is open and when it is folded. It works great and quickly recognizes the user.
Hardware: upgrade required
There are some changes in this area, but they are quite standard: the processor was upgraded from Snapdragon 8 Generation 2 to Snapdragon 8 Generation 3, the memory was upgraded from 8 gigabytes to 12, and the camera was replaced - instead of 12 megapixels, there is now a 50-megapixel sensor.
Overall, this is a strong specification, and the performance accordingly - every action is performed quickly and smoothly. The Flip 6 copes with games without a problem, though it gets a little warm, especially in the upper part where the external screen is located.
It seems as if with each generation of the Flip, the fold line between the screens is disappearing a little more. Last year, it was barely noticeable, and this year the situation has even improved a bit. When you run your finger over it, you physically feel the fold, but when using the device, you hardly notice it. In the first few days, it was really invisible; after a few days of use and a few folds, it stood out a little more (depending on the angle at which you look at it), but not to the level that interferes with using the device.
The battery has also received a slight upgrade, from a capacity of 3,700 mAh last year to 4,000 today. It was enough for a full working day, with about 20-25% left in the battery by the end - an improvement over last year's situation. Charging is still relatively slow, especially compared to Chinese competitors: Samsung remains with wired charging at 25 watts. This is enough to charge from 15% to 50% in 25 minutes, and a full charge requires more than an hour.
Brightness was excellent last year, and that didn't stop Samsung from boosting it to 2,600 nits. This means that the excellent display of the screen is clear even in sunlight.
Software: The AI gets new capabilities
The Flip 6 comes with Android 14 and Samsung's familiar One UI interface, where some of the more notable innovations in the new foldable models lie.
Samsung integrated into the device all the Galaxy AI capabilities launched in the S24 series, which have already reached the previous model through a software update. These capabilities include summarizing articles and texts, transcribing recordings, translating phone calls in real-time, adding slow motion to videos, and editing details in photos.
New capabilities are added to all of these: you can draw a simple sketch and let the system turn it into a drawing, a 3D drawing, or another style. The system offers several options from which you can choose, and you can also go back and change to another style. It's a nice gimmick that can also become a useful tool in some cases.
In the photo editing application, things are more serious and a little disturbing or scary: you can freely draw on the image, and the system will turn this drawing into a real item that fits into the photograph. I sketched something that should look like a chair, and it didn't turn out very well in my opinion, but the AI understood what it was, added a chair to the picture, and suggested several different styles of chairs. I sketched what was supposed to be a scooter, and it was identified as a scooter, looking completely realistic. It also worked with a bike, a hat on a subject's head - the sky's the limit. When I added a bottle next to the cameraman, the system even placed it under his hand, but here the familiar distortions in AI systems appeared, making the hand look unrealistic.
After each such change, a line is pasted on the image indicating it has been edited using AI, but the image can easily be cropped without a trace of this note. It can be used as just a game but shows the ability to create a quality fake with ease.
In addition to these additions, the use of the capabilities you get thanks to the folding and external screen remains - you can choose to display some applications on the external screen, an option that is in the settings menu and is not enabled by default. For example, you can use WhatsApp fully on the small screen, and even watch YouTube or Netflix - but it's not that practical. You can split the display on the internal screen between the top and the bottom (another shortcut hidden in the settings) - yes, it also exists in normal devices, but here it is still a little different because of the folding.
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Above: free sketching on a photo. Below: the image after processing the drawing using AI
(Photo: scrrenshot)
Camera: Zoom will follow you automatically
The main camera has been upgraded to 50 megapixels, but still without optical zoom. You can reach X10 zoom, but only digital, affecting the image quality. It produces good pictures in good lighting conditions when viewed from a distance. However, when you start enlarging and cropping the images, you quickly discover they are actually blurry. Even in night mode, the images look fine at a cursory glance but are not sharp when enlarged.
You can use the external screen to show your subjects what you see before taking the picture. When the device is folded and you use the camera for a selfie, you can choose several effects in portrait mode - background blur, bokeh, black and white photography, and more.
There is also an innovation here - automatic zoom. When the phone is folded and placed on a surface, the camera detects your position and adjusts the shooting angle. This feature is only relevant for taking still photos and is not available in video mode - one can hope this will change in the next model.
