Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 hands-on: A losing battle
Something in the air feels off. As I stood there with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 in my hand, I couldn't help but think, "This feels familiar, but not in a good way." Then it hit me: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 reminds me a lot of the Motorola Razr Plus 2024—which just launched and is available now for preorder—but somehow, it might be a worse version of what Motorola has managed to pull off surprisingly well.
Is this it? Is this a world where Motorola is doing something better than Samsung? Is the Z Flip 6 already a flop? Did the Razr Plus 2024 really steal the Galaxy Z Flip 6's thunder? If a chicken had lips, could it whistle? While I still can't answer that last question, I can at least give you some insight into my thoughts on the others based on my limited hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, as the flip phone fight really heats up.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: It's the little things
This is a year of refinements for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip lineup after last year's model brought a welcome change for the cover screen. This year, Samsung stuck with a very similar design but with small changes that make the phone look and feel much more solid than its predecessor. For one, the frame is completely flat and now has a matte finish, which is quite nice and reminds me of the Motorola Razr Minus 2024.
Around the camera, Samsung added an accent to match the color of the phone, which is a nice touch to bring a bit more life to a mostly black cover panel. Unfortunately, the phone is still offered in pastel colors, which I don't really care about. I'm sure some of you like that. This year, you get Silver Shadow, yellow, blue, and Mint, which all look... okay. Samsung also has white and Peach colors exclusive to Samsung.com, but the real winner in my eyes is the Crafted Black, which I unfortunately did not get to see in person.
A very welcome hardware change is the inclusion of dust resistance, with the phone now sporting an IP48 rating, meaning you should have some peace of mind that the phone is a bit more durable in more situations.
The displays are pretty much the same, which is fine, but Samsung has put some work into the hinge to really improve the crease situation. I was surprised at just how minimal the crease was on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 display, especially since the crease on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 was just so massive and jarring. It almost feels as good as the Motorola Razr Plus 2024 display, and that's saying something.
What's not fine is that Samsung increased the PWM dimming rate on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy S24 but didn't include the Galaxy Z Flip 6. That means the Flip 6 still runs off the old 240Hz PWM rate which causes headaches and other problems in people sensitive to flickering lights.
Of course, you get a faster chipset, and now Samsung has paired it with 12GB of RAM, so the phone should be able to better handle on-device AI features à la Galaxy AI. Samsung showed off some interesting features, like a cool dual-screen interpreter mode that translates on the cover screen so the other person can see.
Messages also get suggested replies straight from the cover screen, and the FlexCam gets a new Center Stage-like feature that frames you in the photo as you move, zooming in and out as you move closer or further away. It doesn't work super well every time, but it's an interesting feature to find on the phone, and I want to test it out more to see just how useful it is.
I'm also curious to see if the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will last long enough for users to reap the benefits of the seven-year update promise, but Samsung says the hinge should last for some time, with it able to withstand as much as 200,000 folds.
Lastly, a change I appreciate is the upgraded 50MP primary camera sensor, which should offer 2x optical zoom, better low-light performance, and some integrated social features. Last year's model took decent images, so I'm expecting the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to impress me.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Same ole, same ole...
I didn't handle the Galaxy Z Flip 6 for very long, but I'm already annoyed with it. Samsung gave it all this cover screen, only to once again limit its use by not letting you access all your apps from it. Instead, the company wants to focus on the panels/widgets, which have received some upgrades like the new interactive and AI-generated wallpapers. Oh, and the resolution still hasn't changed, and it looks just as pixelated as its predecessor.
But even with the new features, I'm just not interested. The widgets are nice and all, but the cover screen experience is why I use phones like the new Razr Plus 2024, and being able to open my apps without opening my phone is a big plus. As a fan of flip phones, I can't help but be frustrated by the fact that Samsung continues to half-ass the cover screen experience by hiding it behind Labs or Good Lock.
Meanwhile, the Razr Plus 2024 not only offers a larger cover screen than before, but Motorola has also doubled down on the experience by improving its panels and even copying Samsung with some UI elements. So Samsung could easily have one of the best cover screen experiences around but is content with holding it back.
I'm going to have to play with it some more to see if any of the cover screen improvements really make a difference, but I'm not holding my breath.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: How much? Nope.
There are plenty of notable improvements with the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and so far, I quite like the design refinements. However, I'm not sure Samsung is doing itself any favors by charging $1100 for the cheapest model. After all, we've come to a time when foldables are getting cheaper and more attainable, an endeavor that was spearheaded by Samsung.
Motorola, on the other hand, has not only kept its latest flagship at the same $999 price, but it also launched the cheaper Razr 2024 with basically the same design and specs as last year's Razr Plus 2023. That phone is only $699.
There's no doubt the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will be a popular phone, but I'm curious to see how many people go after Motorola's flip phone duo, which offer similarly great specs for less.
But who knows, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, here. Maybe the Galaxy Z Flip 6 really is that good and worth the extra $100? You're always welcome to preorder it if you don't mind the price bump, as preorders start today, July 10, while the device goes on sale on July 24. If you do, you'll get the storage bump, meaning your 256GB model will miraculously turn into 512GB. That might be a good enough incentive for early buyers.
