A Comprehensive Review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Foldable phones have come a long way from being a novelty that simply attracted curious glances. They’ve now established themselves as a legitimate category in the smartphone market. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a prime example of this evolution, aiming to make a statement with a design that exudes an air of corporate sophistication, as if it’s tailor - made for the discerning CEO.
The device I received for review, with its flat edges and aluminum finish, gives an impression of having drawn inspiration from the iPhone 15 Pro. This design choice positions the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as an ultra - premium offering, and its price tag of $1,899 for the lowest - storage model reflects that status. But there’s far more to this phone than its exterior aesthetics. At its core, it’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the same chip that drives the Z Flip 6. This makes it a formidable device, capable of handling a wide range of tasks, from running graphics - intensive games to managing AI - driven workloads with ease.
Given its high price, it’s only natural that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a visually stunning gadget. Its squared - off edges and aluminum back give it an air of solidity and class, making it seem like a serious alternative to traditional smartphones such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 15.
However, the Z Fold 6 is far from a typical phone. When folded, it features a 6.3 - inch 968p display. But when unfolded, it reveals a full 7.6 - inch display that more closely resembles a tablet. Despite its folding mechanism, the device is not overly thick. When folded, it measures a mere 0.47 inches, and when unfolded, this thickness reduces to just 0.22 inches, without any sense of flimsiness.
This remarkable build quality is due to the extensive use of aluminum throughout the phone. Every component, from the backplate to the hinge, has been reinforced with this durable material. After using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 for a couple of weeks, I found myself not overly concerned about its durability. Even after a few accidental drops from my desk, it remained intact and functional.
The use of aluminum does make the phone somewhat hefty, weighing in at 239g. However, it’s worth noting that it’s actually lighter than its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, which tipped the scales at 253g. While the difference may seem small, it does result in a slightly less burdensome feel in your pocket.
On the side of the phone, you’ll find all the physical controls. There’s a volume rocker and a lock button that also functions as a fingerprint reader. These buttons offer a satisfying tactile feedback when pressed, a testament to the high - quality aluminum construction of the entire device. The fingerprint reader is both fast and accurate. However, I did find myself missing the in - screen fingerprint reader found on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. I can understand, though, that implementing such a feature in a foldable design like this might present some technical challenges.
At the bottom of the phone, you’ll locate the USB - C port and a speaker. For a device of this kind, the speaker performance is quite remarkable. It can produce a volume that’s more than sufficient to fill a room, and it doesn’t sacrifice bass quality. You can clearly hear all the elements of a song, although it may lack some of the more nuanced details that a good pair of headphones would provide.
The displays on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 are undoubtedly one of its main attractions. The device features two displays in total. There’s a 6.2 - inch sub - display that’s used when the phone is in its folded state. The other is a 7.6 - inch main display. The difference in size might not seem significant at first glance, but the aspect ratio is a crucial factor.
The folded - up display is a 968 x 2,376 AMOLED screen, with a 22:1.9 aspect ratio. It’s noticeably narrower than a standard smartphone display. Nevertheless, it’s quite suitable for activities such as scrolling through social media or sending text messages. The AMOLED panel’s brightness and color reproduction are excellent, ensuring that everything on the screen looks vibrant and appealing. However, when it comes to watching movies or playing games, the unusual aspect ratio can cause some issues.
Fortunately, the foldable nature of the device allows you to unfold it and access the 7.6 - inch AMOLED display. With a resolution of 2,160 x 1,856 and a 4:3 aspect ratio, this screen is truly a sight to behold. It has the same color depth and brightness as the smaller display but with a higher resolution. Content that’s optimized for this aspect ratio looks absolutely stunning.
There are certain applications that truly shine on this larger display. Reading comics, for example, is a particularly enjoyable experience. I often found myself unfolding the phone and opening the Marvel Unlimited app during my free time. This is something I rarely did on a regular phone, as tablets are generally more suitable for comics. After all, the Z Fold 6 is, in many ways, like a mini - tablet.
However, when it comes to loading games or movies with a native 16:9 aspect ratio, problems can arise. By default, many of the games I tested on the Fold 6 would stretch to fill the screen. Some games, like Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, were nearly unplayable in the 4:3 aspect ratio, as they simply weren’t designed with this type of screen in mind. You can adjust the full - screen behavior of individual apps through the settings, but the process isn’t very intuitive. I had to search through the display settings to find this option. While this might not be a big deal for those who are tech - savvy and don’t mind tinkering with their devices, it could be a source of frustration for others. Once you’ve overcome these minor annoyances, though, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers some of the most visually pleasing displays I’ve encountered on a phone. It’s just a pity that getting everything to display exactly as you want it to can be a bit of a hassle. The camera setup of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is another area of interest. It features a triple - camera design for the rear shooter, with the 50MP main lens being the star of the show. Over the course of about two weeks with the Z Fold 6, I was able to capture some incredibly detailed photos, even in low - light conditions at night. With a digital 30x zoom, I was even able to take clear shots of water towers on top of buildings in Manhattan. The phone also has two front - facing cameras, although their functionality is a bit different. When the phone is folded, there’s a 10MP shooter located under a cutout in the display. But when you unfold the phone, there’s a 4MP front - facing camera hidden behind the main display. The quality of the camera when the phone is unfolded is rather poor, and it’s advisable to use the folded - state camera for selfies instead. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is an extremely powerful device. Given its high cost and the ability to quickly switch between two high - resolution displays, it needs a significant amount of processing power.
In the Geekbench 6 tests, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 scored 6,157 points in the multi - core test and 1,765 points in the single - core test. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which has the same chipset, scored 6,215 and 2,170 points in the same tests. This shows that the Z Fold 6 performs within expectations, and the extra cooling provided by its larger chassis doesn’t seem to confer a significant performance advantage. Nevertheless, when compared to its predecessor, the Z Fold 6 shows a marked improvement in speed. The Z Fold 5 scored 5,025 points in Geekbench 6, representing a 22% increase in CPU performance from one generation to the next.
In the GFXBench Aztec Ruins test, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 was slightly slower, achieving 53 fps compared to the Z Flip 6’s 56 fps. While this difference is within the margin of error, it does suggest that you’re not necessarily getting a significant performance boost by opting for the more expensive foldable this time around. Despite this, the Z Fold 6 remains an incredibly powerful phone. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has more than enough muscle to handle any mobile application currently available, including demanding games like Zenless Zone Zero or Wuthering Waves. However, you may need to adjust the display settings to prevent these games from stretching to fit the large display. In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a device that offers a unique blend of features. Its foldable design, powerful performance, and impressive displays make it a standout option. However, it’s not without its drawbacks, such as the display aspect ratio issues and the less - than - ideal front - camera in tablet mode. But for those who value innovation and are willing to overlook these minor inconveniences, the Z Fold 6 could be a worthy investment.