Commentary: Samsung’s next flip phone could benefit from new AI features, a better camera and longer battery life.
Samsung’s next flip phone could benefit from new AI features, a better camera and longer battery life.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s spacious cover screen and sleeker build made it feel like a big upgrade from the Z Flip 4. But there are still plenty of ways I’d like to see Samsung improve its next foldable phone, which will presumably be called the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Samsung’s flip phones have come a long way since the first Z Flip launched in 2020, but I’m still hoping to see longer battery life and upgraded cameras that are more comparable to those in the Galaxy S series. What’s most important, though, is improving the software. The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cover screen, with its glanceable widget-like interface and ability to run full apps, is a promising step forward.
But Samsung could push the software experience further with more features that are designed specifically for the Z Flip. Combine that with a less noticeable crease — and all the other routine upgrades phones typically get, like a new processor — and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could be the phone to beat.
Samsung typically releases new foldable phones during its Unpacked summer event, and we’re expecting that to once again be the case this year. Reports from SamMobile and The Chosun Daily suggest Samsung’s new foldables could be announced on July 10.
Here’s what I think Samsung should do to make the Galaxy Z Flip 6 truly stand out.Unique (and useful) software features
The Z Flip 5 has a beautiful big cover screen.
Samsung clearly knows software is almost as important as the hardware when it comes to foldable phones. It’s why Flex mode, which splits apps between the top and bottom portions of the screen when folded halfway, has been part of the Z Flip from the very beginning. Since then, Samsung has gradually expanded what the Z Flip’s software can do.
In 2022, for example, it introduced the ability to use the bottom half of the screen as a mouse pad for easy navigation while in Flex mode. And in 2023, the Z Flip got a significantly larger cover screen, which makes the phone more useful when closed.
These additions are certainly welcome improvements, and the cover screen helps make a stronger case for a phone that folds in half. But overall, there’s a lot more Samsung could be doing with the Z Flip’s software. Flex mode makes apps usable when the phone is folded halfway, but it doesn’t necessarily create a compelling enough reason to buy a foldable phone in the first place.
Samsung’s Z Flip phones can split app interfaces between the top and bottom portions of the screen for easier control.
As for what Samsung should be doing with the Z Flip’s software, that’s a question I don’t have the answer to yet. But now that Samsung is presumably focusing more on software thanks to the arrival of Galaxy AI, there’s plenty of opportunity.
As I wrote when I reviewed the Galaxy S24 Ultra, I think Samsung missed an opportunity by not developing specific Galaxy AI features just for the Ultra — perhaps those that take advantage of the S Pen. The same could be said about Samsung’s flip phone. Galaxy AI features that are specifically tailored to the Z Flip’s unique folding display could go a long way in helping Samsung’s foldable stand out, especially as it faces more competition from companies like Motorola and Oppo.
Won-Joon Choi, executive vice president and head of the research and development office for Samsung’s mobile experience business, hinted that the company could customize certain Galaxy AI features depending on the device in the future.
