Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 6 features notable upgrades across the board – but it comes with a starting price that will make you think twice.
Samsung is already on the sixth iteration of its Galaxy Z Flip, and by now, we’ve all grown familiar with folding phones, what they’re capable of, and what their unusual form factors bring to the table. The Z Flip 6 is the most polished clamshell we’ve seen thus far. Compared to the Z Flip 5, Samsung has changed very little, with only a handful of features to market the new model with.
Samsung doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time it ships a new folding phone, but there’s been room for improvement on the Z Flip’s design for a while. On the Z Flip 6, Samsung switched back to matte aluminum sides instead of glossy like on the Z Flip 5, which I appreciate.
The new Z Flip also has an IP48 rating, marking the first time one of the company’s folding phones has offered any certified form of dust protection. The hinge has also been strengthened, resulting in a shallower crease along the middle of the display.
Here’s the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s cover display next to the larger display on Motorola’s Razr Plus (2024).
These improvements are nice to see, but are by no means monumental. I would’ve loved to see a bigger cover display; Samsung upped the ante last year when it swapped the Flip 4’s 1.9-inch cover display for a 3.4-inch panel on the Flip 5. The Flip 6 carries that same larger screen on the outside, but it’s dwarfed by the much cooler-looking 4-inch panel on the 2024 Razr Plus.
Not only does Motorola’s display stretch to each edge and behind the cameras, but it also lets you run any app you want, so you rarely need to open the phone to do quick things like respond to a text. On the Z Flip 6, you’re limited to the panels and widgets Samsung gives you access to, which makes the experience far less useful than Motorola’s.
Naturally, I found myself opening the Z Flip 6 display a lot, but that’s not a bad thing.
