Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: splurges on power, skimps on excitement

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: One-minute review

If this year’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 prove anything, it's that Samsung knows foldable phones better than anybody. While competitors fashion plastic with bright colors and sacrifice performance for lower prices, Samsung has instead created the most polished and refined foldable phones you can buy, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 may be one of Samsung’s most thoughtful phones ever.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 ships in its unfolded state, and when I first withdrew my review unit from its package, I hesitated to fold it. It looks so straight and rigid, in a way that speaks to its durability and precision design. Most people I hand the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to don’t suspect that it’s a foldable phone until I tell them to bend it. 

The Z Flip 6’s crease is still visible, though more slight than ever, and the overall fit and finish of this phone are excellent, beyond my expectations for a Samsung handset. When the Z Flip 6 is open it looks perfect, like an iPhone 15 Pro in the best way. But it’s not a copy; it’s a competitor. Samsung wanted its latest flip phone to blend in, and it blends with the best. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is cautious compared to its newest flip phone competitor, the Motorola Razr 2024. The Galaxy has a smaller cover display than the Razr Plus; you can’t do as much with it. 

That cautious approach includes Galaxy AI, believe it or not. I’ve seen AI on myriad new phones, and we’re getting closer to Apple’s launch of Apple Intelligence in the year ahead. Some of the best AI features can be found in Samsung’s Galaxy. Samsung gets right what Google and others don’t, like writing style suggestions, and scene optimization in the cameras.

Samsung’s AI approach lets users have fun with unique features and experiment with the future. That’s the best of Samsung’s product philosophy, and it’s what makes Samsung phones so appealing to tech enthusiasts.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 has incredible strengths and predictable weaknesses. This phone is remarkably powerful. In our slew of benchmark tests the Z Flip 6 topped the iPhone 15 Pro Max in multi-core performance. It beat the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro in some gaming tests. The bigger Galaxy Z Fold 6 has no performance edge over the smaller Z Flip 6.

Because it’s a foldable flip phone, the Z Flip 6 falls short on the cameras, especially compared to the iPhone. Battery life also wasn’t impressive, perhaps because Samsung opted for the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ‘for Galaxy’ chipset that delivers such satisfying power. Durability is better this year, but that IP48 rating does not mean this phone is dust-resistant, so you still need to be extra careful with the foldable display. There’s no DeX support to make this phone a virtual laptop, but you can connect it to an external display.

Even with those drawbacks, I enjoyed using most of Samsung’s best smartphone tricks, the same features found on the Galaxy S24 family. This phone will also get seven years of major Android OS updates, which is a huge vote of confidence from Samsung, especially for a foldable phone. Samsung is committed to supporting this phone until 2031, presumably through Android 21. That’s a big commitment.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6’s biggest problem is that Samsung has missed a major opportunity with this flip phone. There is barely a reason for the cover display to exist.

With the Galaxy Z Flip 6 closed, I can’t use AllTrails, or my Philips Wiz smart bulb controls, or my Roku TV remote. In fact, I can use exactly five apps, including Google Maps and… Netflix? Most users won’t use any apps on the cover screen, because the feature is buried deep under a Settings menu called ‘Labs.’

Is the anemic cover display a big deal? To me, it is, but I still think there are reasons to choose the Galaxy Z Flip 6. It’s more durable than ever before, according to Samsung. The software is professional-grade, with better multi-tasking and extensive control over every feature.

Galaxy AI is more capable than Moto AI, and its long-term future, accompanied by those seven years of Android updates, looks brighter. That said, those reasons are kind of boring compared to the Razr’s bright, humongous cover display that can do anything, even play Doom.

The good news is that Samsung could improve the Galaxy Z Flip 6 some day. It could free that cover display from its constraints and make it much more useful. When that happens, the Z Flip 6 will be the undeniable flip foldable to buy. Until then, the choice is between Flip power and Razr fun. I wish it were easier.

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Price and availability

• Costs $1,099.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,799 for 256GB storage / 12GB RAM
• That’s $100 / AU$150 more expensive than the Galaxy Z Flip 5

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 sits at a strange position in Samsung’s lineup. It costs only US$100 / AU$100 more than the Galaxy S24 Plus (but £50 less in the UK?), and of course Samsung is offering deals at launch that could get you 512GB of storage for the 256GB price. You don’t need that much storage unless you record a lot of video, but you might as well take it if you can get it. 

If you’ve heard tech geeks say that nobody pays full price for a Samsung, this launch shows what we mean. In the US, UK, and Australia, Samsung is offering bonuses if you trade in your old phone. In the US, at least, it doesn’t matter what phone you have; Samsung will give you at least $200 for any smartphone. In Australia, a qualifying phone will earn you AU$150 on top of the phone’s trade-in value if you trade it for a Z Flip 6.

Compare that to Apple, which will tell you where you can recycle your fancy old Samsung or Pixel phone if it isn’t one of the anointed few it accepts as a trade. 

The money you’ll pay for a Galaxy Z Flip 6 would land you somewhere between the price of an iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in the US and UK (the Flip 6 is cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro in Australia). Apple’s Pro iPhone used to have a clear advantage, but as you’ll see in our performance section, the gap is closing significantly. 

The competition Samsung should worry about is the Motorola Razr Plus 2024, but not today. Today, the Razr Plus 2024 costs $999.99 / £999.99 / AU $1,699, which beats Samsung by just a bit, but I expect Moto will offer steeper discounts in the future, or maybe offer bundles with earbuds from Bose, Motorola’s new best friend.

Is the Galaxy Z Flip 6 worth more than the Razr Plus 2024? The Razr Plus has a larger cover display, but that’s its only real hardware advantage. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is more durable and much more powerful, and Samsung’s seven years of software updates is no joke. Those are features worth paying for.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Specs

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, a bespoke engine that Qualcomm overclocks just for Samsung. You get slightly better performance on the prime processing core, as well as a graphics bump in the GPU, both of which are welcome enhancements to an already powerful processor. 

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset is the fastest platform for Android phones. The Z Flip 6 cameras are a big step up from the Galaxy Z Flip 5, but I was hoping for a Galaxy Z Flip 6 Ultra, or specs closer to Samsung’s mighty Galaxy S24 Ultra flagship camera phone. The battery in the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is 4,000mAh total, and that’s divided into two cells, also thanks to the foldable design. 

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Design

• Not trying to be cool; maybe trying to be an iPhone
• Sadly, IP48 rating does not mean it’s dust resistant

For better or worse, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, when it’s open, looks like every other phone. The design is refined and brutalist – the edges are sharp and angular like concrete, which gives a solid impression of the slab when you hold it flat. You can still see the crease, mostly when it catches and bends the lights around you, but at first you won’t notice it’s there. 

The Z Flip 6 feels very durable. The hinge feels strong and sturdy, and you can easily bend the phone to any angle you choose and it will stay in place. It feels secure like a door on a submarine: it’s made to last under pressure.

The Z Flip 6 gets a new IP48 rating, which is better than the IPX8 rating on last year’s Z Flip 5, right? Yes and no. That first number (4) doesn’t just stand for dust and dirt protection, it tells us the level of protection from any physical objects. The second number (8) stands for the level of fresh water protection.

An IP48 rating means the phone can withstand physical objects that are larger than 1mm. Thick wires won’t get tangled in the hinge, but hair and lint, as well as dirt and dust, could cause problems, so keep your Flip safe and clean. At least it’s totally water resistant, so you can clean it under the tap if you’d like. It can survive a dunk in water up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes.

My Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the lovely Blue option, and it’s one of the nicest shades of blue I’ve seen on a smartphone. It’s light and summery. Samsung has chosen brighter shades for its flip foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a glass back, which gives the colors more depth and shine than Motorola’s plastic ‘vegan’ leather. These colors look dazzling.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Display

• Inner display is as big as a Galaxy S24 Plus
• Cover display is too small

The coolest thing about flip foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is that you get one of the biggest smartphone screens you can buy, on a phone that fits in your front pocket. The Z Flip 6 has a 6.7-inch display – so does the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. 

That’s the appeal of flip foldables: a screen as big as Apple’s biggest iPhone, but thinner, lighter, and you can fold it in half. The Z Flip 6 is 34 grams lighter (more than an ounce!) than the biggest titanium iPhone, and it’s also 1.4mm thinner (16%!) when it’s open. To be fair, the iPhone is wider, so you get more screen real estate.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 display is very nice, but it’s not the nicest screen you’ll find on a smartphone, not even on a flip phone. While it’s the same size as the Galaxy S24 Plus, Samsung’s flat phone has a higher resolution, which means a sharper display. 

The Motorola Razr Plus has an inner display that is bigger and brighter than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, and it also runs up to 165Hz refresh rate, which is slightly faster than the Z Flip 6, though the difference is barely noticeable to my eyes.

The real showstopper on today’s best flip phones is the cover display, but Samsung’s cover screen is a bit conservative. It’s only 3.4-inches, which is just large enough for a full keyboard, but messaging on the cover screen isn’t easy. I use a pattern to unlock my phone, and the pattern dots were shrunk enough that I had more trouble unlocking the phone from the cover screen.

The Motorola Razr Plus 2024 offers a display that is 4-inches big, more than twice the resolution of Samsung’s cover screen, with a refresh rate up to 165Hz, compared to the 60Hz Galaxy Z Flip 6 cover. Even the cheaper Motorola Razr 2024 gives you a larger cover display with better resolution than the Samsung Z Flip.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Software

• Samsung’s interface menus feel complicated
• Galaxy AI is currently the best suite of AI features on a smartphone

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is loaded with features, and I encourage fans to explore. Make sure to set up Edge Panels, a useful toolkit that includes app shortcuts, weather widgets, and hardware tools like a compass, surface level, and an actual ruler. Then download Good Lock from the Galaxy Store for a taste of Samsung’s software developer skunkworks. 

Actually, for the first time ever with a Samsung phone I’m asking why there isn’t… more software?! Why doesn’t the Galaxy Z Flip 6 have every cool Samsung trick? Why is there no DeX support, which would turn this tiny foldable into a tiny laptop? I know it isn’t a feature everybody uses, but Samsung fans will tell you that DeX is a game changer. 

Why can’t I launch more apps on the cover display? If you dig into Settings > Advanced features > Labs menu, you can choose which apps are allowed to launch on the cover screen, but right now you can only enable Google Maps, Messages, Netflix, WhatsApp, and YouTube. That’s it!? Not even SmartThings or Google Home to control my lights? And why is this feature buried in a scary-sounding Settings menu called ‘Labs’ that nobody with any sense of caution would ever touch? The Galaxy Z Flip 6 deserves better than this. 

I tested the Galaxy Z Flip 6 on AT&T’s network in the US, with a review unit provided by AT&T. Network performance was fantastic, but when you buy a carrier version of a Samsung phone you get carrier software that you can’t remove easily. It didn’t bother me, and it never affected performance, but if you’re bothered by bloat you may want to buy an unlocked model, even if it means missing out on aggressive carrier discounts. 

How aggressive? AT&T will give you a Galaxy Z Flip 6 for free, and you can pay only $0.99 more per month to get a Galaxy Watch 7, then add a Galaxy Tab A9 Plus tablet for an additional $0.99, if you are willing to sign up for a three-year payment plan.

Three years isn’t so long when you consider the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will receive major Android OS and security updates for the next seven years, just like the Galaxy S24 series and Google Pixel 8 family. This is a wonderful new development in the world of Android, and I’m watching closely to make sure phone makers don’t waver from this promise. It shows great confidence in the phones on the part of manufacturers, in terms of performance and hopefully also build quality – after all, if a phone is going to get updates for seven years, the hardware needs to last that long.

At the very least, there should be support and repair options available for longer, but I also hope that this longevity will improve the resale value of Android phones, especially high-ticket devices like this Galaxy Z Flip 6. Time will tell.

• Software score: 3 / 5

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Cameras

• Sorry, flip phone cameras are never going to be impressive
• <Sigh> It has great photo editing, so let’s be happy with that

I was holding out hope for a Galaxy Z Flip 6 Ultra, but it didn’t happen. The 50MP main camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is certainly an upgrade over last year’s 12MP specs, but the photos still aren’t going to win any awards. Even the basic Galaxy S24 takes better photos than this.

Maybe it’s time to give up hoping that foldable phone cameras will match the best camera phones. They are never going to be that great – the camera physics just doesn't work. A great camera phone needs room: for a larger sensor, between the sensor and the lens, and for zoom elements. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is an improvement over what came before, but it doesn’t have the best camera, and a flip foldable phone won’t ever take photos as good as a flat flagship phone from the same era. 

That doesn’t mean the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a bad camera, not at all! The photos it takes look good, especially outdoor shots on a sunny day, and Samsung’s Food mode is the most delectable in all of smartphone photography.

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Even better, if you’re creative, you can find fun new angles to set up your camera, since the phone sits nicely while folded and lets you aim with the front cover screen. Wave at the camera, or turn on the voice controls, and you can shoot without touching the buttons. You can also use the phone like an old-school camcorder with the screen half-closed.

Frankly, Motorola does it all a bit better on the Razr 2024 camera. Motorola has the same gesture controls for taking photos, and its camera offers a 2X zoom, which makes better close-up portrait photos when your phone is sitting farther away. Motorola’s camcorder mode also starts recording right away so you don’t miss a moment, and it offers simplified controls for no-look shooting.

There’s not much versatility in the cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. There is a wide-angle main camera and an ultra-wide lens, and that’s all. Motorola wisely opted for a 2x zoom lens on the Razr Plus, instead of an ultra-wide lens like you’ll find on the Samsung Flip, and the zoom offers very nice portrait shots. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 takes better photos of large groups and cityscapes, while the Razr takes better portraits and candid photos.

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Aside from the lack of zoom, the cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 just aren’t great. The Flip was able to focus clearly and quickly, but shots were often dramatically oversaturated, a longtime Samsung camera behavior. Skies are rendered deep blue, which is pleasant, but if you take a selfie in front of some colored lights you’ll end up looking cel-shaded like an animated character.

Samsung has AI image-editing tools similar to what you’ll find on a Google Pixel phone, with some unique additions. The new Sketch to Image feature is fascinating, although it’s better suited to the larger screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 6; I could rarely get the phone to recognize the scribbles I drew on the smaller Flip screen. When it did work, though, the results were extraordinary.

I added horns to my child and a halo above my head, and the horns look realistic. The phone added hair around the horns where they sprout from his head, and the hair color matches perfectly. I added a bird to a telephoto shot I took with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and you can’t tell which bird is the original and which is the AI addition. Samsung’s Galaxy AI even adds proper shadows, and matches the focus to the surroundings.

One problem I have with photo editing on the Z Flip 6 is that there are two photo gallery apps. There’s Samsung’s Gallery, which offers the Sketch to Image tools and other enhanced editing features. There’s also Google Photos, where you can find Google’s Magic Editor, Photo Unblur, and other Google AI tools. This is just something you have to accept about Android. Google doesn’t share its toys nicely with the phone makers, so persistent phone makers like Samsung make duplicate apps to include the features they want.

• Camera score: 3 / 5

Galaxy Z Flip 6 camera samples

Here are camera samples taken in Paris by our Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff, and in the New York City area by me. 

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Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Performance

• Outstanding benchmarks from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
• Performance is so good I wish it did more

The Snapdragon winning streaking continues with the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which performed exceedingly well in my real-world tests as well as in Future Labs benchmarks. By the numbers, the Z Flip 6 is one of the fastest Android phones you can buy. It beat the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in many benchmark runs, which isn’t a shock since both phones use the same chipset and the same amount of RAM. 

So why does the Galaxy Z Fold 6 have features that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 lacks? For example Samsung DeX, the desktop environment that opens when you plug your phone into a monitor, mouse and keyboard. You can do this with the Fold 6 and with every Galaxy S24-series phone, but you can’t run DeX from the Galaxy Z Flip 6. That makes no sense. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 should have more than enough power to run any app on the cover screen, but for some reason this is a ‘Labs’ feature that’s buried under the Settings, then under ‘Advanced features.’ And even if you find this feature, you can only run a small handful of apps. 

My problem with this wasted potential is that Samsung is using a ‘for Galaxy’ Snapdragon that’s maxed out beyond normal Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 performance. If Samsung is going to give us so much power, I’d like to see it put to good use.

As I’ve mentioned, I tested the Galaxy Z Flip 6 on AT&T’s 5G network in the US, using a review sample provided by AT&T. Network performance was incredible. Using the Speedtest app, I regularly saw network speeds in excess of 500Mbps. To compare, my home Wi-Fi connection, which I use for all of my work video meetings, TV streaming, and online multiplayer gaming, never tops 200Mbps.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Battery

• Disappointing battery life, maybe due to the overpowered processor
• Many competing phones last longer and charge faster

Battery life was a bit disappointing on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. In Future Lab tests, we got between 10 and 11 hours of runtime.

How much do you sacrifice by choosing a phone that bends? Other flat phones the same size as the Galaxy Z Flip 6 ran longer. Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max lasts more than 14 hours in our tests, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus lasts even longer, with almost 17 hours of run time in our battery testing. 

In my real-world testing, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 had trouble lasting through an intense day of usage. On the weekend, when I had more time to top up the battery, I didn’t mind. On work days, when I rely on the phone during my long train ride to and from New York City, I needed to charge before dinner, or else it wouldn’t be awake to read me bedtime stories. 

I was also disappointed with the charging speeds I got with the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The phone can charge at 45W, in theory, but in 30 minutes of charging, my battery usually only filled to 55%. With the same 45W charger, the Galaxy S24 Plus charged to 72% in 30 minutes, and it has a much larger battery. What’s going on?

The faster power consumption could be due to the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy. It’s also possible that the battery arrangement makes a difference. Instead of one battery cell, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 uses two batteries in tandem that have a total capacity of around 4,000mAh. I wonder if the dual-battery setup is draining power faster, and charging slower, than a single battery might.

• Battery score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Galaxy Z Flip 6?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Galaxy Z Flip 6 review: Also consider

Motorola Razr Plus 2024
The Motorola Razr Plus 2024 gives you a big cover display that can do just about anything, which makes it incredibly useful even when closed, unlike the Z Flip 6. The Razr Plus 2024 also has better battery life, and Moto often offers great discounts and bundles. 

Read our Motorola Razr Plus 2024 review

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
For just a bit more than the Z Flip 6 you can buy Apple’s best camera phone, with its boring, flat titanium build and upcoming Apple Intelligence features. Until Apple makes a foldable, this is the best you’ll get. 

Read our Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

I received the Galaxy Z Flip 6 more than a week before this review was published, and I used the phone as my only work and personal device for that entire time. I checked messages, attended video meetings, talked on the phone, and played games, all during work and personal time and through the weekend. 

I tested every AI feature on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 against a standard battery of AI tests that I use to check performance and stereotyped responses. I also tested the cameras against the Motorola Razr Plus 2024’s and the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s, under a variety of lighting and motion conditions. 

I connected the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to a variety of accessories, including a OnePlus Watch 2R, the Google Pixel Buds Pro, an Xbox One controller, and Meta Ray Ban smart glasses, among other devices. I used the Galaxy Z Flip 6 in my car connected to Android Auto, as well as in other cars using only Bluetooth for audio. 

Performance testing on processing, battery life, display brightness and quality, and more, was conducted by Future Labs, which works directly with TechRadar and shares testing data and procedures. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024