During Samsung Unpacked last week, we finally got the official release of the next generation of Samsung's foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Both are impressive pieces of technology but as the owner of a Galaxy Z Fold 5, I see no reason to upgrade to the new model
I should explain: I’ve been using the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for a while now, and while I might use it more as a tablet than a phone, I have found it to be a great piece of kit. I was excited to see what the Galaxy Z Fold 6 would bring to push people to move on to the next generation of foldable phones. However, despite potential pressure from a Pixel 9 Pro Fold happening later this summer, it feels like Samsung hasn't brought anything new to the table with the latest Fold.
If a phone maker wants me to upgrade they they need to do a few things. Firstly, general hardware improvements are a must — I need to know that the new phone will work better than the old one to some degree. I also need to see more features and a reasonably good value for money. So why has the Galaxy Z Fold 6 not convinced me?
Galaxy Z Fold 6: There’s not much design difference
The obvious advantage to a foldable phone is its bigger screen and all that the extra screen space can help you do. From writing documents to playing games, there are plenty of benefits to a foldable phone. I expected Samsung to make the new phone wider to get the most out of the screen, but it seems they've focused on making their foldables thinner instead.
For reference, when folded the Galaxy Z Fold 6 measures 6.04 x 2.68 x 0.48 inches while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 checks in at 6.1 x 2.64 x 0.53 inches. When unfolded the Galaxy Z Fold 6 measures 6.04 x 5.22 x 0.22 inches, compared to 6.1 x 5.11 x 0.24 inches for the previous Fold. So while the new phone is much less clunky, there's no real difference in what I'm looking at. I will state that the thinner bezel on the Galaxy Z Fold 6's main screen does look nice, but that's about it in terms of physical differences.
There are some benefits to making the Fold thinner, it's much nicer to hold and have in the pocket, but in reality, changing the thickness by around 0.05 inches isn't going to matter to most. If you want a thin foldable you'd be better off looking to the upcoming Vivo X Fold 3.
I will say, that the tougher glass and the improved hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 are tempting, and if I had an older model, like a Galaxy Z Fold 4, then they would be a big incentive to upgrade, especially after all the hinge faults that have been popping up recently.
Galaxy Z Fold 6: The Cameras are still great
Looking at how Galaxy Z Fold 5 photos measure up to other phones, it's clear to me that Samsung really knows how to get the most out of cameras on its devicds. The saturation and color vibrancy are amazing. It seems that Samsung agrees as the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 are nearly identical to what's come before. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 come with a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP Telephoto 3x lens and a 10MP selfie camera.
It should be noted that the 12MP ultrawide camera on the new phone doesn't use the same sensor on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, as this version aims to work better in low-light settings. However, that really isn’t enough to explain what I should be excited about in the new phone. If the cameras have roughly the same output then what am I actually upgrading for?
Again, I want to point out that both phones take fantastic photos and deserve a place on our list of the best camera phones, it’s just the question of why would I spend more on the new version when the prior version still works fine. Ideally, Samsung could have at least upgraded the 3x telephoto lens, but with the addition of AI and hybrid zoom, there was likely no point in adding the extra expense.
Galaxy Z Fold 6: Same RAM some more AI
While the Galaxy Z Fold 6 benefits from an upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, I'm not sure the year-over-year improvement in performance is enough to push me to upgrade. Even with a performance boost, the amount of RAM is unchanged, so the Galaxy Z Fold 5 still should be able to hold its own with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system-on-chip.
For the most part, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 6 has the same AI features as the other phones in the Galaxy line. However, Samsung did show off a few interesting new additions, although none of them really speak to me enough to warrant buying a new phone.
For instance, the Fold-friendly interpreter feature looks to be a game changer for anyone who spends a lot of time abroad, especially in conjunction with the Galaxy Buds 3. The sketch-to-image feature looks interesting as well, if a little too similar an addition coming to Apple's tablets with this year's iPadOS 18 update. However, I don’t travel all that much and there is no way I’m buying a new foldable phone, alongside an S Pen, just so I have slightly nicer drawings.
These kinds of features always look very impressive in demos, but for the majority of people they just won’t come up or get used. If a company wants me to upgrade, it would need to offer more than just some flashy AI upgrades.
Galaxy Z Fold 6: Buy, Upgrade or wait?
When a new phone is released, the developer has two potential markets: those looking to upgrade their current phone and those looking to buy a new phone. As it stands, I have no reason to imagine anyone who has a Galaxy Z Fold 5 would bother upgrading, as there just isn’t enough to really draw them in.
When it comes to the second group it gets a bit more complicated because, if you really were in the market for a foldable phone, why not just buy the Galaxy Z Fold 5 if you can find it for less, which you'll certainly be able t do as time goes on.
However, Samsung has more to unveil than just the Galaxy Z Fold 6 so please check out our hands-on reviews for the Galaxy Ring and the Galaxy Z Flip 6, as well as our breakdown of everything revealed at Galaxy Unpacked.
More from Tom's Guide
- Oura responds to Galaxy Ring: 'We continue to focus on building value for our members and delivering the best personal health companion'
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 set-up skips fingerprint scanner step — is it deliberate or a bug?
- This is the coolest Galaxy Z Flip 6 feature no one is talking about — and it’s not AI
