A very close friend of mine has been using the Fold for quite some time and plans on upgrading to the latest one. Weeks ago, he asked me if it would be wise to wait for the Fold6. I said I’d have a better idea once I got the review unit. In fact, after the launch event, I told him that the Z Fold5 seemed like a decent buy at the moment, since the features were not much different when compared to the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. Although it took him a few seconds to finally see the review device in my hands some days ago, he concluded that he was going to buy the new Fold6. It was then that it dawned on me that people have different opinions about one thing and that we reviewers very often are not aware of what users actually expect from something.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 review:
His rash decision was largely because the Fold had changed so much from the Galaxy Fold2 he had used. Using all the devices in the Fold category that Samsung has ever released since it was unveiled by the company over five years ago, I am well placed to observe that the Galaxy Z Fold6 is virtually flawless as a foldable. It is also as compact as the foldables that we have seen from Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus.
When I held the folded phone in my hands, it felt slightly thicker than conventional phones, but it was not significantly heavier than some of the larger smartphones that I have used in recent times. In comparison to the Fold5, the Fold6 is both more compact and not as heavy.
The other important difference in the Galaxy Fold5 from the rest, when the phone is folded, barely any daylight is seen between the two meeting sides of the device. It is quite serious with regards to the predecessors. The minute you actually open it, though, that crease has become even less noticeable than it was before. This, I think, is the point whereby a person who’s upgrading from an older Fold- any Fold-will be able to notice a difference, but I just don’t think people with the Fold5 have a hardware reason that’s sufficient enough to justify making this improvement.
Plus, if you upgrade from any older generation Fold, then you will adore the brilliant 7.6-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display, plus the barely larger 6.3-inch front screen. Both these displays are brighter than any Fold that has ever been up for sale to date. High-quality display production is one of the things that comes most naturally to Samsung. Ironically, the most striking thing which caught one’s imagination was the manner in which the hinge and fold have been handled quite effectively this time.
I’ve always seen Samsung’s Fold phones as the spiritual successor to the Note series. So, in that sense, they’re targeted at business users who need more screen real estate to access spreadsheets and check documents but still want to be able to consume content while they’re on the go. From this point of view, the Fold6 is also a phone that is at the top of the food chain, particularly due to the fact that the processor that is included within it is now a more recent Snapdragon 8 Gen3 SM8650-AC configuration. Since this is powerful enough, you will be able to simultaneously work on a spreadsheet, browse the internet, and listen to music on YouTube. All of these activities can be done simultaneously. If you are going to purchase the S-Pen separately and invest in a case that holds it for you close to the phone, then you can use it for the Google Sheet as well. Of course, you may use the S-Pen.
In the case of the Fold phones, Samsung had long ago made certain that there were no concessions made with regard to the camera technology. Despite the fact that the Fold6 is virtually identical to the former version of the camera, it is a single-clicker that performs all of the functions that typical users anticipate from it, with the possible exception of the capacity to perform a digital zoom of one hundred times like the S24. Under most conditions, I found the camera to be of Samsung grade, and results seemed satisfactory even when viewed on the larger screen of the phone.
But then there is some magic, guided by artificial intelligence, that can take this camera to an altogether new level. When you have finished clicking a photo, you have the ability to delete or even move topics around, as well as resize things. By way of illustration, I was able to make my 65-inch television appear to be a 100-inch television with the help of the AI button. Additionally, it is a cool feature to have the ability to obtain a slow-motion version of any video by long-pressing on it during playback. However, I do not feel that these are characteristics that typical users will require on a regular basis; however, all things considered, it is beneficial to have these in your arsenal.
The other artificial intelligence functions, on the other hand, such as the capacity to automatically transcribe audio recordings, translate across different apps, and summarize any material, are fantastic for the business community in general and may be more valuable than camera enhancers. Besides that, there’s a load of AI-driven personalization on the phone, right from generating themes and graphics on the homescreen all the way up to the end. I particularly enjoyed the photo ambient mode, which lets me have my photos on the homescreen in a way that is affected by the weather around me.
Whatever you do, however, the battery will see out the day without much fuss, so you needn’t worry about that aspect. If, on the other hand, you are using the screen in its unfurled avatar all the time, chances are you will be scouring around for a charger by the time dusk comes around the corner. By utilizing the wireless charger that was located on my desk, I was able to easily charge the phone.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6?
Even though there is a lot of artificial intelligence, I still believe that the majority of consumers choose the Samsung Fold series because of the faultless huge screen and extraordinary performance. In this sense, Samsung kept the position of the Fold6 as the leader above its competitors, apart from the fact that this was the only one compatible with a stylus. While the AI elements are great additions, I would have been more satisfied if Samsung could tap into the AI to drive main changes in its user interface by knowing the context and personality of its users. While there is indeed a lot of competition within this bracket, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 shows it has an immediate advantage over every competitor: it’s been making foldables longer. The reason that Samsung does not promote this more as a business phone, the successor to the Note series, and possibly even the BlackBerry is something that I find very interesting. It is true that this is a smaller audience to tap into, but it is possible that this audience will be more appreciative of this phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
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Pros | Cons |
Near-perfect foldable design |
No significant UI improvements with AI
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Thinner and lighter than Fold5 | Expensive |
Stunning 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display |
Battery life average with heavy use
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Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen3 processor |
Some AI features may not be widely used
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Versatile camera with AI enhancements |
Stylus sold separately
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Useful AI features for business users
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S Pen support (with compatible case)
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