Samsung refreshed its two foldable lines this week with new Z Fold and new Z Flip models. Currently, they are on pre-order and will go on open sale on July 24 (or a bit later in some markets). Check out our hands-on review for a closer look at both models. Are you considering getting one?
Let’s consider the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 first. Samsung tweaked the aspect ratios of both the cover display (now 6.3”, 22.1:9) and the main display (now a 7.6” panel with a 10.5:9 aspect ratio). It’s a subtle change, but it does bring a noticeable improvement to usability.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
A few more major changes – the phone is 14g lighter and it is 1.3mm thinner than the Z Fold5 when folded, both of which improve the in-hand feel. The phone now has an IP48 rating, which is not enough to stop dust, but larger particles will be blocked.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 is also thinner when folded, but the difference is less dramatic – at 14.9mm, it is 0.2mm thinner than the Z Flip5. The other dimensions and the weight are the same. This model also received an IP48 rating and Samsung says it is using refined Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Armor Aluminum materials to make the new foldable tougher.
The big change on the Flip this year is the 50MP main camera. The Z Fold has a tele lens, but all the Z Flips so far have struggled with zooming in. The new sensor should be more capable than the old 12MP unit in all scenarios.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
Finally, both phones use the exclusive Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset. This year the Galaxy Z Flip6 also has a vapor chamber for cooling (a first in the series). And it upgraded to 12GB of RAM.
Here are the global prices for the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6, though note that they don’t include the pre-order perks that Samsung is offering (free storage upgrade, enhanced trade-in and more).
| Galaxy Z Fold6 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 256GB | 512GB | 1TB | |
| US | $1,900 | $2,020 | $2,260 |
| Canada | C$2,565 | C$2,725 | C$3,045 |
| Europe | €2,000 | €2,120 | €2,360 |
| UK | £1,800 | £1,900 | £2,100 |
| Australia | A$2,750 | A$2,950 | A$3,300 |
| India | ₹165,000 | ₹177,000 | ₹201,000 |
| Galaxy Z Flip6 | |||
| 256GB | 512GB | 1TB | |
| US | $1,100 | $1,220 | – |
| Canada | C$1,463 | C$1,623 | – |
| Europe | €1,200 | €1,320 | – |
| UK | £1,050 | £1,150 | – |
| Australia | A$1,800 | A$2,000 | – |
| India | ₹110,000 | ₹122,000 | – |
Considering alternatives, there isn’t much competition for horizontal foldables if you are in North America. The OnePlus Open is getting long in the tooth, as is the Google Pixel Fold. Both should get replaced later this year, but even now they have perks like a 64MP 3x telephoto camera on the Open and a 10.8MP 5x camera on the Fold, compared to a 10MP 3x module on the Z Fold6. The OnePlus Open also boasts a 48MP ultra wide (vs. 12MP) and fast 67W charging (vs. 25W wired/15W wireless on the Samsung).
Not to mention that the Open folds down to 11.7mm and weighs 239g (vs. 12.1mm and 239g for the Galaxy). None of them have particle protection, only water resistance, but the Samsungs are the first foldables to venture into that side of the IP code.
OnePlus Open • Google Pixel Fold • vivo X Fold3 Pro
The vivo X Fold3 Pro isn’t available everywhere, but it is available in some regions. It folds to 11.2mm and weighs 236g, plus it has a 64MP 3x tele and 50MP ultra wide cameras. Plus a 5,700mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. No particle protection, though, just IPX8. At least it uses a current chipset, the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while the OnePlus Open and Google Pixel Fold are a generation or two behind.
Okay, time to vote – will you get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6? And are you upgrading from an old foldable or will this be your first? And don’t go anywhere, we still have the Z Flip6 poll to do.
The competition among flip foldables is tougher. Motorola already launched its Razr 50 Ultra and Razr 50 (aka razr+ 2024 and razr 2024 in the US). Even the vanilla model has a larger, faster, sharper cover display than the Z Flip6 (3.6” 413ppi, 90Hz vs. 3.4” 306ppi, 60Hz), the Ultra/+ model is even better (4” 417ppi, 165Hz). Both have faster charging too (45W/15W on the Ultra, 30W/15W on the vanilla).
The camera situation is a bit weird. Motorola equipped the Razr 50 Ultra with a 50MP main, but also gave it a 50MP 2x portrait camera instead of an ultra wide. The Razr 50 does have a 13MP ultra wide in addition to the 50MP main. Both phones use weaker chipsets – Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 on the Ultra and Dimensity 7300X on the vanilla Razr.
Motorola Razr 50 Ultra • Motorola Razr 50 • Honor Magic V Flip • ZTE nubia Flip
It’s not clear whether the Honor Magic V Flip will launch globally .This one is a more affordable model with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, but even it has a 4” 405ppi 120Hz cover display and 66W charging.
The nubia Flip is already available in the US and Europe at $500 and €600, respectively. It can’t challenge the Z Flip6 in terms of specs with a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip, but the rumored Galaxy Z Flip never materialized, so Samsung still doesn’t have a budget foldable.
So, what’s it going to be – are you hitting “buy” on the Galaxy Z Flip6 or do you have other plans?
