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Samsung announced two new foldables during its second Unpacked event of the year. One book-style foldable, and one flip phone. In this article, we’ll compare them, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. Do note that we’ve just started using both of these phones not long ago, so you’ll have to wait for our reviews for all the info. We’ll just compare them based on specs and initial impressions here.
This time around, Samsung didn’t really change a lot of things. That goes for their designs, and even quite a few internals. That’s something we’ll cover here, as we’ll do with a number of other aspects. Granted, these two phones are considerably different, but we’ll compare them here as they’re both coming from Samsung, both are foldable, and both are current-gen devices that launched at the same time. So… let’s get to it.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 & Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, respectively
– Screen size (main):
7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display (120Hz, HDR10+, 2,600 nits)
6.7-inch Foldable LTPO AMOLED 2X (120Hz, HDR10+, 2,600 nits)
– Screen Size (cover):
6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X (120Hz, 1,600 nits)
3.4-inch Super AMOLED (60Hz)
– Display resolution (main):
1856 x 2160
2640 x 1080
– Display resolution (cover):
968 x 2376
720 x 748
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, 123-degree FoV), 10MP (telephoto, 3x optical zoom)
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, 123-degree FoV)
– Front cameras:
4MP (under display, main display, f/1.8 aperture), 10MP (cover display, f/2.2 aperture)
10MP (cover display, f/2.2 aperture)
– Battery:
4,400mAh
4,000mAh
– Charging:
25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (no charger)
– Dimensions (unfolded):
153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm
165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm
– Dimensions (folded):
153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1 mm
85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9 mm
– Weight:
239 grams
187 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Side-facing fingerprint scanner
– OS:
Android 14 with One UI 6.1.1
– Price:
$1,899+
$1,099+
– Buy:
Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Samsung / Best Buy)
Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Samsung / Best Buy)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Design
Both of these smartphones are still very similar when it comes to design. They look very similar to their predecessors and still have flat frames all around, which are slightly rounded towards the edges. The biggest change is the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s display width, as it’s much closer to a regular smartphone now when closed. Both of these phones are made out of metal and glass. When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is both taller and wider than a folded Galaxy Z Fold 5. When in a different state, it’s a completely different story, of course.
Now, in terms of weight… the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a lot lighter, of course. It’s a regular smartphone that folds into a tiny device, not a regular smartphone unfolding into a tablet. The display creases are still quite pronounced, not to the level of the competition. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a display camera hole on its main display, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has on its cover panel. Samsung once again uses an under-display camera on the main panel. The company also held onto the ‘folder’ cover display.
Physical buttons are located on the right-hand side of both smartphones. The power/lock key actually doubles as a fingerprint scanner on both devices. Both smartphones offer an IP48 rating for water and dust resistance. These two devices have considerably different form factors, and they’re aimed at different people, that’s for sure. They also feel entirely different to use. Both phones feel well-built, and premium, but you have to figure out which form factor suits you more.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Display
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 features a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display. That is an LTPO display, and it offers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The resolution here is 1856 x 2160, and we’re looking at 374 ppi here. The cover display on the phone measures 6.3 inches, and it’s an HD+ (2376 x 968) panel. This is also a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, and it’s also an LTPO display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The ppi here is 410, and both panels are flat, of course.
The main display on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 measures 6.7 inches. That’s a fullHD+ (2640 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. It’s flat, and it has a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, this is also an LTPO panel. The cover display on the phone measures 3.4 inches, and that’s a Super AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. The resolution here is 748 x 720, while the PPI is 306. This panel is flat too.
All of these displays have one thing in common, they’re quite vivid. All of them are more than sharp enough for what they are, and while it would be nice for the cover panel on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to have a higher refresh rate, 60Hz is fine. The display crease on the two foldable panels could be more minimal, that’s for sure. Samsung didn’t make major improvements in that regard, the competition is still ahead. The viewing angles on all panels are good, and so is the touch response. We’ll reserve our brightness comments for full reviews, we didn’t have a chance to use them in enough lighting scenarios just yet.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Performance
These two phones are completely on the same level this time around, power-wise. They’re both fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy SoC. That is an overclocked variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. In other words, they’re fueled by one of the most powerful mobile chips. Both smartphones have 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM this time around, and also UFS 4.0 flash storage. So… they’re entirely on the same playing field.
We only used both phones briefly thus far, as we’re working on our reviews. What we noticed is that both smartphones are very fluid, as you’d expect out of flagship devices. They offer the same level of fluidity even though they feel entirely different to use, of course. We did not really get into gaming just yet, but it shouldn’t be a problem for either device. We’ll talk more about that in our full review, of course.
In regards to general tasks, both smartphones do them without issue. Multitasking is a breeze, and the two phones open apps really fast, they’re basically leveled in that area too. We may spot some performance-related differences as we continue using the phones, though. So… stay tuned for our full reviews of both of these smartphones, which are coming in the near future.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Battery
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 4,400mAh battery on the inside, the same as its predecessor. The Galaxy Z Flip 6, on the other hand, includes a 4,000mAh battery, a slightly larger pack than the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Granted, some Galaxy Z Fold 6 competitors have considerably larger battery packs, but we’ll see how this battery performs. It will all depend on how much you use the main display, of course. We only started using the phone, so that info will be revealed once our full reviews go out.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 did not exactly shine in the battery life department, the same goes for the Galaxy Z Flip 5. We’re expecting a small increase for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, at least based on the battery life increase. The Galaxy Z Fold 6, on the other hand, is a mystery at this point. We’ll have to wait and see, it’s way too early to share any numbers, but that phone could also deliver a small boost.
In regards to charging, neither phone offers improvements compared to their predecessors. Both devices support 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, or as Samsung calls it ‘Wireless Power Share’. Neither phone will charge particularly fast, and Samsung is expected to offer an improvement in this regard next year. We expected it this year, but that didn’t happen. On top of that, neither phone ships with a charger in the box.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Cameras
Both devices actually come with unchanged camera setups compared to last year’s models. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has three cameras on the back and one on each of the phone’s displays. Keep in mind that the one on the main display is an under-display camera, though. A 50-megapixel main camera (f/1.8 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF) is backed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.2 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, 123-degree FoV). A 10–10-megapixel unit sits on the cover display, while a 4-megapixel under-display camera is included under the main panel.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, on the other hand, has a 50-megapixel main camera (f/2.2 aperture, OIS, 1.0um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF) and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.2 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, 123-degree FoV). There is one camera on the phone’s main display. It is a 10-megapixel camera with a 1.22um pixel size and an 85-degree FoV.
We did notice some initial differences compared to their predecessors, despite the fact the camera hardware is the same, but we did not take that many pictures thus far. Don’t expect a huge difference, however. We’ll talk a lot more about the cameras in our separate full reviews of these two smartphones. Samsung is expected to boost camera hardware next year, considering that it didn’t happen this time around. There’s only so much that can be done via software.
Audio
Both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 offer stereo speakers. Samsung didn’t really talk about them or mention them, so we’re assuming they’re the same as in last year’s models. The audio coming from them fits, that’s for sure. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 speakers are louder, but the difference is not huge.
Neither of these two handsets includes an audio jack. You’ll have to use their Type-C ports in order to hook up your wired headphones. Alternatively, you can use Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity.