Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6: First impression

Samsung's new premium foldable phone comes with big upgrades in terms of Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and also support new generative Artificial Intelligence features to improve user experience compared to the previous iteration.

Last week, Samsung launched the new line of the Galaxy Z Fold6, and Flip6 along with the Galaxy Watch7, Ultra and Galaxy Buds3 series in India.

They are set to hit stores later this month. The new foldable phones come with big upgrades in terms of Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and also support new generative Artifiicial Intelligence features to improve user experience compared to the previous iteration.

I spent some time with the latest Galaxy Z Fold6; here are my initial thoughts about Samsung's latest premium offering.

Display and design

The latest Galaxy Z Fold6 retains key design elements of the predecessor but comes with a slimmer profile and lightweight too.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6: Dimensions and weight

Unfolded: 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm

Folded: 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1 mm

Weight: 239g

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5: Dimensions and weight

Unfolded: 154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1 mm

Folded: 154.9 x 67.1 x 13.4 mm

Weight: 253g

The display is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 shield and the device comes with sturdy Armour Aluminium casing and durable hinge, fully tested to last several years.

[Top] Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 and [bottom] Galaxy Z Fold5.

Also, the device comes with an IP48 rating, meaning it can survive water splashes and also up to a depth of 1 metre (up to three feet) for close to 30 minutes.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 is available in Silver Shadow, Pink and Navy colours. Those who order online at the Samsung e-store can get exclusive Galaxy Z series colours such as Crafted Black.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.

The Fold6 flaunts a beautiful 6.3-inch HD+(2316 x 904p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with 23.1:9 aspect ratio. It comes with a pixel density of 402ppi and supports an adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz).

Inside, it sports a wide 7.6-inch QXGA+ (2176x1812p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X with an Infinity Flex Display design. It has an aspect ratio: of 21.6:18 comes with a pixel density of 374ppi and supports an adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz).

Also, it features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Processor configuration

It houses Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm's most powerful chipset to date. With Galaxy Fold6 will be able to support several top premium graphics-rich games and most importantly, can easily handle on-device generative Artificial intelligence (gen AI) features.

It supports Google Gemini-powered generative Artificial Intelligence feature Galaxy AI. Key features include— Note Assist, real-time language translation, flex camera (with auto zoom capabilities), sketch to image, composer (to draft email), Photo Assist, Portrait Studio and many more.

Samsung Notes app comes with Galaxy AI feature to assist terms of summarisation of notes and more.

Also, for the first time, Samsung has incorporated vapour chamber for efficient heat dissipation. Add to that the Fold6 boasts raytracing to deliver an immersive gaming experience on the big screen

I was pretty impressed with the live demo of the sketch of the image. It works like magic and makes us spend more time on the device.

The new Galaxy Z Fold6 runs Android 14-based One UI OS. It is optimised for the foldable display and S Pen stylus to take notes and also play with sketch to image and other gen aI features. FYI, customers have to buy the S Pen separately.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 supports S Pen stylus, but have to be bought seperately.

And, like the S24 ultra, the new foldable device is eligible to get seven years of Android OS updates.

Inside, it houses a 4,400mAh battery. It can easily last a full day under normal usage. It supports 25W wired fast charging capability. And, it supports 15W wireless charging speed and 4.5W reverse wireless charging via powershare feature.

Camera hardware

The new Galaxy Z Fold6 houses a 10MP Selfie Camera (f/2.2, Pixel size: 1.2um, FOV: 85-degree) on the cover panel. Inside, it has a 4MP (f/1.8, Pixel size: 2.0μm, FOV: 80-degree) under-display sensor.

The main triple camera on the back sports a triple camera module— 12MP Ultra Wide Camera (f/2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 123-degree) + 23mm 50MP Wide-angle Camera (Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 85-degree) and a 66mm 10MP Telephoto Camera (PDAF, f/2.4, OIS, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 36-degree, 3X optical zoom) with LED flash on the back.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6(left) and the Galaxy Z Fold5 (right).

The camera hardware is the same as the predecessor. It takes pretty good photos in the daylight and also in controlled conditions indoors. I am very keen to check out how well the new Samsung phone fares in the night mode. Do come back for the full review next week.

In India, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 comes in three storage options— 12GB RAM + 256GB, 12GB RAM + 512GB and 12GB RAM + 1TB— for Rs 1,64,999, Rs 1,76,999 and Rs 2,00,999, respectively. It is slated to hit stores on Jukly 24.

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