Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 review: Fine-tuned with Galaxy AI

The Galaxy Z Fold6 is more elegant and sturdy. And, with the Galaxy AI-powered value-added features such as note assist, interpreter, and live translation) features, it delivers the best user experience on a foldable phone.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold6 series hit stores in India.

The new premium Android phone comes with a value-added upgrade over the predecessor. I spent a little over a week with the Galaxy Z Fold6. Here are my thoughts on Samsung's latest foldable phone.

Design, build quality and display

In terms of design, Samsung has fine-tuned the Galaxy Z Fold6 with valuable changes. It has made it slimmer, lighter and more robust with sturdy materials. It has used an alloy- armour aluminium - for the rails around the display and the hinge. When folded, the display panels close firmly with little space for any particulate dirt to sneak in.

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

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

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

Both the cover display and the foldable screen inside, are protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 shield.

Further, 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.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 series.

Though Samsung has covered all bases to make the Fold6 the most durable foldable phone in the market, I still recommend the prospective buyer to get a cover case. The device is too expensive. The repair charges for physical damage will cost you a bomb. Also, if you have extra money to splurge, and get the accidental damage coverage, it will get you priority customer care service with quicker repair time and also get a replacement display or any component with a subsidy.

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.

Our review unit is Silver Shadow. It looks pretty in the sunlight. It has a matte finish and does a fine job repelling the sweaty fingerprint smudges.

On the cover panel, the Fold6 flaunts a beautiful 6.3-inch HD+(2316 x 904p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with 23.1:9 aspect ratio. It is slightly larger than its predecessor, which comes with a 6.2-inch screen.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6's cover display.

It comes with a pixel density of 402ppi and supports an adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz). Thanks to the slim body design, it is really easy to type messages single-handedly without any hassles. Also, we can perform all day-to-day tasks such as taking calls, using apps and taking selfies right on the cover display.

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).

The wide foldable display is great for consuming multimedia content on OTT apps. The crease in the middle is not that easily visible. Also, the company has done a good job with a software-optimised mask on the selfie camera at the top. At first glance, it is not that easily noticeable. The camera becomes visible only when in use. [Can you spot the selfie camera in the photo below]

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.

The stereo speakers on the Galaxy Z Fold6 are amazing. It enhances the viewing experience on the big screen.

On the side, the Galaxy Z Fol6 features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It works amazingly fast in recognising the finger impression and instantly unlocks the screen.

Performance

Samsung has incorporated Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, the very same chipset used in the flagship Galaxy S24 Ultra.

It is a octa-core processor ( with 3.39GHz Cortex-X4 x 1+ 3.1GHz Cortex-A720 x 3 + 2.9GHz Cortex-A720 x 2 + 2.2GHz Cortex-A520 x 2) with 1Ghz Adreno 750 Graphics Processing Unit.

The device is available in three options— 12GB RAM + 256GB, 12GB RAM + 512GB and 12GB RAM + 1TB.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6's CPU and GPU performance score on Geekbench 6.0 testing application.

The phone works super smooth without any slightest hint of lag-ness. Also, it should be noted that the Galaxy Z Fold6 is the first-ever foldable phone to support hardware-based raytracing.

With hardware-based raytracing capability, the device's display will be able to deliver more accurate shadows and reflections, creating deeply immersive gaming environments.

Samsung has incorporated a vapour chamber for efficient heat dissipation on the Galaxy Z Fold6, another first for any foldable phone. Though the device gets a bit warm around the camera module during video recording and while playing games, it never got overheated. It is a common behaviour among phones made of metal and glass.

And, most importantly, the Galaxy Z Fold6 easily handles all the on-device generative Artificial intelligence (gen AI) features.

Galaxy AI features of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.

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), composer (to draft email), sketch to image, composer (to draft email), Photo Assist, Portrait Studio and many more.

I am impressed with the sketch-to-image feature. As you can see in the sample shot below, it can magically transform a shoddy drawing into colourful digital art.

Sketch to image feature on the Galaxy Z Fold6.

But, the only complaint is that the interpreter and other Galaxy AI features work with only one Indian language- Hindi. It supports around 15 international languages including English. I hope Samsung's R&D team in India to start work on bringing more support for regional languages such as Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and others soon.

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.

And, like all the premium Galaxy S phones launched in 2024, the new foldable device is also eligible to get seven years of Android OS updates (up to 2031).

Inside, it houses a 4,400mAh battery. With normal usage, it can easily last a full day under normal usage. But, when fully dependent on cellular connectivity all day, you may need a power bank or look out for a plug point to recharge it in the evening.

It supports 25W wired fast charging capability. And, it supports 15W wireless charging speed and 4.5W reverse wireless charging via powershare feature.

Photography

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.

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.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6's camera sample.

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.

The camera hardware is the same as the predecessor, but with Galaxy AI-powered editing tools, the Galaxy Z Fold6 delivers a good photography experience.

The photos taken in the daylight look vibrant and sharp. The camera ensures that all the details are captured well.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 Camera's Photo Sample with normal mode.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 takes amazing close-up macro shots. As you can see sample photo, the honey bee on the marigold has been captured clearly without issues.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 Camera's Photo Sample with normal mode.

It can do 3X optical zoom without any loss of quality.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 Camera's Photo Sample with normal mode.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 Camera's Photo Sample with 3X zoom.

It also supports digital zoom up to 30X. The photo quality remains good up to 10X and beyond that, the picture begins to accumulate noise.

At night, the phone can struggle with autofocus, but with patience and a steady hand, it can get amazing photos.

With tools such as Object Eraser, users can remove all unwanted people out of the frame. it comes in handy at tourist hotspots.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 Camera's Photo Sample with night mode on.

And, if you want to add things to the photo, there is a sketch-to-image feature. You can draw anything and the Galaxy AI will churn out photorealistic objects.

For instance, you can draw a bee on the flower and ask it to generate a realistic honey bee. It will take a few seconds to produce and aptly placed on the petal. It ensures the background remains the same and makes the photo look very convincing. Very few can make out the image is fake. This technology is really good, but people with bad intentions can misuse it.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 Camera's Photo Sample with portrait mode on.

It also supports Galaxy AI-powered Studio Portrait feature. The user has to take a selfie and go to the Gallery to try the Studio Portrait. It offers multiple options-- such as Comic, 3D cartoon, Water Colour and Sketch (black and white).

Final thoughts

The new Galaxy Z Fold6 is a refined version of the Fold5 version. It is more elegant and sturdy.

And, with the Galaxy AI-powered value-added features such as note assist, interpreter, and live translation) features, it delivers the best user experience on a foldable phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 series.

And, with seven years of software support, the Galaxy Z Fold6 will only get better with new features added every year up to 2031.

Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6?

If you own Galaxy Z Fold5, you can skip this, as Galaxy AI features such as sketch to image and others will eventually come with software updates sooner or later.

For those who have a Fold4 phone or older versions, the new iteration is a good upgrade and will enjoy playing with Galaxy AI features.

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.

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