
Introduction
A quick poll around our office, asking what we'd like to see improved in our smartphones, is very likely to yield 'battery life' and 'cameras' at the top of the list of answers. Well, Samsung didn't ask us, but that's exactly what's new on the Galaxy Z Flip6.

The clamshell foldable Galaxy for 2024 brings a handful of tweaks. A larger battery is one of them, the relatively small increase being nevertheless most welcome. Also on the menu is a new primary camera, the high-res sensor hopefully elevating the Flip's zoom game a notch.
Another new addition is an IP-rated protection against solids to go along with the previously available water resistance. We're not sure just how significant that development is from a practical perspective, since it's not really dust that's being covered, but we'll take an intermediate evolutionary step, sure.
Naturally, there's also a new chipset, and if you're the type of person to obsess over these things, you'll be happy to learn it's Snaprdagons everywhere. A RAM bump to 12 GB has made it to all Flip6s too - that's better than most vanilla S24 versions with their measly 8 GB.

The cover display is still the same notched design as before, unlike the Moto Razrs and their all-screen top panels - perhaps next time we'll see something of the sort from Samsung. We're less hopeful about getting some actually fast charging - should we just accept Samsung's... conservative approach to the matter?
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 specs at a glance:
- Body: 165.1x71.9x6.9mm (unfolded), 85.1x71.9x14.9mm (folded); 187g; Glass front, glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IP48 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
- Display: Main6.7" Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1080x2640px resolution, 22:9 aspect ratio, 426ppi; Cover: Super AMOLED, 3.4 inches, 720x748px resolution, 306 ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm): 8-core (1x3.4GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x3.2GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x3.0GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.3GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 750.
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
- OS/Software: Android 14, One UI 6.1.1.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1.12µm.
- Front camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1.22µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@60/120/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+; Front camera: 4K@60fps.
- Battery: 4000mAh; 25W wired, QC2.0, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless.
- Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 6e; BT 5.3; NFC.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 unboxing
The Galaxy Z Flip6 travels in a minimalist black cardboard box that brings down environmental impact, but doesn't contain a whole lot in terms of accessories.

All you get, in addition to the (mostly useless) documentation, of course, is a USB-C cable and a SIM tool.
Design, build quality, handling
Evolution is the right word when it comes to the Z Flip6's styling - the previous generation was the bearer of somewhat bigger change with the gapless closing, this time it's about refinement. The aluminum frame has gone from glossy to brushed and it's been flattened further, and the main cameras have gotten accent rings, and... that's pretty much it.

When it comes to dimensions, the new model is nearly identical to the previous one - entirely the same, in fact, in its open state, and marginally thinner when folded (14.9mm vs. 15.1mm). Weight is also unchanged at 187g, which is all the more impressive given the increase in battery capacity.

In the unflipped state, it remains a tall handset, but the 22:9 aspect in itself isn't an issue - we're looking at you, Fold cover screen. Of course, reaching the top isn't a trivial task, but that's what your other hand is for.

The buttons on the side are somewhat out of reach too, but that's more or less the norm for the form factor. The side-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader worked without incident in our use.

The topic of creases is typically a polarizing one. If we go about it academically, the one on the Flip6 isn't the flattest, and it may get more pronounced with use (if only ever so slightly). On the other hand, long-term foldable users will be quick to tell you that creases are not something they think about or notice in the real world. Still, the Razrs are nicer in this respect and feel a bit more special when taken out of the box.

What the Motos lack is ingress protection for solids - rated one, at least. The Z foldables this year have an IP48 rating, adding some level of protection from solid particles, but the 4 means stuff larger than 1mm can't get in there, which has to have been the case before as well, just minus being official. The water resistance remains at up to 1.5m depth for as long as 30 minutes (the Razrs have that too).

One of the Z Flip6's main attractions is certainly the cover display, and it's remained the same for this generation, its odd notched shape making it quirky, more than it is sexy. We tend to find the Motos' and more recently Xiaomi's edge-to edge cover displays more striking. For practical purposes what the Galaxy Flip6 has is easily good enough though, even if the competition does indeed make better use of their larger displays.
Speaking of practicality, the outer surfaces are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Color options for the Z Flip6 include our review unit's Blue, as well as Silver Shadow, Mint, and Yellow - quite the appealing selection, actually. These are the 'mainstream' versions, which you'll be able to get at retail stores and carriers, while Samsung.com will also offer you three exclusive colorways - Crafted Black, White and Peach.
Color options: Silver Shadow • Mint • Yellow • Crafted Black • White • Peach
Displays are largely unchanged
The Galaxy Z Flip6's display setup is pretty much unchanged, coming from the previous generation. On the inside, there's a 6.7-inch panel that bends in half, and on the cover you'll find a notched 3.4-inch screen for simpler tasks. Both are OLEDs, of course.

The main panels has a 1,080x2,640px resolution in a 22:9 aspect ratio - it's almost the same ratio as on the Fold6, and we do like to pick on that one for its proportions, but we'll insist that the size just makes this one a lot easier to swallow.
The Flip6 posted brightness numbers very similar to those of the S24, and it's an improvement over the Flip5 when the adaptive toggle is turned on. The manual result is around with the 'Extra brightness' enabled and some 200 nits lower when you switch it off. The minimum value we measured is 1 nit.
The cover display is also seemingly unchanged. It's got a 3.4-inch nominal diagonal and a 720x748px resolution, though some of those pixels have been chiseled out to make room for the cameras.

Refresh rate
Samsung's refresh rate handling is fairly simple, with the menu giving you Adaptive and Standard options - effectively 120Hz and 60Hz ceilings. These only apply to the main screen on the inside - the cover panel is limited to 60Hz.

Regardless of mode, the phone will dial down to a self-reported 24Hz when idling and will adjust to match video frame rates (24, 30, 48, and 60Hz). High frame rate gaming is also supported, as long as you have the Flip set to Adaptive mode.
Streaming and HDR
The Galaxy Z Flip6 supports HDR10 and HDR10+, but no Dolby Vision - Samsung likes its standard better. We got HDR streams in Netflix and YouTube, as expected. The Widevine L1 certification ensures you get FullHD playback in apps that stream DRM-protected content - Netflix for example.
Google's Ultra HDR photo standard for metadata-based brightness boost of images in gallery apps or browsers is also supported and we found it to work in the in-house Gallery app and in Google Photos, as well as Chrome, but not the Samsung browser.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 battery life
Our new Active Use Score is an estimate of how long the battery will last if you use the device with a mix of all four test activities. You can adjust the calculation based on your usage pattern using the sliders below. You can read about our current battery life testing procedure here. For a comprehensive list of all tested devices so far, head this way.
One of the changes to this year's Flip that can pass for 'major' is the increase in battery capacity. The Z Flip6 is powered by a 4,000mAh battery - 8% higher than before. Oppo and vivo clamshells stand at 4,300mAh and 4,400mAh, so the Galaxy's number isn't huge, but we'll take any increase we can get. The Motorola Razr 50 Ultra also has a 4,000mAh battery, for what that's worth.

We're happy to report that more battery has actually resulted in better longevity, at least in the on-screen tests. There's a meaningful improvement in all three scenarios that we test for with the display on, and it's only the call test where we see a downgrade - we also observed one on the Fold6, so it must be a chipset/modem thing this year.
Having said that, while the Flip6 does mark a generational improvement for the lineup, competitors are still doing better - both the Find N3 Flip and the Razr 50 Ultra have an endurance advantage.
Charging speed
Another Galaxy release, another reason to complain about Samsung's charging practices that aren't exactly in keeping with the times. The Z Flip6 is rated for up to 25W of wired charging power, and we measured around 23W on our power meter whether with the 25W or the 45W Samsung adapter - so at least it's doing what we were promised it will.

The thing is, the Flip6 simply charges slowly. An empty-to-full time of 1:41h is laughable and it's all the more annoying that the phone will report an estimate of a little over 1:20h when plugged in, but actually take longer to complete. The Razr is the true champ here, but the Find N3 isn't half bad either.
For when you are in even less of a hurry the Galaxy Z Flip6 supports wireless charging at up to 15W and it can also charge other devices off of its back at up to 4.5W.
Speaker test
The Galaxy Z Flip6 features a familiar speaker system arrangement, where there's one speaker on the bottom, and another one up top that also covers earpiece duties in voice calls. In portrait orientation, the top one gets the left channel, while in landscape, the phone will assign the channels dynamically to correspond to the handset's orientation in space - that's when the Flip is unflipped, of course.
Bottom speaker • Top speaker/earpiece
The Z Flip6 made it into the 'Good' category in our loudness test, on par with the previous generation, but short of the S24's 'Very Good' rating or the Razr 50 Ultra's 'Excellent' result.
The new Galaxy makes a small improvement in bass presence compared to the previous generation and it's a generally nice-sounding setup but the S24 is notably livelier higher up the range and better balanced than either clamshell. None of them is a match for the Razr 50 Ultra, however, which is one of the loudest and best-sounding smartphones we've heard, foldable or otherwise.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Android 14, One UI 6.1.1, and Galaxy AI
The Galaxy Z Flip6 runs Android 14, with version 6.1.1 of the in-house One UI being the foldable-specific variety - the ones are at 6.1 now. At the beginning of the year, Samsung announced a 7-year software support policy along the S24 series, and the Flip6 should also be getting up to 7 OS releases and as many years of regular software patches.
We tend to be skeptical of such lofty promises, and we're not sure who'll be making sure Samsung delivers on them in 7 years, plus it's anything but guaranteed that 7-year-old hardware will be able to run whatever software they have at the time with any degree of acceptable smoothness. We'll see about that.

Either way, the Flip's basic operation is the same as on any other high-end Galaxy. One UI has gotten to a point where it's one of the most full-featured and refined takes on Android.
One UI basics on the main screen
The Flip's standout feature is the cover screen, of course, and you can do a lot on it, but not everything. Unlike the Motorola Razrs, which practically run a full-fledged version of Android on the cover, the Flip's cover UI is still limited to a narrow selection of apps and is otherwise widget based. There are plenty of widgets, but that's still widgets.

Of course, notifications show up here, you can have an always-on display, you can operate quick settings - these will greatly reduce the amount of time you need to spend on the main display. You can also do most things in the camera as well. Now, you can have Google Gemini on the cover screen too, because AI.
AI is the buzzword in every keynote now and Samsung is doing its best to stay ahead of the curve on the Galaxies, with Google doing its part too. Grouped under the Galaxy AI umbrella, there's an assortment of features on the Flip6 to help make your life easier or more colorful (or at least that's what we're supposed to believe).
This time around, Samsung has added automatic transcription, translation and summarization features for voice recordings, as well as PDF overlay translation, to the already available Note Assist functionality.
There may not be S Pen support on the Flip, but you can doodle with your fingers as well and Sketch to image is offering you the option to doodle objects on top of images within the Gallery or Notes app and then have AI replace those with actual objects pieces.
The Interpreter feature for live translation now gets a special conversation mode specifically designed to leverage the foldable form factor of the Z Fold6 and Z Flip6. In this mode, one party in the conversation sees the translation on the main screen while the other one sees the cover screen. Along the same vein, Live Translate is now expanding beyond the default Samsung phone app to a selection of popular third-party apps.
Photo Assist has enhanced AI-powered capabilities for photo editing on top of the existing functionality to adjust image angles, fill in the gaps around the edges, and select and move, resize or remove objects in the frame. Portrait Studio creates various portrait styles, such as 3D cartoon or watercolor.
That's by no means an exhaustive list of the new features, and they come in addition to other pre-existing functionality that we already saw introduced with the Galaxy S24 family. For example, Composer, built into Samsung Keyboard can generate text based on simple keywords, Circle to Search is a system-wide feature for highlighting stuff on the screen to select an object for a web search, and the Google Gemini app is fully integrated into the new Galaxy Z series.
Benchmarks
Unlike the S24s that once again have an Exynos/Snapdragon regional divide, the Galaxy foldables only come in Snapdragon flavor. The Flip6 features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 'for Galaxy' which is a higher-clocked version of the chipset with slightly higher clock rates that goes by SM8650-AC in Qualcomm nomenclature and isn't really exclusive to Samsung anymore. Either way, it's about as high-end a chip as you can get in the Android space in 2024.
There are two storage versions that we know of for the time being - the base is 256GB, and our review unit is the 512GB variety. The Fold6 has a 1TB option too, but not the Flip. All versions come with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM.

In our benchmarks, the Flip6 wasn't quite up to the standard you'd expect from a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, much less a 'special' one of those. It was a similar story with the Fold6 that wasn't posting quite as high numbers as the S24 Ultra.
We've discontinued GFXBench graphics benchmarking as the app is often banned/blacklisted on the phones we receive for review. The graphics performance ranking in 3D Mark is just as meaningful, so we suggest you refer to that one instead.
A clamshell foldable is never going to be easy to cool down and the Flip5's thermal performance was pretty meh. The Flip6 brings a sizeable improvement in the form of a large vapor chamber that's supposedly larger than even the S24 Ultra's.
It's debatable how well it's doing its job though, looking at the results we got from our sustained load testing. We did have a heatwave at the time of testing, though the AC was running fine in the office. The Razr 50 Ultra did slightly better under CPU load, and the two behaved similarly in the GPU test, so it's not like the Galaxy is an outlier.
A new primary camera, same ultrawide
The Fold branch of Samsung's bendy lineup may be stuck in one place when it comes to camera hardware, but the Flip6 does bring one major improvement to the clamshell variety. No, it's not a telephoto camera, but it's a step in that direction.

This generation gets a Tetracell main camera, the same one as in the Fold6 and several other 'regular' Galaxy S phones from years past (and present too). The 50MP sensor primary module may not be a big deal in itself, but it's a big deal for the Flip as it gives the phone the ability to zoom in at least a little, without sacrificing quality too much.

Admittedly, there are other clamshells with zooming prowess, the most recent one we've seen being the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra, which has a proper optical 2x zoom. But as Galaxy Flips go, the 6 is a step in the right direction.
- Wide (main): 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN3 (1/1.57", 1.0µm - 2.0µm), f/1.8, 23mm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; 4K@60fps
- Ultrawide: 12MP Samsung ISOCELL 3LU (1/3.2", 1.12µm), f/2.2, 13mm, fixed focus; 4K@60fps
- Internal camera: 10MP Samsung ISOCELL 3J1 (1/3.0", 1.22µm), f/2.5, 23mm, fixed focus; 4K@60fps
The Flip6 takes full advantage of the form factor's inherent benefits. You can use the cover screen for framing selfies and you get access to both cameras and you can zoom in too. The 2x level works great for shooting from a distance with the phone half-way folded and resting on a table, for example. Waist level or overhead shooting are also possible.

Daylight photo quality
Main camera
During the day, the Flip6's main camera does a very good job. The photos are detailed and noise-free and give a fairly organic look to random detail. The excellent dynamic range ensures you get well developed tonal extremes and the auto balance and well judged saturation levels make for accurate, yet pleasing rendition.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x)
There still is Scene optimizer, but it's now tucked away one level deeper in the settings menu, and it's off by default (not the first time, but we can't really pinpoint the moment when Samsung made the switch). It doesn't make drastic changes - on the contrary, we'd be hard-pressed to tell the two versions of these scenes apart.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Scene optimizer
Comparing the Flip6's photos against the previous generation, we're seeing a more natural detail presentation on the Flip6, with less aggressive sharpening. The new model's samples are also cleaner, next to an often grainy Flip5.
Daylight comparison, main camera (1x): Galaxy Z Flip6 • Galaxy Z Flip5
As we saw on the Fold, the Flip doesn't draw facial detail with too much definition, possibly for the better if you have skin imperfections. Skin tones are quite likeable though and exposures are well tuned for your subject's face.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Photo mode
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Portrait mode, 1x
The Flip6 captures quite good full-res shots. Without sacrificing much along the lines of dynamic range, they offer an advantage in captured detail - if you have any use for that.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP
The quality of the 50MP main camera shots implies that you'd be getting very good 12.5MP results at 2x and that is indeed the case.
Daylight samples, main camera (2x zoom)
We expected the Flip6 to be a lot better than the Flip5 at 2x, and we did a quick comparison to check. To get the Flip5's peculiarities out of the way first, it's prone to producing two different types of images at 2x, depending on how much time you give it between shots. If you're particularly trigger-happy, the Flip5's ISP doesn't get enough time to do its thing, and you get a basic crop-and-upscale result. If given enough time, it produces better images, though they do have their own issues - a heavily sharpened cross-hatch look. We encountered that at review time, and a year later it hasn't changed.
Shot-to-shot variation, Galaxy Z Flip5
We reckon the Flip6's results are superior to the Flip5's, even if you compare to the Flip5's 'better' samples. The new model contains finer detail and renders it a lot more naturally, even if it's a little softer in its presentation.
Daylight comparison, main camera (2x): Galaxy Z Flip6 • Galaxy Z Flip5
Photographing people at 2x, whether in Photo mode or Portrait mode, also returns good results, while also offering a more comfortable shooting distance and superior perspective than the main camera's native focal length.
Daylight samples, main camera (2x zoom), Photo mode
Daylight samples, main camera (2x zoom), Portrait mode
Ultrawide camera
Specs warriors may bash the Flip6's ultrawide camera, but it's actually not half bad. Its major downside remains the lack of autofocus, so getting sharp results with subjects closer than about 40cms isn't really possible. Other than that, it's got good dynamic range and likable colors, while detail levels are solid, if a little too high on the sharpening.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
The generational differences aren't huge. Samsung has eased off on the sharpening and there's probably even less grain in the skies and other areas of uniform color.
Daylight comparison, ultrawide camera (0.6x): Galaxy Z Flip6 • Galaxy Z Flip5
Selfies
The internal selfie camera of the Flip6 captures alright 10MP shots that are well detailed though also somewhat excessively sharpened. Colors are lively and dynamic range is very good, so there's that.
Selfie samples, internal camera
Still, you'll probably want to use the cover screen and the main camera for selfies - it's a lot easier than on the Fold and the results are worth it.
Selfie samples, rear camera, 1x
The ultrawide camera can't really be used for close-up framing and odd perspectives - your face will end up blurry. Things are looking great at arm's length though, making it an excellent option for group selfies of getting more of your surroundings in the frame.
Selfie samples, ultrawide camera, 0.6x
Low-light photo quality
Samsung's approach to Night mode processing has been rather reserved as of late and unless it's a properly dark scene, the Flip6 will likely not engage the full power of its low-light magic, so you might have to manually go into Night mode to get the most of it. We didn't observe Scene optimizer to be making a difference either.
Main camera
With that in mind, in Photo mode the main camera still takes pretty great photos. There may be some fine grain in the shadows, but we don't really mind it that much, plus we do enjoy the detail that goes along with it. The auto white balance was unfazed by mixed street lighting, and color saturation didn't suffer in the dark. Dynamic range is good in Photo mode, with a bit more contrast than in Night mode.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x)
Night mode does tone down the highlights visibly, though not too dramatically. Shadows may also get a minor boost, but overall not as notable as the highlight containment.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), Night mode
The new model has a pronounced advantage over the Flip5 at night, offering better detail, less sharpening and improved dynamic range.
Low-light comparison, main camera (1x): Galaxy Z Flip6 • Galaxy Z Flip5
At 2x, the Flip6's results are very usable and, again, a generational improvement. The 6 captures finer detail and it looks more natural than the 5's more heavily processed rendition.
Low-light samples, main camera (2x)
That said, the Flip6's advantage isn't as huge as we'd have hoped - the old one fares better than we anticipated.
Low-light comparison, main camera (2x): Galaxy Z Flip6 • Galaxy Z Flip5
Ultrawide camera
The ultrawide camera's photos have good dynamic range and the colors don't suffer from the low light levels either. Detail is very good, even if it's accompanied by a little noise.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
Even though the hardware should be the same, the Flip6 generally takes sharper photos with its ultrawide.
Low-light comparison, ultrawide camera (0.6x): Galaxy Z Flip6 • Galaxy Z Flip5
Video recording
The Galaxy Z Flip6 can record video up to 4K60 with all of its cameras - the two rear ones and the inner selfie unit. There's no 8K on the main camera, even though it's the same hardware as on the Fold6, which does offer 8K capability (not that it's all that important, though). Additionally, in the Pro Video mode you can set the frame rate at 24fps.
The default codec is h.265 with further options - you can set it to quality priority or file size priority, and when in quality priority, you can flip an extra toggle for high(-er) bit rate recording. You can also enable HDR10+ capture when using the h.265 codec. Alternatively, there's the h.264 option if you have to prioritize about compatibility.
Electronic stabilization is available in all modes on all cameras and it can be switched off in settings, if you'd like to stabilize your footage otherwise.
Video sample playlist
You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.
The Flip6's daylight 4K videos from the main camera and the ultrawide are essentially identical to the Fold6's which means they're alright, but not really worth raving about. Colors are likeable, dynamic range is nicely wide, it's just that the detail isn't as pin-sharp as we'd like it to be. Still, it's worth pointing out that, while at 1x the Flip6 is more or less on par with the previous generation, zooming in to 2x on the new model produces vastly superior results to the Flip5's.
We can't complain about the Flip6's electronic stabilization capabilities - on the contrary, the results are praiseworthy, when it comes to walking shake removal, panning smoothness, or just general steadiness, when keeping the phone pointed in one direction.
In the dark, the main camera does a reasonably good job, while the ultrawide is a bit softer and noisier, but usable if need be. The 2x result is also fairly decent and better than the Flip5's.
Competition
The clamshell foldable space is not as crowded as you'd think, and even though there are several options that are technically international, availability may actually severely limit your choices. But let's explore.

The most obvious competitor, and one that is as global as they come, is the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra - or razr+ 2024, if you're in the US. The Razr has several key advantages - battery life and charging speed are the most tangible ones, though the high refresh rate displays with Dolby Vision do give them an edge visually. The Moto's cover display is also potentially more useful too. The Flip6's speakers aren't bad, but the Razr's are superb, so there's also that. On the other hand, the Razr lacks an ultrawide camera - the Flip6's remosaicked 2x stacks up better to the Razr's real 2x camera, than a missing ultrawide does to an existing ultrawide.
The two phones are priced similarly in Europe, but the Moto is cheaper than the Galaxy in the US, and that adds a layer of regionality to this dilemma. In the US we'd probably not hesitate to grab a Razr and save $200 (or maybe more), while in Europe it's more of a judgment call. Unless, that is, you insist on an ultrawide camera - then it has to be the Galaxy. Or, maybe the Razr 50 proper (razr 2024 in the US)?
Motorola Razr 50 • Motorola Razr 50 Ultra
Alternatively, you could try getting your hands on one of the more exotic offerings from China. The Oppo Find N3 Flip is supposedly global, but not readily available in a lot of places, plus it's a year old by now - but it may be worth seeking out for its overall superior camera system. The vivo X Flip is even older and China only, while the brand new Mix Flip's global existence remains under question and the recent Honor V Flip and Huawei Pocket 2 are in the same boat.
There's plenty of internal Samsung competition for the Flip6 too. It can be argued that it doesn't make sense getting the old model, now that the new one is out and that would normally be the case - it certainly is in the US, where the Flip5 still commands high prices. However, there are significant discounts on the Flip5 in Europe, and pocketing upwards of €300 isn't easy to dismiss.

You could also entertain the thought of a large Galaxy foldable, whether the brand new (but significantly pricier) Z Fold6, or the year-old, but fundamentally same Z Fold5 (which can be had for a little over Flip6 money in Europe). It's a different form factor altogether, but you could give it a shot if you're not entirely set in your ways.
And, of course, if you've arrived at the Flip6 while on a quest for pocketability more than wow factor, then the Galaxy S24 might be the solution to your problems - at a lower or much lower cost, too, depending on where you are.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 • Samsung Galaxy S24
Verdict
The Galaxy Z Flip6 is not a substantial upgrade over the previous generation - faced with limited opposition, Samsung is doing a bit of coasting with its foldables this year. That said, the Flip6 in particular does bring a few improvements that make it more competitive in a field where it doesn't necessarily need to compete harder. Alternatively, it could be argued that the Flip6 is only getting the bare minimum of updates to keep the flame going.

Whichever way you see it, the Z Flip6's only glaring omission is a sensible charging solution - not only was it never fast, but it's not getting any faster either. The cover screen could be sexier and more useful like on some competitors, but perhaps they're being the overachievers, and the Galaxy is good enough.
On the positive side, we do appreciate the new camera - it's not the dramatic improvement we wished it would be (against our better judgment), but it does push the Flip's versatility up a bit. The increase in battery life is similarly not a gamechanger, but more is always welcome. But argubaly its key advantage remains One UI for all of its features and refinement. The close cooperation with Google on the AI stuff can be another selling point for the right buyer.
Ultimately, the Galaxy Z Flip6 will remain the foldable to get in its form factor. It's just that the excitement is gone.
Pros
- IP48 rating now means some protection against solids in addition to the water resistance.
- Improved battery life compared to the previous generation.
- Feature-rich software with useful cover screen implementation - Galaxy AI too, of course.
- Versatile camera system, zoom results are better than before.
Cons
- Glacial charging speeds.
- Cover screen could be larger and even more functional.
- Heavy throttling under prolonged load.
