The foldable space in the country is heating up, especially this month. I’ve had the just-launched Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 for close to two months, taking it through its paces for this definitive review. This is the company’s sixth-gen clamshell-stye foldable, which they announced alongside the Galaxy Z Fold6.
We’ve already reviewed the Z Fold6 and now our attention turns to its other sibling. While rival smartphone companies are rising to the occasion with their versions of clamshell-style flip phones, I’m happy to report that the Samsung Z Flip6 is still king in the space.
With hard-to-ignore offers already available in the country, the Samsung Z Flip6 is the flip smartphone to buy thanks to its excellent value proposition.
DESIGN
Before I get to the design, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 comes in a small box containing the phone, paperwork, SIM ejector tool, and a Type-C to Type-C cable.
The phone has a refined design. It has a flat brushed aluminum frame and Samsung adder accent rings to the main cameras. You also get the same zero-gap hinge from the Flip5. It’s relatively thinner when folded compared to its predecessor. It’s worth noting that there are other slimmer clamshell-style flip smartphones, so Samsung must also catch up. It retained the same weight even though now we get a bigger battery.
The Flip6 comes in a 22:9 aspect ratio when opened which I really loved as it makes it easier to use one-handed. The only issue you’ll have to deal with is the buttons at the top half of the phone. The side-mounted fingerprint reader is quick to unlock for easy access to the phone.
The crease is still visible but not much to bother me at least during my use of the phone. Samsung improves the ingress protection as the Flip6 has an IP48 rating.
You get the same cover screen, it’s still smaller in comparison to its rivals but usable though. The glass back is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
The main display is a 6.7-inch foldable dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X screen sporting a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and 1080×2640 pixel resolution. The cover display is a 3.4-inch AMOLED screen with a 720 by 748 pixel resolution. Samsung needs to improve the cover screen resolution, size, and refresh rate as it’s still behind the competition.
The stereo speakers are really excellent especially when consuming multimedia content – the sound is balanced and the bass is improved. Streaming content was a breeze thanks to the HDR10+ support and Widevine L1 certification which meant it was enjoyable to catch up on my favorite shows and new shows on Netflix as well as YouTube and Amazon Prime.
With its 1485 nits peak brightness, you don’t have to worry about squinting while using your phone when you’re out and about.
It comes in Mint, Yellow, Blue, and Silver shadow colour options.
While it may lack some features its rivals already have, I loved the overall solid design of the Flip6.
PERFORMANCE
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 has the newer and high-performance (over-clocked) Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset for Galaxy paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. I love that Samsung increased the RAM capacity of the phone which makes the phone the perfect multitasking companion. You also get up to 8GB of Extended RAM.
It runs on Android 14 and OneUI 6.1.1 with 7 years of software support – Android OS upgrades and security updates. Samsung is still limiting the apps available on the cover screen unless you use the Goodlock app which is also market specific. However, you get to use to widgets on the cover screen. Other things you can access on the cover screen are notifications and quick settings. It’s worth noting that it supports always on display.
Like the Z Fold6 and the S24 series, you get access to Galaxy AI features on the Flip too. The phone sits high when run through synthetic benchmarks but also in real life, it didn’t lag during my experience with the phone. Intense gaming and heavy multitasking will however warm the phone – so that’s something you should note even though it has a large vapor chamber.
Galaxy AI has been integrated into the interface with a dedicated section for features such as Live Translate (Call Assist), Chat Assist, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, Generative Edit and Suggestions, AI-powered camera features(all accessible through Instagram and Snapchat in-app cameras), AI Wallpapers, and Circle to Search.
BATTERY
The Z flip 6 has a 4000mAh battery which is 8% bigger than its predecessor. On light and mixed-use, you can use the phone for the day with some charge left for late-night use. Heavy use will have you topping up early evening just to keep up with your tasks.
The Flip6 juices up with a 25W charger – even when you use Samsung’s 45W charger, charging will still be limited to 25W. It’s comparatively slower than the competition and you’ll need slightly over an hour and a half(1hr 40 minutes) for a full charge when it dies out. For those short busts of charging, 15 minutes will get you to 26% and 30 minutes to 48%.
CAMERAS
Cameras get a huge improvement with the Z flip as it gets a tetracell primary camera – it gets a 50MP main camera with OIS and it also allows for lossless zoom(very usable, at least at 2X zoom) despite lacking a telephoto camera.
There’s a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP selfie camera. All cameras can record 4K 60fps video – Samsung also included electronic stabilization for steady videos. It’s worth noting that the flex mode comes in clutch when taking selfies with the main rear cameras.
The photos look excellent when it comes to colours, details, vibrancy, exposure, dynamic range, detail, and sharpness when compared to its predecessor even in lowlight scenarios.
All in all, you can trust the Flip 6 when taking any photo or video and it’ll turn out great.
VERDICT
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 is still the clamshell-style foldable to get – I liked the design, the superbright screen, lighter chassis, the camera performance, how it handles my busy multitasking needs thanks to its powerful processor and RAM upgrade, and the fun and handy AI features.
The Z Flip6 is still the most approachable flip smartphone in the country and the fact that Samsung has promised seven years of software support(they have the best software for any foldable in the country) means you can use the phone long-term without worrying about upgrades.
If you’ve been toying around with the idea of switching from a candy bar smartphone then the Z flip 6 clamshell format makes it the most fun and portable foldable smartphone.
Samsung needs to increase the number of apps it currently supports on the cover screen(natively in most countries that don’t support the Good Lock app) as rivals as closing in on this space to make it even more useful now that the real estate has been increased.
We also could use some faster charging too.
PRICING
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 starts from around Ksh 121,800 for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage option at Samsung Experience Stores and e-commerce partners as well.
The device comes with a manufacturer’s warranty period of 24 months.
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