Samsung recently unveiled its new foldable and wearable line-up of smart devices in Paris and these are available globally including in India, too. The Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 are its newest range of foldable Android devices in what’s becoming a little more competitive high-end market, at least globally with the likes of OnePlus, Vivo and Moto. I have been using the bigger sibling Galaxy Z Fold6 for a few days now, and here is how my experience has been using this Rs 1,64,999 device.
The first thing you might notice about the Galaxy Z Fold6 is, if you’ve tried the Fold5, is that it’s a little slimmer and lighter (under 240 grams) in comparison. The 6.7-inch cover screen (22:9 aspect ratio) is a little wider, too, making it a little more convenient to type on now. The crease on the main 7.6-inch screen (20.9:18 aspect ratio) inside is slightly less noticeable and less felt when you’re scrolling or pinching something on it with your fingers or thumb but it’s still not as smooth as the OnePlus Open. When unfolded it measures about 5.6mm in thickness and 12.1mm when folded. The dual-rail hinge doesn’t get exactly straight but there’s a bit of give with it, maybe for taking in some added pressure, but doesn’t feel flimsy in any way.
The right side has the volume buttons and power/lock key; while the left side (when opened) has the dual SIM card tray. The top houses three mics with one outlet for loudspeakers; and the bottom carries the other outlet for loudspeakers, USB type C port and primary mic. The back carries the triple camera system on a protruding circular cutout. One thing, though, the aluminium edges on the left side (hinge side) can feel a bit sharp when holding with your left hand, though it’s much better on the right side. The IP48 dust (not as fine as under 1mm) and water-resistant phone comes in Silver Shadow, Pink, Navy, Crafted Black and White colour options – I don’t mind the clean looks of the Silver Shadow option that I tried myself.
The interior main 7.6-inch QXGA+ (2160 x 1856) flex AMOLED display is a little brighter than before and is really sharp to watch your videos and to view images on. It’s usable under direct sunlight. The front-facing camera over it is camouflaged enough to not be a hindrance in your viewing experience. It’s wider but just slightly shorter than before. The protective film on the inner display is also now less intrusive and gels in better with the phone’s usage. The exterior Cover screen is a 6.3-inch HD+ (2376 x 968) AMOLED that slightly wider than before. It’s sharp enough and bright for outdoor usage, plus symmetrical and narrow bezels to go around it.
Coming to the camera performance, there’s a 50MP (f/1.8) main camera (with OIS), a 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP (f/2.4) telephoto camera (with OIS). Other than the ultra-wide camera, the camera department remains pretty similar to the last generation. You can take sharp shots and it can hold its ground in low-light shots but can struggle with details at times. It’s not as good in providing details to your subject as Samsung’s own S24 Ultra. There are some added AI features such as Portrait Studio where you can get cartoon or watercolour version of your photos. You can also add something to you photos by drawing on it, and it generally worked well if you’re precise enough.
The device is equipped with the slightly customised Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset (up to 3.4Ghz octa core processor, Adreno 750 GPU and X75 5G modem) along with a 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 internal storage (there are also 512GB or 1TB storage options). It’s running on One UI 6.1.1 based on Android 14 with the April security patch installed. The phone handles switching between apps, watching YouTube videos while having two other apps such as Telegram and Discord running side by side on the main display without any troubles. The phone didn’t heat up during my usage expect for the initial couple of days. You can expect to play a heavy game like Genshin Impact at 60FPS without any stuttering issues.
Samsung has emphasised on AI features for the phone, these include AI translator on the go, audio recording summary and Notes Assist. The voice recorder has a interview mode where it gives you an option to mute one person during playback. For some reason, I didn’t get the option to transcribe voice recordings so far. There’s also Drawing assist where you draw something roughly and the phone would process it into AI-generated art form.
Powered by a 4,400 mAh battery unit, the phone lasted me about a day on moderate usage and under a day with some heavy usage that included more main display time. The usage includes using the outer Cover screen for good 90 per cent of the time. The phone took about 1.5 hours to charge from 1% to full using a compatible fast charger (you don’t get one in the box, neither do you get a case) charging at 25watts speed when done wired.
The phone’s dual speakers are good but not that great in terms of depth. They could have been a little louder considering the phone’s size. Call quality and network reception on the phone, though, are really top quality, including 5G network reception on the go. WiFi, GPS as well as Bluetooth didn’t cause any connection or bandwidth issues throughout my usage.
All in all, the Galaxy Z Fold6 comes across as a more refined version of its predecessor when it comes to design, aesthetics as well as displays. It’s not a huge step-up from the Fold5 in terms of camera or battery experience while the price has been increased. So, if you already have a Fold5, I don’t see any major reasons you would already need to upgrade. But if you got the budget and looking for a foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is a safe enough foldable Android smartphone that has most things covered
