A Review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: A Rock Solid & Nearly Perfect Premium Foldable Smartphone.

Samsung has been perfecting the foldable phone design for years, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 feels like the culmination of all that effort. As someone who’s been using it as my daily driver for the past couple of weeks, I can confidently say it’s not just a beautifully designed and built foldable smartphone, its also impressive competent for productivity and entertainment. This is a foldable phone that caters to both business leaders and content creators alike, and anyone else in between.?

Design & Build Quality: Premium & Durable

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is clearly a reflection intentional and thoughtful design and build. It’s slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, the Z Fold 5, which I also reviewed last year and this feels like an evolution or refinement of it.

?It weighs just 239g, making incredibly portable when you consider you’re essentially carrying both a phone and a tablet in your pocket?—?I’d go further and say that if you had an external keyboard then the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could very well also replace your laptop! The attention to detail is outstanding, as expected given that this is a flagship and premium Samsung device.?

The hinge mechanism has been improved significantly, making it feel sturdier and more reliable. This is significantly better than the one on its predecessor the Z Fold 5 that I also reviewed last year. The hinge now also closes more flush, without a gap as we saw on the Z Fold 5, further adding to the device’s overall compact, sleek and premium feel.

In terms of materials, the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back, combined with the Armor Aluminum frame, gives the Z Fold 6 impressive durability. It’s also IP48 water-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about minor splashes. However, the dust resistance rating (IP4) could be better, as the phone is only protected against objects larger than 1mm, leaving room for improvement in future iterations.

Display: An Eye-Popping Experience!

Let’s talk about the display, which is one of the main reasons people are drawn to foldable phones. The 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED main display is simply breathtaking. It comes with an eye-popping 2600 nits peak brightness, making the display is brilliant whether you’re indoors or outside under direct sunlight. The foldable screen has a 2160 x 1856 resolution, which makes content look crispy sharp whilst making colours vibrant, and videos stunningly good to watch, even on a screen that’s smaller than many typical tablets and laptops.?

The outer 6.3-inch screen is also no slouch, offering 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and 968 x 2376 pixels resolution. This screen is perfect for quick tasks like browsing, emails, and social media. That being said, typing on the outer screen can feel cramped due to its smaller size, especially if you have larger finger tips like I do, but this is to expected for foldables. Going forward, Samsung may want to consider expanding the outer display size in future models to make it more practical for those longer typing sessions as is the case with more conventional smartphone screens that seem gargantuan in comparison.?

The crease on the main display is still there, but Samsung has done an excellent job minimizing its visibility. While you can feel it when running your finger across the screen, it becomes barely noticeable during daily usage and the screen is fully lit up. Whether you’re watching Netflix, reading articles, or using the Flex Mode for video calls, the experience is immersive and enjoyable. In fact, it makes me wonder why some people still go on and on about creases on foldables when for the most port, as you consume and create content on them, you don’t even really notice them.?

Flex Mode: Productivity On-the-Go

Speaking of Flex Mode, Samsung’s 90-degree fold feature really shines when multitasking or using the phone for productivity tasks. You can set the phone on a flat surface with the screen half-folded, making it perfect for hands-free video calls or watching YouTube. The phone basically acts as its own stand, and apps that support Flex Mode?—?like YouTube?—?enhance the user experience by dividing the content and controls between the two halves of the screen.

In tablet mode, the Z Fold 6 is really comfortable to hold, and the multi-app support makes it a productivity machine of incredible capabilities. You can run two apps side by side with no lag, making it perfect for working on emails while watching a video or browsing the web.

Camera System: Impressive, But Could Be Better

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 features a triple-camera system that performs remarkably well in a variety of scenarios. The 50MP wide camera delivers stunning shots with impressive colour accuracy and detail. Whether it’s a landscape or a portrait, the images are sharp and vibrant. The 12MP ultrawide camera is great for those wide-angle shots, especially in outdoor settings. The 10MP telephoto camera offers 3x optical zoom, which works well, though it would have been nice to see a 5x zoom like Samsung’s other flagships.

One minor drawback is the 4MP under-display camera. While it’s OK in concept, its performance is underwhelming for video calls or selfies. That said, the 10MP selfie camera on the outer screen does a far better job, and thanks to Samsung’s ingenious use of the outer display, you can even use the rear cameras for selfies, giving you much higher quality shots.

Low-light performance is good, thanks to Samsung’s ProVisual Engine, which uses AI to optimize photos. However, the 3x optical zoom feels a bit limiting at this price point, and a higher megapixel count on the main camera would have been a welcome addition from Samsung.?

Performance: A Portable Supercomputer, for Work and Play

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is powered by a bespoke version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. Whether you’re multitasking, gaming, or running heavy apps, the performance is mind-blowing! It also stays cool during heavy usage, thanks to a larger vapor chamber that helps with heat dissipation. It also has the Adreno 750 GPU that takes care of processor intensive visuals easily.?

Like the model I had, the 256GB base storage is adequate for most users but those who need more space for videos or heavy apps like content creators will appreciate the 512GB or 1TB options.

Galaxy AI: The Real Game Changer

The Galaxy AI system in the Z Fold 6 is more than just a marketing gimmick to get you to buy it?—?it’s actually useful! Features like Note Assist allow you to transcribe meetings or summarize lengthy documents effortlessly. The Interpreter mode is a game-changer for frequent travelers, enabling real-time translation during conversations. These are the sort of features and functionalities that make it a no-brainer for those who travel alot for work or play to places where language barriers will be an issue.?

Circle to Search lets you quickly find information by circling content on the screen, while Sketch to Image allows you to convert rough drawings into images directly in the Notes app. These tools aren’t just fun to use?—?they add real value for professionals who need to get things done quickly. Personally, I find that I can’t live without Circle to Search these days having first encountered it earlier this year when I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.?

However, the AI system does feel like it’s still evolving. While it’s already quite powerful, there are times when it feels like it could be even smarter or more intuitive. Still, it’s clear that Samsung is leading the way in integrating AI into daily workflows, and I expect to see even more robust capabilities in future updates. Meanwhile, we know that for instance Apple’s latest iPhone 16 range, which was supposed to have Apple Intelligence at launch a few weeks ago, won’t have such AI features until later this year, onwards.?

Battery Life: All-Day Power

The 4400mAh battery on the Z Fold 6 generally lasts a full day with regular use, even when multitasking between apps. It supports 25W wired charging, which can get you to 50% in 30 minutes, and 15W wireless charging for those who prefer using that instead. The Z Fold 6 also supports 4.5W reverse wireless charging, making it easy to recharge accessories like earbuds and smart watches, on the go. Although the battery life is good, power users who are constantly multitasking may find themselves reaching for the charger before the end of the day.

Conclusion: The Nearly Perfect Foldable Smartphone?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is an impressive piece of technology that combines the best of both worlds: a powerful smartphone and a versatile tablet. Its foldable design is more refined than ever, 6 generations on, with improved durability, a brighter screen, and better camera performance. It’s perfect for those who need a device that can handle work, play, and everything in between.

The price tag is steep for sure, being enough to buy a small plot of land in Kenya, as I like to joke, starting at KES 215,000. However, the Z Fold 6 delivers enough innovation, performance, and future-proofing to justify the investment for those who truly need such a device to enhance their work-related productivity and overall technology-first lifestyle. If you’re in the market for a foldable phone that doesn’t compromise on anything, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 should be at the top of your list.