I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 for 2 weeks — why I'll never have to ask 'Can you take my pic?' ever again
The Galaxy Z Flip series has a new addition to the family, and it continues to be the best for solo travel.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 obliterated the need to ask that one cringey question shy travelers and content creators despise asking: "Can you take my picture?" Shudder.
"What's the big deal?" you may be thinking. "Get a backbone and ask a stranger for help."
For a shy person like me, I'd rather explain TikTok to my grandparents than face the awkwardness of interrupting strangers to indulge my self-serving needs. Plus, you often need more than one take to get the perfect shot — and I refuse to pester someone I don't know.
So what's a coy girl supposed to do if she wants to share her experiences on her social media — but can't fathom the thought of asking random people to take photos of her?
I've said it once before and I'll say it again. The Galaxy Z Flip series continues to be the best phone for travel enthusiasts, particularly solo globetrotters, who want to maintain as much independence as possible. Read on to find out whether the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is right for you.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 price and specs
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 I tested in this review costs $1,099 via Samsung and comes with the following specs:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset
256GB of storage
12GB of memory
6.7-inch, 2,640 x 1080-pixel main screen
3.4-inch, 720 x 748-pixel cover screen
There's also a 512GB model, too, that costs $1,219.99, but interestingly, as of this writing, Amazon is selling this model for $1,099.
Keep in mind that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is $100 more than the previous-generation Galaxy Z Flip 5. And I'm not quite convinced the upgrades on this model warrant such a price hike.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 design
Someone asked me if they can slam Galaxy Z Flip 6 shut, with one hand, like an old school flip phone. The answer is no. Closing it this way is a bit awkward.
However, this isn't as disappointing as you may think. The Galaxy Z Flip series has always had a tightly wound hinge to fortify its a vulnerable form factor. Stepping up its durability, Samsung boasts that it further reinforced the Galaxy Z Flip 6's hinge, making it stronger. So no, the hinge doesn't allow you to do the nostalgic and satisfying snap-shut action, but it's robust AF.
I also gotta give Samsung a pat on the back for the build quality. Constructing a sturdy foldable that meets the standards of non-foldable flagship devices isn't easy, but the Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes close, with an IP48 rating.
No, it doesn't quite measure up to the likes of the IP68-rated Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which are less vulnerable phones due to their non-foldable nature, but it's a step in the right direction. What's the difference between IP48 and IP68? They both have similar water tolerability (up to five feet for 30 minutes), but the latter has better dust resistance.
Admittedly, I sometimes get disappointed in the colorways that vendors send to Mashable for review, but this time around, I can't stop staring at my Galaxy Z Flip 6. The one I have sports the "yellow" colorway, which has a gold-and-black scheme — my favorite color duo.
The gold accents that surround the camera lenses above the cover display add a glitzy touch, too.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 also comes in the following colors:
Mint
Silver Shadow
Blue
Crafted Black
Peach
White
Again, the Yellow colorway is so striking, I'm tempted to go caseless.
There is very little difference between the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 and its predecessor, but I did notice that its chassis now has a matte look compared to the last year's glossy finish. And I like it. It looks more refined — more sophisticated.
For anyone who is tired of giant, unwieldy phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a pocketable powerhouse. Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, you can slip this bad boy into your jean pocket without it rearing its ugly little head because it's too big.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 inner display
Indoors, the Galaxy Z Flip 6's inner display looks decent. The 6.7-inch, 2460 x 1080-pixel display has a very zippy feel, thanks to the 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
For the uninitiated, adaptive means that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 can drop the refresh rate down to 1Hz for little to no activity, helping to conserve energy. However, if you're gaming or doing some other high-intensity activity, the refresh rate can skyrocket to 120Hz.
If you're coming from a 60Hz phone like the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus, you'll definitely notice the ultra-slick and snappy response to your touches.
Although Samsung claims that the Galaxy Z Flip 6's inner display has a new peak brightness of 2,600 nits (compared to the Z Flip 5's 1750-nit screen), it was slightly difficult to see when I took it for a spin outside during overcast weather — even with the brightness maxed out.
I watched the new Joker: Folie à Deux trailer on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and again, the display is alright.
The colors are rich. From the vivid red lips smeared across Joaquin Phoenix's face to the bright mustard yellow dress on Lady Gaga, the panel reproduces color impressively well. No, it's not intensely sharp and crisp as other popular flagship phones on the market (forgive me; I'm a bit of a display snob), but for the average Joe, it will be a visually pleasing display.
The inner display still rocks my socks as a top-of-the-line multitasking tool. I can, for example, scroll through an article on Mashable on the top half of the screen while playing music from YouTube on the bottom.
As for the crease, it's definitely much less noticeable on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 than the last-generation device. But to be honest — and I know this may be a hot take — I just never really cared about the crease, even when it was more prominent in earlier generations. I like having a differentiator that creates a subtle border between two apps while I'm juggling two apps or websites. Sue me!
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 cover display
Samsung didn't make any gen-over-gen changes for the 3.4-inch, 720 x 748-pixel display, but I'm OK with that. The Korea-based tech giant already made a significant leap to a larger screen when it debuted the Galaxy Z Flip 5. It was a pivotal upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which had a yawnworthy 1.9-inch cover display.
I don't have anything critical to say about the cover screen. It's a space where you can add your favorite widgets and interact with apps, like weather, alarms, contacts, and calendar, in a small-screen space. The best use case for me is using it to respond to my WhatsApp messages without needing to unfurl the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Plus, I can use it to take photos, too. (Again, I don't need to unfold the foldable device to do so.)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 cameras
I'm not too proud to say that the Galaxy Z Flip 6's 10MP selfie camera on the inner display makes me feel insecure.
It picks up on imperfections and bumps that I don't even notice in the mirror. One could say that the Galaxy Z Flip 6's selfie camera is too good.
You don't even need to unfold the Galaxy Z Flip 6 camera to take a selfie. Because the main camera — the new 50MP camera that got upgraded from Galaxy Z Flip 5's 12MP wide lens — faces you while the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is closed.
However, my favorite way to take a selfie is to place the Galaxy Z Flip 6 on any surface in clamshell mode and take hands-free selfies by simply using the high-five gesture.
I've always felt that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 was a revolutionary phone for solo travelers. As I mentioned at the outset, I despise asking strangers to take photos.
However, with the Galaxy Z Flip 6, I can prop this bad boy anywhere and take photos, sans the weird selfie arm, without enlisting the help of others. This is a big win!
Next, here's a shot with the new 50MP wide camera:
I took a picture of the same scene with the 12MP ultrawide lens:
Finally, here are some zoomed-in shots, with the top one at 2x and the last one at the max zoom level (i.e., 10x).
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 audio
I fired up the Apple Music app on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and played Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso." It gets loud and impactful at max volume. There's a slight metallic edge to it, but there's plenty of clarity and it's reasonably clear.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 ports and buttons
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 features a USB-C 3.2 port on the bottom.
On the right side, you'll find a volume rocker as well as a power button that doubles as the fingerprint sensor. (As far as biometric authentication is concerned, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 also supports facial recognition.) On the left side, you'll find a nanoSIM tray. (The Galaxy Z Flip 6 supports eSIMs, too.)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 keyboard
The haptic keyboard on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is absolutely addicting. Typing on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I wondered, "Why can't these phones offer the same experience?"
Feeling such tangible feedback while my fingers hit each letter and symbol makes texting on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 far more accurate the aforementioned flagship phones.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy AI
Galaxy AI officially debuted earlier this year alongside the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. It brought a host of AI-powered features, including real-time translation during calls, transcription for audio recordings, and my favorite, Generative Edit, which lets you use AI to make complex changes to your pictures (e.g., object removal).
However, the Galaxy AI feature that I had the most fun with is the Sketch to Image feature in the Notes app. Below, you'll see my rudimentary sketch of a woman in a pointy hat that got transformed into a masterpiece.
The same could be said for my sketch of a swan:
All of the Galaxy AI Sketch to Image results come with a label that flags to people that it's an AI-created picture.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 benchmarks and performance
On Geekbench 6, which tests the Galaxy Z Flip 6's processor performance, the Samsung foldable has a multi-core of 6,069, which is on par with the likes of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (6,043) and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (7,078).
The former is packed with an Intel Core i5 CPU and considered to be an entry-level laptop. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Z Flip 6's non-foldable flagship cousin, shares the same chipset, but it's a smidge more performant.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 - 6,069
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 - 6,300
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra - 7,078
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 may seem like it's in last place, but trust me, it still has quite a lot of power. While running two apps simultaneously, thanks to the 12GB of RAM, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 handled everything smoothly and seamlessly while I juggled both YouTube and Spotify.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 lasted 12 hours and 13 minutes on our TikTok rundown.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 - 12 hours and 13 minutes
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 - 12 hours and 44 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra - 13 hours and 1 minute
The Galaxy Z Fold 6, the foldable Samsung phone that can open up like a book, lasts 31 minutes longer. Keep in mind that if you want an extra hour, give or take some minutes, consider the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 worth it?
A better question is who is this for? Because I believe this phone is for consumers with specific use cases. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is best for the following:
Solo travelers
Independent content creators
Multitasking app jugglers
Tiny, portable phone lovers
As aforementioned, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is ideal for solo travelers and independent content creators who want to capture better photos and videos of themselves without relying on a companion. On top of that, it is a foldable, so it benefits from having excellent multitasking capabilities where you can place an app on the top part of the screen and another on the bottom.
And finally, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, when closed, is a super portable phone that can slip comfortably into any pocket or travel bag without adding too much clunkiness. For anyone who misses Apple's iPhone mini series, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a decent alternative.
If you fall into any one of those categories, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is totally worth the splurge. Otherwise, shelling out $1,099 may not give you enough bang for your buck.