Thinner & lighter, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is now better than ever as a daily driver

I love a good foldable phone, especially those of the tablet foldable assortment. Look at all that real estate. What’s not to love?

Well, according to some people in my life, quite a lot of things. The most common complaint is that they find it bulky, heavy, and lacking practical use cases.

But Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6 is thinner and lighter than ever, and after a couple of weeks of using it, I’m inclined to say it’s pretty practical.  

Putting the specs in spectacular

The review unit we got our hands on came in the Silver Shadow colourway, which is nice and classy. But for those who want a pop of colour, there’s a Pink option, or perhaps a more subtle Navy. It also comes in White and Crafted Black, the latter offering a carbon fibre-esque pattern.

Of course, even though the phone is the thinnest it’s ever been, it will still feel thicker than your average phone when using it closed. That’s just the price to pay when using a foldable.

The hinges are smooth but tight, which is fantastic because it means the phone won’t snap shut on you. It’s able to really hold itself in place even just centimetres away from lying flat, which I appreciate.

The crease is rather seamless, especially compared to past models, but I wouldn’t call it invisible. I personally don’t quite mind it, though, as it doesn’t affect my viewing experience that much.

The width of the 6.3-inch cover screen is actually quite comfortable and natural—not too narrow or squeezy. Though it’s just a tad wider than its predecessors’, the difference is noticeable.

The fold-out screen is just as good, with 2,600 nits making the screen 1.5x brighter than before.

For the first time for a Samsung Fold, the Z Fold6 has an IP48 resistance. The second number which signifies a device’s protection against liquids hasn’t changed, but it’s the first time the first number isn’t an X.

The “4” means the phone is protected against a solid object greater than 1mm, such as a wire. It’s not quite dust-resistant, but it’s a start.

A picturesque camera quality

When it comes to the cameras on this phone, it’s not lagging behind compared to many conventional ones on the market. Sure, it might not boast the S24 Ultra’s primary 200MP sensor, but its 50MP + 12MP + 10MP setup is more than decent in my eyes.

One of the best use cases of the fold mechanic is to take ridiculously high-quality selfies, and the Z Fold6 does not disappoint. Compared to another foldable phone I’ve used before, I find the focus to be a lot better, not rendering people in the background into blurry little pixels.

The front cover’s under-display camera leaves much to be desired though. I personally do not find much value in using those when the lovely rear cameras can do the job so much better.  

There are plenty of additional features you can explore such as the Auto Framing that basically tracks the subject to ensure they are centred. But unfortunately, it doesn’t sport the Auto Zoom function that the Z Flip6 comes with.

There’s really nothing to nitpick about the cameras, but I will say it took me a while to get the hang of how to switch to the cover screen and take a selfie without constantly mis-pressing buttons on the foldout screen.

Putting on a performance

One of the highlighted upgrades of the Z Fold6 is that it comes equipped with Galaxy AI.

This means that you can tap into a whole assortment of AI tools such as photo editing tools, Circle to Search, and article summary generations.

To really maximise a tablet foldable, it’s all about the multi-windows. Personally, I find this particularly useful when I need to listen to voice recordings while taking down notes. It’s almost like a mini laptop at times.

Offering up to a 120Hz refresh rate, gaming (and doomscrolling) on the phone is as smooth as can be, complete with crisp graphics and great sound quality. It houses the fastest Snapdragon on a Galaxy Z Fold to date, offering 19% faster graphics rendering and 18% faster performance overall.

The battery capacity is 4,400 mAh, which is the same as the phone’s predecessor. That said, a full charge does last me a full day of use without any issues, so I’ll take it.

One minor but important thing I will say is that about five out of 10 times I try to unlock my phone with my fingerprint on the side sensors, it will tell me it doesn’t match. I don’t know if I just have bad prints, but it got pretty frustrating at one point. I’ll just stick to Face ID, I think.

Verdict

Sporting a price of RM7,299, the Z Fold6 is certainly more of a luxury phone. In general, I do still find tablet foldables to be more of an extravagant, novelty product rather than a practical and reasonably priced daily driver.

But for loyal users of Samsung’s Fold phones, I think that this is an update worth buying into. Seven years of software updates is a pretty nice promise as well.

Overall, it’s a really solid step forward for Samsung’s Fold phones. That said, compared to the Flip, the Fold range of phones seems to be getting a slower facelift, with improvements being more incremental rather than completely innovative.

Still, I enjoyed using the Galaxy Z Fold6. If you’re trying to get into the foldable scene, this may be the time to start.

VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion to our Facebook page.