Alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Z Flip 6 should be released this summer. And it shouldn’t be a minor update. Battery, screen, design, protection, heating, Samsung has reportedly thoroughly revised its flip smartphone to offer an even more advanced experience.
This summer will see the arrival of the new generation of foldable smartphones from Samsung. In addition to the Galaxy Fold 6, its little brother, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, will be in the spotlight. With it, we hope to see the two big shortcomings of its predecessor disappear: poor autonomy and lack of telephoto lens.
If the Z Fold ever wanted to compete with tablets, the Z Flip has always been small. Reviving the fashion for clamshell and reduce the occupancy rate of jeans pockets, that is the whole point of this model which is already reaching its sixth generation. The foldable is a story that lasts at Samsung.
A few months before its official presentation, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is becoming less and less discreet. Rumors are rife and a lot of technical data is already available thanks to a few leaks circulating. And above all, if the Galaxy Z Fold 6 does not seem very different from Z Fold 5this is because the generational gap would be expected on the Z Flip side.
The opportunity to take stock of everything we know about this new version, our expectations and our doubts.
An advanced release and soaring prices?
Samsung is keeping the prices of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 a secret. As it stands, we can only make estimates. We must already determine which versions the manufacturer will offer.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is available in 256 and 512 GB. Two storage options that Samsung should keep since they are right in the prerequisites of the current high-end. Rumors also mention a third version in 1 TB, which is not absurd since this capacity tends to become more popular. The Xiaomi 14 is also equipped with it for a low price of €1099.
By following the evolution of the prices of the old generations of Z Flip, we see that if we except the Z Flip 3 which was €500 cheaper than the Z Flip 5Gall others have seen their prices increase by €30 to €60 depending on storage.
And it’s hard to believe that Samsung is reducing its prices on the Z Flip 6. It will have to absorb its technological advances, Galaxy AI or even the 12 GB of RAM which will perhaps equip it as mentioned by the leaker. @TheGalox_. If a 12 GB/1 TB version does exist, it could exceed €1,500.
When will you be able to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 6? Well a priori from this summer. Samsung would hold its Unpacked conference in Paris in July and ahead of the Olympics so that he is not drowned by the event. Partner of the 2024 Olympics, Samsung would like to take advantage of this period to push marketing around its new range of foldable smartphones.
A strategy that would be totally logical and clever. As for official availability, either Samsung shakes up its habits with a simultaneous launch at the Olympics, or it keeps the end of August slot to flood the shelves. Releasing the Z Flip 6 during the Olympics, however, would have much more impact.
Design: less thin than before, but for a good cause
According to the latest leaks and rumors, the Z Flip 6 would sport a new, improved and better adjusted hinge for a neater look and better resistance to repeated folding.
Still in a desire to capitalize on the robustness of its product, Samsung would swap the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass of the Z Flip 5 with an Armor version from the same brand, even more robust. Already on board the Galaxy S24 Ultrathis protection convinced us in particular with its anti-reflective treatment which is 75% more effective than that of the S23 Ultra. This glass will come on the back and will protect the external screen of the Z Flip 6.
Concerning the main screen, we should also see changes. Samsung has long been concerned about dust infiltration. This is really the bane of folding smartphones and the South Korean manufacturer claims to focus on this point in 2024. In its bag, we find a trademark registration for Ironflex. It would be an Oled panel even more resistant than Corning’s protections.
Another difference compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, its successor would gain weight. The rendering produced by SmartPix in partnership with OnLeaks puts his finger on this point. We are talking about a thickness increased by a bit from 6.9 mm to 7.4 mm. This is not a lack of optimization, but rather a need for space to insert a larger battery. Knowing this, we can only welcome the modification, the lack of autonomy being one of the main shortcomings of the Z Flip. Length and width would also move, but by 0.2 mm at most. Negligible.
Finally, in terms of finishes, we should find four liveries: Light Blue, Light Green, Silver and Yellow. On the Z Flip 5, these shades complement the four main ones and are only available via an order on the Samsung website.
The largest external display in its class
We remember the postage stamp format secondary screen of the first Z Flips. From 1.1 or 1.9 inches, we went to 3.4 inches on the Z Flip 5, a revelation! But Samsung is not stopping there and is preparing to expand it further on the Z Flip 6.
It would gain 0.5 inches in diagonal to stand at 3.9 inches, thus freeing up more space for interactions. A modification which would not push the limits of the chassis, but would rather focus on maximizing the occupancy rate of the available space. This would then be the largest external screen on a flip smartphone, surpassing the Razr 40 Ultra and its 3.6-inch screen.
Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, everything said
Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 platform would retain its preference for Qualcomm, embedding its current high-end SoC, namely a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The capabilities of the latter are no longer in doubt. Brutal, it swallows up any stain.
To control the beast, Samsung has reportedly planned a revision of its cooling system. And while until now the Galaxy Z Flips were limited to 8 GB of RAM, the Z Flip 6 would finally upgrade this line by packing 12 GB of RAM. Be careful, it could also be that two versions coexist, one in 8 GB and the other in 12 GB, which will spread the prices even further.
From 12 to 50 Mpx, but that’s not what we expect
An old rumor dating from the summer of 2023 reported a main sensor increased to 50 Mpx on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. @TheGalox_ today confirmed this development in its new Z Flip 6 characteristics sheet. Despite its low resolution, the 12 Mpx sensor of the Z Flip 5 had however already convinced us.
This is not where we are most waiting for Samsung, but rather on the addition of a telephoto lens. On a smartphone costing more than €1000, aimed more at fashion users than power users, photo versatility must be paramount. On the front, the selfie sensor would remain the same with a resolution of 12 Mpx. Since you can use the main selfie sensor with the phone closed, this sensor is really secondary.
Towards better autonomy?
This is undoubtedly the major innovation of this Galaxy Z Flip 6. As we mentioned above, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 would be thicker to accommodate a larger battery. It would be 4000 mAh compared to 3700 mAh for the Z Flip 5. The difference is slight, but would be appreciated as the 2023 model falls short in this aspect. Less than 9 hours of battery life in our ViSer test protocol is almost the worst of all our 2023/2024 tests. It is only saved by the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra.
We can hope that its larger battery combined with improved SoC cooling management will allow the Z Flip 6 to regain autonomy and climb out of the bottom of our table.
Where to buy
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 at the best price?