I got hands-on with the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 and I'm pretty impressed

Samsung has today announced its exciting new lineup of foldable and flippy phones, extending the popular product range with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. I got a first look at these latest AI smartphones over at Samsung HQ, and I'm impressed with the innovative new features, generous camera upgrades, and design modifications improving on the Flip/Fold 5 series. 

It's clear we're entering the future of technology with powerful AI devices hitting the shelves, and companies like Samsung are spearheading this charge. Sure, you can stick with owning one of the best iPhones for photography if you like, but I think you'd be missing out. The latest Galaxy smartphones are equipped with some exceptional AI tools to make life easier for content creators. 

The latest Samsung Unpacked event has showcased a lot of new tech joining the Galaxy AI ecosystem (I'm super excited about the Galaxy Ring), but what exactly is new? Let's dive into my hands-on experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 smartphones and why I think they're a worthy upgrade. 

What's new?

If you're already familiar with the Samsung Z Fold and Z Flip series then you're probably wondering what the biggest difference is in these latest devices – given that we didn't get much of an upgrade boost from the 3 to the 4 series, or the 4 to the 5 either. Thankfully, Samsung has packed a lot into these new handsets that go beyond just Galaxy AI software. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

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For starters, the Fold 6 has been made more compact yet offers a wider display by 1mm on the cover screen and 2.7mm wider when opened, thanks to a tweaked aspect ratio. It's thinner than the Fold 5, lighter too – at just 239 grams, and offers enhanced 2,600 nits of brightness (compared with 1,700 nits on the Fold 5). 

Other new elements include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip for Galaxy which promises faster performance for tasks like gaming, and it has the same AI features that were introduced with the Galaxy S24 series plus a few extras. Sketch-to image will no doubt be a favourite feature with creators, allowing for quick doodles to be converted into fully-fledged editorial pieces of art. 

You can also look forward to AI assistance with transcript assist, note assist, interpreter, browsing assist, air commands with the S pen, sentence composing, live translations, circle to search, and photo assist including generative editing and portrait studio features. You can still notice the fold in the middle of the phone which puts a lot of people off from purchasing it, but despite this, the handset feels super premium to hold and the display is stunning at the right angle. 

One thing I wish Samsung had put a little more effort into is the camera upgrade, considering that the Fold 6 still sports the same 50MP main camera as last year's Fold 5, plus the same wide and optical zoom cameras. The 12MP ultrawide camera is brand-new according to Samsung, with a low-light enhanced sensor and better performance with HDR and noise reduction adopted from the S24 series. 

Samsung Galaxy Flip 6 

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The first thing you'll notice with the Samsung Flip 6 is the bold new camera design, with thick rings surrounding each of the two lenses on the back of the handset. I really love the look and aesthetic that this creates, and I think it pairs superbly with the bright colour options too. The Flip 6 is available in Blue, Yellow, Mint, or Silver Shadow, and each of these colours look gorgeous in person. 

Despite the camera colour combo, the design of the Flip 6 remains largely unchanged. It has the same dimensions, screen size, and weight as the Flip 5, with a boost in RAM and an upgraded Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.

Although, it does boast some internal software flares with new life-like generative wallpapers to choose from and a flex window, which according to Samsung offers quick access to info and multiple widgets to display in a single pane. This is great for creatives who really like to personalise their tech. 

Similarly to the Fold 6, the Flip 6 has also been stuffed with new AI features including chat assist and note assist, interpreter, live translations and Circle to Search which was a hugely popular feature that debuted with the Galaxy S24 series. The Flip 6 display now has a 2,600 nits max brightness, just like the Fold, and an improved IP48  dust and water resistance rating. 

Perhaps the biggest upgrade to the Galaxy Flip series is the new 50MP main camera versus the 12MP we had on the Flip 5. The demo we were given at Samsung explained that it has a new high-resolution camera, with the option for AI-powered portraits with natural bokeh, and the Auto Zoom feature and FlexCam looked great too for hands-free solo selfies and group selfies using the back camera. 

Just like the S24 Ultra, the Flip 6 has also been integrated with Instagram to offer native camera quality through the app. This means you can use Instagram stories to snap and record lowlight photography and videography with the same resolution as using your on-device camera. The same brand-new ultrawide lens as the Fold 6 is also present on the Flip 6, so if you're looking for a top camera phone then I'd recommend the Flip over the Fold this time around.

Price and availability

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are in no way part of our budget camera phones list. These are in fact the priciest foldable flagships yet from Samsung, but arguably equipped with the best upgrades made for a while to the series. AI might be making everything more expensive (but I support it). 

I personally think the price of these handsets is extremely steep, although if you plan to pair them with other Samsung products from the Galaxy AI family then you're more likely to benefit from the ecosystem and really get your money's worth. 

• The Galaxy Z Fold 6 will retail for $1,899.99 / £1,799 for the entry-level 256GB variant and increases to £1,899 for the 512GB model. If you desire 1TB of storage, then expect to pay a whopping £2,099 for the handset (US pricing tbc). 

• As for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, the starting price is $1,099.99 / £1,049 for the model with 256GB of storage, or £1,149 for the 512GB. (US pricing tbc).

You can preorder both of these AI foldable phones today directly from Samsung, with the general sale kicking off on July 24. 

To see today's best deals on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, check out our clever deals widgets below.