Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: what we want to see
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is one of the best foldable phones money can buy, and the best clamshell foldable phone Samsung has made to date, so we have high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
That said, Samsung may have to make some big changes to fully meet our expectations for the phone. To find out what those are, skip to the second half of this article where you’ll find a wish list for the Galaxy Z Flip 6. .
But before that, we’ve looked at when the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 could be launched, what it could cost, and what the first leaks and rumors say about it. We’ll add leaks to this article as they happen, so check back soon if you want to stay updated.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next clamshell foldable from Samsung
- When is it out? Probably July or August 2024
- How much is it? Probably at least $999.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,649,
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is likely to launch about a year after the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which itself was announced at the end of July and shipped in mid-August.
So the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is likely to be announced in July or August 2024, and given that the last few models have all gone on sale in August, we’d expect the same from the Z Flip 6.
We also expect it to cost at least as much as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, which would mean a starting price of at least $999.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,649, but that’s all speculation for now.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: news and leaks
We haven’t heard much about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 yet, but Samsung itself has said it’s working on making a dustproof foldable phone, so chances are the Z Flip 6 will be that phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 already has significant water resistance, but no official dust resistance rating.
Next, leak @Tech_Reve (who has accurately leaked things in the past), claims that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will have a 50MP camera. They don’t specify which camera will get this upgrade, but GalaxyClub has since reiterated the claim of a 50MP camera on the Z Flip 6, saying it will be the main camera and a 50MP sensor is currently being tested for it.
For reference, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide angle and a 10MP selfie snapper, while the launch of the Z Fold 5 leads to a proprietary 50MP sensor, so switch that off. the Flip for a 50 MP sensor could make for a significant upgrade.
Current future roadmap Retain form factor through Fold 5 Form factor changes starting with Fold6 Adopt Flip6 50 MPFoldable Lite model in development Expected to launch next yearApril 16, 2023
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: what we want to see
Our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review awarded the phone 4.5 stars, so it’s a fantastic device, but that doesn’t mean the next model can’t be significantly better. We want to see the following five things from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, to make it the best clamshell foldable possible.
1. Dust resistance
Given how expensive foldable phones are, you’d hope they could withstand a bit of dust, but most of them don’t actually have official dust resistance, and that’s true for all of Samsung’s foldable phones. So we would really like to see this added to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Thankfully, there’s hope, as Samsung itself has said it’s working on making future foldable phones dust-resistant, but it hasn’t specifically mentioned the Z Flip 6.
2. Better battery life
We noted in our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review that while the battery life was serviceable and better than before, it still wasn’t quite as good as we’d like; no doubt because the phone relies on a rather small 3,700mAh battery. So for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, we want better battery life, whether through a bigger battery or optimizations.
We’d also like it to charge faster, as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s 25W is quite slow by 2023 standards.
3. A telephoto camera
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 isn’t the phone to buy if photography is your priority, especially if you’re into telephoto photography, as it doesn’t have a zoom lens.
So we’d love to see one added to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, alongside the main and ultra-wide lenses. We’re not even going to push for a 10x zoom like the one we raved about in our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review – a standard 3x would be absolutely fine.
4. A lower price
The price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the US is actually quite attractive, coming in at just under $1,000, and is the same price as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 at launch – despite having double the storage space. But elsewhere the picture is not so clear.
In the UK the starting price is £50 higher (albeit still marginally cheaper for an equivalent amount of storage as you get 256GB rather than 128GB), and in Australia the starting price is significantly higher (with a 256GB version of both the Z Flip 4 and Z Flip 5 are the same price, but in the case of the latter there’s no cheaper 128GB option available).
This is a trend we definitely don’t want to see continue, so at the very least we hope prices stay the same for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, but ideally we’d like to see them drop in regions outside of the US.
5. A larger cover screen
With the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung has massively increased the size of the cover screen, up to 3.4 inches, compared to 1.9 inches on the previous model. That makes it much more usable, but it’s still pretty cramped and there’s room to make it at least a little bit bigger.
Samsung could even follow Motorola’s lead and include large camera cutouts in the cover screen, like on the Motorola Razr Plus / Razr 40 Ultra; allowing it to take up the entire top half of the phone. But somehow we’d like it to be a little bigger on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.