Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review: screen, interpreter and e-reader

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 boasts an impressive number of cameras and a fold-out AMOLED display. This in itself is nothing new and the fold and closing mechanism remains almost the same. That being said, Samsung makes up for the lack of hardware innovation with its software. More specifically, with slick fine-tuning and new AI functions.

Design: edgy

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is slightly thinner, more symmetrical and, above all, more edgy than its predecessor. I like the angular innovation. As well as silver grey and dark blue, a soft pink joins the ranks of the available colours.

When folded, the device is still slightly narrower than the average smartphone and almost twice as thick. The hinge requires less space than its predecessor, so it doesn’t protrude as much. However, it takes a bit of force to open and the foldable only just closes flush. You hear a pleasant click when it locks into place. The crease is still clearly visible, but it doesn’t get in the way when you’re using it as it does on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Hardware: IP certification and dual SIM

If you’re interested in hardware, you might also want to take a look at the Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs. Apart from the new chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from Qualcomm, there are almost no differences. Mind you, the display is considerably brighter with a maximum of 2,600 nits.

The first-ever dust certification for the foldable marks a small innovation. Its predecessor could withstand being submerged 1.5 m in fresh water for 30 minutes, in line with IPX8. Now it’s also IP48 certified, meaning dust particles larger than 1 mm won’t harm the smartphone. However, the device isn’t considered dustproof.

The new chip shows significant improvement over its predecessor in the Geekbench 6 benchmark. The Sony Xperia 1 VI also has the same chip as the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is ahead in both the single and multi-core as well as the Vulkan graphics benchmark.

This means that it responds quickly during standard use, can handle parallel apps well and is also suitable for graphics-heavy gaming. The foldable only stalled on the chat app Telegram. Selecting multiple images or files to send takes a long time compared with other apps.

I use the 3D Mark program to measure how well the smartphone performs during a 20-minute gaming session. 3D Mark delivers the result in the form of a curve that represents battery consumption, temperature and refresh rate during this time. The device performs quite well. A lot happens in the first ten minutes: the temperature rises from 30 to 40 degrees Celsius, while the frame rate drops from 130 to an average of around 50 fps. After that, everything remains fairly stable. As a result, the foldable quickly reduces power when the temperature rises so as not to overheat. The test also drains almost 10% of the battery. So in theory, after two hours of comparable use, that’s it.

I use PCMark software to test the battery life. The program simulates standard smartphone use for web browsing, video editing and scrolling. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 performs just as well as its predecessor. When unfolded, it lasts just under 12 hours until the battery is at 20%. That’s good but nothing to write home about. You can then charge the smartphone in just over an hour with the 25 W power adapter that’s included.

Software: AI and adjustments for the big screen

Samsung is exemplary when it comes to Android and security updates, with the company offering seven years of support. The manufacturer works with a customised version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 based on Android for the fold functions. After all, the large screen is the device’s biggest gimmick.

Samsung has repeatedly introduced software improvements over the course of its various fold iterations. As a result, individual programs offer better use and an improved overview on the open smartphone. These include the manufacturer’s own apps, such as calendars and calculators, as well as partnerships with third-party apps including Instagram and Spotify.

Here’s a list of Samsung apps that are adjusted in flex mode:

• Calculator
• Calendar
• Camera
• Clock
• Gallery
• Samsung Health
• Video player
• Video call
• Browser

Things get interesting when it comes to third-party apps. On YouTube, I complained that the red control bar on last year’s Z Fold 5 was in the crease. Now Samsung has adapted this and I can watch and control the videos in half-open mode without any problems.

Instagram is also back in the game and offers a clear app version for Samsung’s foldable. And last but not least, Spotify has also made adjustments for the big screen. It’s a shame my favourite music app Tidal hasn’t done the same.

Videos, games and books: flex mode is the icing on the cake

A lot of things are more fun on the double screen size than a conventional smartphone. Thanks to the powerful, up-to-date chip, the game Genshin Impact, for instance, runs flawlessly even with high graphics settings. I can also read and enjoy my current manga series Alice in Borderland on the train.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and its stylus function enjoy a special status compared with foldable competitors. Thanks to Samsung’s S Pen (available as an accessory with a case), the foldable hardly ever lets me down during my favourite hobby of drawing. I say hardly because the crease in the middle is less irksome than on the predecessor, but it’s still there. The stylus is designed to be used with Penup, a great drawing program that Samsung has pre-installed. Third-party apps such as Infinite Painter also run smoothly.

The camera bump on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is annoying when drawing and writing. If I put the device on the table to draw, this is what makes it wobble, whether it has the case on or not. It’s only when I remove the back of the cover that the device lies flat on the table.

Paint, write and translate talent-free with Samsung’s AI

In line with current trends, Samsung is promoting the AI functions on its devices. One of the exciting features on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is its AI-based sketch function. Smart notes and the translator are also handy features for everyday use. Generally speaking, AI still shows weaknesses, but it can be helpful depending on the situation.

AI sketches: drawing without expertise

I love the ability to draw on the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s large screen. But not everyone likes to draw – or is able to.

Not to worry, Samsung must have thought, and swiftly built in a new sketch function. If I draw a few lines on a white canvas or directly into a photo, they transform into a nice sketch.

It’s a gimmick, but it allows you to spontaneously capture a great idea that would’ve taken a single person much longer.

Samsung’s voice AI: Instagram captions at the touch of a button

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers a lot when it comes to things like translation and summaries. In general, they’re good tools, but they still need to be checked with a critical eye.

My favourite function is the smart text composer, directly on the keyboard. I can explain to the smartphone in 125 characters what I want to write, what type of text it should be (standard, e-mail, social media) and what tone I prefer (polite, informal, professional). I don’t always like writing captions for my art account on Instagram, so I let the foldable do it for me. Obviously, the text is slightly generic and impersonal, but it’s fine as a starting point.

Original text: «I painted a picture of a woman in the 90s, using ink and watercolour. There are also matching toys and music.»

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has me well-equipped for an interview. I record in Samsung’s notes app using the voice recorder. At the same time, I can use the notes app for annotations and sketches. I then have the recorded interview transcribed at the touch of a button – this takes place on the smartphone itself. To put it through its paces, I record an interview between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. There’s no one else involved. I can see in the transcript that the voice allocation is partly wrong. You can also access direct translation, but I wouldn’t recommended it, as the result is extremely confusing.

But the tedious heavy lifting is done. That way I can listen to the recording again and correct the transcript afterwards. This saves me an enormous amount of time and hard work, even if there’s a 10 – 20% error rate.

Summarising websites doesn’t work in practice, as I notice important content being left out. When I test it out on my smartphone reviews, I practically only see the specifications as the most important points. My conclusion would make more sense as a summary. So, I still don’t trust this function (yet).

Samsung has been offering on-device translation and interpreting for a while now. I’ve already tested out a lot of these features on the predecessor model and compiled them here:

Camera: tried and tested hardware plus smart image processing

There aren’t any new hardware features for the cameras. To be fair, they hardly need it, as Samsung has done a good job so far. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 boasts five cameras that deliver good results. The specs:

• front camera: 10 MP, f/2.2
• inner camera: 4MP, f/1.8
• main camera: 50 MP, f/1.8
• telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 2x optical zoom
• ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2

The results are a matter of taste. Personally, I find them a bit too sharp and gaudy. Overall, however, the foldable delivers lovely results in good weather. In poorer weather and lighting conditions, the pictures are also fine.

I’m happy with the 3x zoom (up to 2x is still optical), but I wouldn’t recommend zooming in any further if you want a good photo. In theory, you have the option to go as far as 30x.

You can take selfies with two cameras. The front camera (10 MP) on the outside gives an even more detailed picture, making the images sharper than with the inside camera (4 MP).

Even in low light, the colours in the photos are still vibrant. And the details on black objects are clearly visible. The only thing that’s striking is the camera focuses on the centre of an object, while everything around it is quickly blurred.

Unlike its hardware, the phone’s software has been on the receiving end of innovation. There’s smart support in image editing, which provides editing suggestions. I really like editing pictures myself, especially because the smart photo software hasn’t really delivered controllable results so far. I do find one or two AI functions funny – but that’s about it.

The usual suspects include enlarging a background or making unwanted objects and frames disappear. I can also create a cartoon version or sketch of a selfie from my smartphone. Here are a few examples: