Galaxy Z Fold 6 has new clever tools, refined design, brilliant screen

Much to everyone's expectations, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at Unpacked 2024 in Paris moments ago. As it happens, the new entry in the series is the slimmest foldable phone Samsung's ever created, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a slightly wider cover screen than its predecessors and a 22.1:9 aspect ratio instead of 23.1:9 on the Fold 5. In practice, this means the Galaxy Z Fold 6 should offer a more natural slab-type phone experience when using it folded.

The overall design is more square and has flatter surfaces, and Samsung says the new phone uses more recycled rare earth elements for some of its components, just like the Galaxy S24 series. The frame is made from improved Armor Aluminum with 10% higher scratch resistance, and the phone has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection for the back panel and cover screen.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 boasts a new IP48 rating instead of IPX8, which makes it just as water-resistant as the previous models but more resilient to ingress from solid particles and small objects (greater than 1mm).

Furthermore, Samsung strengthened the dual rail hinge for better shock protection and minimized the foldable display's crease using “enhanced layers” without lowering the screen's integrity and durability. Below you can find the full Galaxy Z Fold 6 spec sheet:

• Armor Aluminum frame with Glass Victus 2 protection. IP48 dust and water resistance rating.
• 12.1mm profile when folded. 5.6mm profile when unfolded. Weight is 239 grams.
• 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display with a 22.1:9 aspect ratio, 2376 x 968 resolution, and adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate.
• 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex foldable display with a 20.9:18 aspect ratio, 2160 x 1856 resolution, and 1-120Hz refresh rate. Higher brightness of up to 2,600 nits.
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. 12GB of RAM and 256GB / 512GB / 1TB of storage.
• 50MP main camera with Dual Pixel AF, OIS, an f/1.8 aperture, 1.0-micron pixels, and 85-degree FOV.
• 12MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1.12-micron pixels, 123-degree FOV.
• 10MP telephoto camera with PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture, 1.0-micron pixels, and 36-degree FOV.
• 10MP selfie camera with f/2/2 aperture 1.22-micron pixels, 85-degree FOV.
• 4MP Under Display Camera with f/1.8 aperture, 2.0-micron pixels, 85-degree FOV.
• 4,400mAh dual battery with fast wireless charging, Wireless PowerShare, and 25W wired charging.
• Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G connectivity.
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

One of the more surprising upgrades this year is the larger vapor chamber. Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 1.6x larger vapor chamber which will help you game for longer while maintaining high performance.

More details after the video…

Samsung also touted the phone's Ray Tracing capabilities and the “vivid, life-like graphics” that can be showcased through the brighter foldable screen, which can now reach up to 2,600 nits of brightness. Impressive!

Galaxy Z Fold 6 got new AI and software goodies

As far as software goes, the most notable upgrade from the last generation might be the improved firmware support policy. In tune with all other sustainability efforts, Samsung will update the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with major OS updates for seven years.

Samsung's latest foldable also has new AI tricks up its sleeve. The Sketch to Image and Sketch on Image features use Generative AI to help you draw objects on existing photos or turn rough sketches into beautiful renders. The S Pen is not required, but these features work best with it. The S Pen continues to be sold separately.

In a similar fashion, Portrait Studio lets Galaxy Z Fold 6 users convert portrait photos to 3D, cartoonish, or animated versions using Generative AI.

Samsung Notes now boasts the same audio transcription capabilities as the Voice Recorder app. And for the first time in the Fold series, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 boasts a dual-screen interpreter mode similar to the Pixel Fold. Other cool features include the Google Gemini app and Live Translate for third-party calling apps.

You can pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 6 now for extra bonuses, including one year of Samsung Care+ for free — in select markets. Hit the pre-order button below to see what freebies and incentives Samsung has in store for you.