Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs. Z Flip 5: Modest improvements across the board (2024)

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  Most refined Z Flip yet

  Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

  The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the most evolved version of the Flip lineup from Samsung, featuring a fun form factor. It comes with a 3.4-inch cover and a 6.7-inch main AMOLED display, both of which are colorful and bright. The Flip 6 packs the new Galaxy AI features, a dual camera setup, and a battery that can last all day, making the experience slightly better than on its predecessor.

  Pros

  • Fantastic main display
  • Excellent performance
  • Great battery life

  Cons

  • Costs $100 more
  • Slow charging
  • Limited cover display

  $1100 at Amazon

• 

  Still a great buy

  Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

  The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 was our go-to recommendation last year for those who were thinking about switching or trying the foldable form factor in a flip style. It had two beautiful displays, a dual camera setup that captured decent images, and a battery that did well for the most part.

  Pros

  • Fun form factor
  • Great performance
  • Large cover display

  Cons

  • OK battery life and slow charging
  • The camera isn't the best

  $1000 at Amazon

Samsung has been making foldables for over five years, and it’s fair to say that the company still makes some of the best foldable smartphones. The Flip series has been the most successful flexible devices to date, bringing back the fun form factor with even more possibilities and a new way to take advantage of the large display and unique set of features.

The latest Galaxy Z Flip 6 brings small, but meaningful, refinements to the series, adding a new hinge mechanism, the same compact form factor that we all know and love, and other small changes that further enhance the experience of the modern flip phone.

Price, specs, and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is available at most retailers and carriers, as well as directly through Samsung. The base model comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and costs $1,100, which is a $100 increase over the previous generation.

It's available in Yellow, Mint, Silver Shadow, and Blue colors at most retailers; Crafted Black, Peach, and White are exclusively available at Samsung.com.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is also available at all the usual places, including Best Buy, Amazon, and most carriers. When it was released, it retailed for $1,000, but it can now often be found for less than $600.

The base model comes with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and it’s available in several different colors, including Mint, Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Gray, Blue, Green, and Yellow.

• 	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  Display type	AMOLED (internal and external)	AMOLED (internal and external)
  Display dimensions	6.7" (main), 3.4" (cover)	6.7" (main), 3.4" (cover)
  Display resolution	2640 x 1080 (main), 720 x 748 (cover)	2640 x 1080 (main), 720 x 748 (cover)
  RAM	12GB	8GB
  Storage	256GB or 512GB	256GB or 512GB
  Battery	4,000mAh	3,700mAh
  Charge speed	25W wired, 15W wireless	25W wired, 15W wireless
  Charge options	Wired or wireless	Wired or wireless
  Operating System	Android 14 with One UI 6.1.1	Android 14 with OneUI 6
  Front camera	10MP, f/2.2	10MP, f/2.2
  Rear camera	50MP, f/1.8 main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide	12MP, f/1.8 main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide
  Dimensions	85.1 x 71.9 x 14.9mm (folded), 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm (unfolded)	85.1x 71.9 x 15.1mm (folded), 165.1 x 71.9 x 6.9mm (unfolded)
  Weight	187g	187g
  IP Rating	IP48	IPX8
  Colors	Silver Shadow, Blue, Mint, Yellow	Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Mint
  Stylus	No	No
  Price	$1,100	$1,000

Design

Same old, but slightly refined

Both the Z Flip 6 and Z Flip 5 look almost identical on the outside, as very little has changed between the two generations. Both feature a plastic front with a Gorilla Glass panel, and an aluminum frame. The easiest way to tell the two apart is by looking at their color options, and the colored rings around the camera setup on the Z Flip 6. Other than that, the two devices are practically identical, having the same folded and unfolded dimensions.

The only difference, in terms of numbers, is when it comes to thickness. Both devices measure 6.9mm when unfolded, but the Z Flip 6 is 14.9mm when folded, compared to the Z Flip 5’s 15.1mm. The difference is negligible, but it’s still great to see a small change.

The two flip phones also weigh the same at 187 grams, and have the same overall form factor. The hinge, on the other hand, is different on the new Z Flip 6, but it retains all the same features and overall functionality from the Z Flip 5. The other main differentiator is ingress protection.

Foldables have never been as rugged as standard non-foldable smartphones, but the Z Flip 6 now features an IP48 certificate. In contrast, the Z Flip 5 only has IPX8, which signifies it’s not rated against small particles like dust. In the case of the Z Flip 6, the device can't handle very small and fine dust, but larger particles shouldn't enter the device, protecting the internals from damage.

Display

Brighter display makes the Z Flip 6 more usable outside

While the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Flip 5 come with the same 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED displays with 120Hz refresh rates, the Z Flip 6 brings a few upgrades to the table. Most notably, it peaks at 2,600 nits of brightness, compared to the Z Flip 5’s 1,750 nits.

It’s worth noting that this peak brightness only applies when supported HDR10+ content is displayed, but it does help when it comes to regular use, as the panel is easier to see in direct sunlight.

We’re also happy to report that the crease, while still there, is less noticeable to your eyes and fingers, and Samsung did a great job making it less distracting when looking at the phone indirectly.

The cover display remained the same 3.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with the same resolution and even Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protective glass. There aren’t any major improvements, but it’s worth mentioning that the Z Flip 5 already had an excellent display that was great for anything from multitasking, to watching videos, or even playing games.

The only problem is that Samsung hasn’t made any big improvements to the software, which means the cover screen is still limited when it comes to functionality and features. There are only a few supported apps users can use, and it’s still primarily oriented towards checking notifications, using compatible widgets, and previewing photos before capturing them.

Software and performance

Reliable software updates make the Flip series futureproof

Samsung was once known as one of the worst companies when it came to updates, but the company did a complete 180, and it’s now one of the best. Samsung offers four major OS upgrades and five years of security patches for the Galaxy Z Flip 5, making it a great foldable for the next three to four years.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is even better, with Samsung promising seven years of software upgrades and seven years of security patches. This means the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will receive upgrades until at least Android 21, or 2031, which offers immense value and a great way for those wanting to futureproof themselves.

The software on the Galaxy Z Flip series is also one of the most extensive and functional. It has lots of built-in features that let users take advantage of the unique form factor, adding a tripod mode when taking photos, or making it easier to hold up the phone and providing controls on the lower half of the screen when watching movies.

Galaxy AI also adds more functionality, enabling users to take notes faster and more efficiently, browse the web, and edit photos. These add to the Galaxy experience, further enhancing it and providing features that make life easier, more manageable, and a little more fun.

When it comes to power, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of base storage. The Z Flip 5 has 8GB of RAM and the same 256GB of base storage, but it’s powered by the one generation older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

In terms of efficiency and power, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 obviously takes the crown, not to mention the added heat management features built into the Z Flip 6. The Z Flip 5 holds up surprisingly well, but it’s worth mentioning that if you plan on multitasking or playing games for extended periods, neither phone will hold up as well as traditional flagships due to the limited space for a more capable vapor chamber.

Battery life

A full day's worth of power

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 3,700mAh battery, while the new Z Flip 6 is equipped with a larger 4,000mAh cell inside. The extra 300mAh ensures the phone can last even longer on a single charge, and the chipset also makes things more efficient, saving you power when you need it the most.

In terms of real-life usage, both phones can last a full day on a single charge, but we found that the Z Flip 6 can last slightly longer than its predecessor. It’s still not fantastic, but it’s more than capable of lasting a full day with general use, especially if you rely on the cover screen for certain tasks instead of opening it up to power millions more pixels.

The one area that hasn’t received the slightest improvement is charging. Both devices are stuck on slow 25W wired and 15W wireless charging. Luckily, both phones can go from 0% to 50% in 30 minutes, but a full charge will take over an hour and a half.

Camera

The Flip 6 captures better photos

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a 50MP primary camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera, while the Z Flip 5 has a 12MP primary camera and the same 12MP ultrawide camera. While neither phone stands out for photography, they can capture photos with plenty of details, contrast, and great colors. Images in low light are equally good, too, but they won’t be as good as those of standard phones such as the Galaxy S24.

Having said that, the Z Flip 6 brings a few improvements, most notably the 50MP f/1.8 main sensor that was also seen on the Galaxy S24. The one thing that stands out is that the Flip series still doesn’t have a telephoto camera, which some users may miss.

During our Z Flip 6 review, we found the dual camera setup to be great. It captured detailed images with slightly over-saturated colors, but Samsung is well-known for that. The overall set of photos are great in most lighting conditions, and it can even do well in low-light, providing a great overall experience that lives up to expectations.

While the Z Flip 6 is still not as good as the main Galaxy S line, we can see improvements and hope it’ll one day provide the same experience as the primary flagship series.

Which is right for you?

Samsung made some small, but notable, enhancements to the Galaxy Z Flip 6. While we like it and can easily recommend it to most people, it’s worth mentioning that it’s a small, iterative upgrade, and that Galaxy Z Flip 5 users may be disappointed.

The Flip 6 has a beautiful display and a great, albeit limited, cover screen, as well as a decent camera setup and great battery life. However, while Samsung made some improvements to ingress protection, and to the hardware and hinge mechanism, it failed to improve enough in other areas like charging or the cameras.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 might be a small upgrade, but it brings a lot of refinements that make it a great upgrade for those on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and even for some Flip 5 owners. It’s a great flip phone with excellent availability, a flagship chipset, and an improved battery life.

$1100 at Amazon$1100 at Best Buy$1100 at Samsung

As for the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it might be a year old, but it remains an excellent foldable for its price, especially knowing that it can sometimes be found for as low as $600 at select retailers with select discounts.

If you’re new to foldables, and you want to give them a try, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 might just be the best foldable for those on a budget. For everyone else who has a bit of extra change, the Z Flip 6 will be an even better option, especially for those who want to futureproof themselves.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 remains an excellent buy in 2024, especially if you’re on a budget and want to try out the versatile and fun form factor. It has a decent overall set of features, specifications, and one-day battery life. It’s an ideal alternative if you want to experiment, or save a few bucks on your next smartphone.

$1000 at Amazon$1000 at Best Buy$1000 at Samsung