Samsung has held its traditional summer Unpacked presentation, during which it showed the foldable flagship smartphone Galaxy Fold6. The model is a continuation of last year's Fold5, which was released to mark the maturation of the foldable device category. But this year, Samsung has staked its claim on making Fold6 even more normal for owners of regular smartphones. I will tell you what innovations the company has made for this purpose and what is interesting about Samsung's new foldable flagship in general in this article.
Galaxy Fold6 vs Galaxy Fold5
To begin with, let's compare the main specifications of the smartphone with its predecessor:
| Galaxy Fold5 | Galaxy Fold6 | |
| Dimensions and weight | Folded dimensions: 154.9x67.1x13.4 mmUnfolded dimensions: 154.9x129.9x6.1 mm253 grams | Folded dimensions: 153.5x68.1x12.1 mmUnfolded dimensions: 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm239 grams |
| RAM and storage | 12 GB of RAM and 256, 512 GB or 1 TB of internal storage | 12 GB of RAM and 256, 512 GB or 1 TB of internal storage |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Graphics processor | Adreno 740 | Adreno 750 |
| Wireless modules | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
| Displays | External 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2316x904 dots, 48-120 Hz, 23.1:9, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 1750 nitsFlexible 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2176 x 1812 dots, 1-120 Hz, 1750 nits, with S Pen support | External 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2376x968 dots, 1-120 Hz, 22.1:9, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 2600 nitsFlexible 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2176 x 1812 dots, 1-120 Hz, 2600 nits, with S Pen support |
| Main cameras | 50 megapixels wide-angle, f/1.8, Dual Pixel PDAF, optical stabilization;10 megapixel telephoto, f/2.4, PDAF, optical stabilization, 3x zoom;12 megapixel ultra-wide-angle, f/2.2, 120˚, PDAF, electronic stabilization. | 50 megapixels wide-angle, f/1.8, Dual Pixel PDAF, optical stabilization;10 megapixel telephoto, f/2.4, PDAF, optical stabilization, 3x zoom;12 megapixel ultra-wide-angle, f/2.2, 120˚, PDAF, electronic stabilization. |
| Front cameras | 10 megapixels, f/2.24 megapixels, f/1.8 | 10 megapixels, f/2.24 megapixels, f/1.8 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Battery | 4400 mAh | 4400 mAh |
| Charging | Wired up to 25 W, wireless up to 15 W, reversible up to 4.5 W | Wired up to 25 W, wireless up to 15 W, reversible up to 4.5 W |
| Connectors | USB Type-C 3.2 | USB Type-C 3.2 |
| Operating system | Android 14, One UI 6.1 | Android 14, One UI 6.1.1 |
Design and materials of Galaxy Fold6
The first thing you notice when you get acquainted with Galaxy Fold6 is its slightly updated design. The smartphone has become more square, it has sharper edges and both displays have less rounded corners.
The materials have not changed: the body frame is made of polished aircraft aluminum, and the back and front of Galaxy Fold6 when folded is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2. As you can see, titanium and stronger Gorilla Armor glass are still the advantage of the Ultra line.
The control keys in Galaxy Fold6 are located on the right side of the case, where you can find the volume and power buttons, which include a fingerprint scanner.
However, it's worth noting that the design of Galaxy Fold6 has not been without changes. The novelty has a smaller hinge, which makes the bend of the internal flexible screen, firstly, less noticeable, and secondly, less tangible when you run your fingers over it. At a certain angle, the bend is still visible, but it has indeed become smaller.
The internal flexible screen itself has not received any significant innovations; it is still covered with a protective film that can be scratched by sharp objects. However, over the past few generations, the flexible displays of the Galaxy Fold line have become stronger, so they should last a long time under normal use (if you don't put keys or coins on them).
One of the important changes in Galaxy Fold6 is the change in proportions, thickness and weight of the smartphone. When folded, it is smaller in height, slightly wider and much thinner - 153.5 × 68.1 × 12.1 mm (when unfolded - 153.5 × 132.6 x 5.6 mm). But most importantly, Fold6 now weighs 239 grams, which is not much more than Galaxy S24 Ultra (232 grams). This is the "normalization" referred to in the title. The foldable flagship has become closer to monoblock models in terms of convenience. The external display has grown in diagonal to 6.3 inches and has an aspect ratio of 22.1:9 compared to 23.1:9 in Fold5. This makes it easier to type text on Galaxy Fold6 when folded, and the external screen itself has become more usable. This is exactly what Fold users have been asking for for a long time.
Another rather formal change is that Samsung used to indicate the IPX8 degree of protection for the Fold models, but for the Galaxy Fold6, this marking was changed to IP48. Thus, the manufacturer clarifies that the smartphone body is protected only from large particles (over 1 mm) and can be immersed in water to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.
Features
As mentioned above, Galaxy Fold6 has an external 6.3-inch display, the company used a Dynamic AMOLED 2X HD+ matrix with a resolution of 2376×968 pixels (410 ppi) and an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz. In addition to a more convenient aspect ratio, an important innovation was the increase in maximum brightness from 1750 to 2600 nits, so the external screen will be even more convenient to read in bright sunlight.
The internal flexible Infinity Flex display of the Galaxy Fold6 also has a diagonal of 7.6 inches and uses a Dynamic AMOLED 2X matrix with a refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz, but a slightly different resolution of 2160×1856 pixels (374 ppi), due to the change in the aspect ratio to 20.9:18, as well as increased brightness to 2600 nits. This screen also supports a special S Pen, which will be sold separately.
The platform in Galaxy Fold6 has been upgraded to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy with Adreno 750 graphics, 12 GB of RAM, and 256, 512 GB, or 1 TB of storage. The set of wireless modules includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC. That is, we have a Galaxy S24 Ultra-level platform, but the wireless modules do not yet offer Wi-Fi 7 or UWB, which is unlikely to be critical for most users.
Samsung notes that the reduction of the folding screen hinge made it possible to redesign the smartphone's cooling system, which received a larger evaporation chamber, so the processor and graphics will be able to maintain higher frequencies under a longer load, and the device should generally heat up less. But we will be able to check this during full testing.
It's worth noting that the smartphone also supports the installation of both physical nanoSIM cards and eSIM, which is convenient if you need to have multiple numbers or a backup channel for Internet connection.
The Galaxy Fold6 will be running Android 14 with the proprietary OneUI interface version 6.1.1 with Galaxy AI features, which debuted earlier this year with the Galaxy S24 line.
The set of cameras in the smartphone has not changed compared to its predecessor, so we still have a set of three main cameras:
- 50 MP - wide-angle camera, Dual Pixel AF, f/1.8, pixel size 1.0um, viewing angle 85°, optical stabilization;
- 12 MP - ultra-wide-angle camera, f/2.2, pixel size 1.12um, viewing angle 123°, electronic stabilization;
- 10 MP - telephoto camera, PDAF, optical stabilization, f/2.4, pixel size 1.0um, 3X optical zoom.
It also has two selfie cameras, one on the front and one on the back:
- 10 MP, f/2.2, pixel size 1.22um, viewing angle 85°;
- 4 MP, f/1.8, 2.0um pixel size, 85° viewing angle.
I should note that the selfie camera on the internal screen has not changed, it is still hidden behind pixels that are larger than the pixels of the display matrix itself, so the location of the camera is clearly visible.
The battery built into the Galaxy Fold6, unlike the Flip6, has not become larger, it is still the same 4400 mAh, but Samsung promises better battery life thanks to the higher energy efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the optimization of OneUI 6.1.1 software. Well, we will soon see if this is true.
The charging capabilities of the smartphone have not changed. It supports charging via a USB-C cable up to 25 W, wireless charging up to 15 W, and reverse charging up to 4.5 W.
To summarize
With Galaxy Fold6, Samsung focused on usability, and in this regard, the changes in the smartphone are really important. Its external screen has finally become more useful, it's easier to type on it, the weight of the body has decreased, the brightness of both displays has increased, and the platform has been updated. However, the general changes also show us that the Fold line will not yet compete with Galaxy Ultra models, and it looks like we should expect the Ultra to appear in the Fold line itself.