Samsung announced Wednesday its new smartphones: Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. These are models that come to show the maturity of smartphones with a folding screen and above all to maintain the leadership of the South Korean company in this category.
Samsung held the announcement event at the Louvre museum in Paris, probably to paint the launch of the smartphones as an art piece, but also to connect with the Olympic games opening this month in France. Samsung is one of the main sponsors of the Olympics.
The focus in the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 is on the AI capabilities. Samsung was the first to integrate this kind of capabilities at the beginning of the year in the flagship models of the Galaxy S24 and now it is doing it in the Z series.
How much will they cost?
The pre-order for both smartphones in Israel starts today. The Fold 6 in the 256 GB version costs NIS 7,000, the 512 GB - NIS 7,500 and the 1 GB - NIS 8,400. The buyers will receive as a gift a cover with a touch pen - S Pen and also NIS 650 for the purchase of headphones or a Samsung watch.
The price of the Flip 6 is lower, the 256 GB version costs NIS 4,100 and the 512 GB - NIS 4,600 . With the pre-order, you get a Flip Suit cover as a gift and NIS 650 to buy a Samsung smart watch/headset.
The Galaxy AI comes to foldables
Samsung has brought to its two new foldables the AI capabilities that we saw in the Galaxy S24 series at the beginning of the year. This means, anything you see on the screen can be searched (a feature called Circle to Search), simply circle an image you see and Google will find it on the web. So a photo of shoes will tell you what model they are or the coffee with your finger on a QR code will bring you to his website or the coffee of a picture of a place will show you where it is. In a similar way, you can take a picture of a mathematical equation that someone wrote on a page and get their answer. An effective solution for students.
The field of translation is undergoing many improvements thanks to AI, besides the ability to receive a real-time translation of a telephone conversation (not in Hebrew) between two parties (each party hears the conversation in their own language) on Samsung devices, conversations can be transcribed and translated in real time with people who are in the same room, When using the dual screen of the device, everyone sees the translation in front of them in their own language (this ability is also not supported in Hebrew).
You can also translate PDF documents and translate images and text within the Samsung browser while browsing. In the Samsung notes application, you can record conversations with people and convert the recordings to text, and in the browser you can get a quick summary of articles and articles.
If you are not a talented painter, you can draw a table, a chair or even glasses on a person's face and use AI to turn them into a realistic drawing.
Z Fold 6 - improved durability and lighter weight
The biggest fear of consumers purchasing a smartphone with a foldable screen is malfunctions. As every year, Samsung wants to reduce concerns. She combined the Fold 6 with a reinforced Armor Aluminum frame, scratch-resistant frame and hinge, and front and back glass with some resistance to drops and scratches from Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 model (also known from the field of durable kitchen utensils for the home). The protection against water is according to the IP48 standard, which also provides protection against small particles.
Other points that have been improved in the protection are 30% stronger resistance of the screen to prevent damage from external pressure and sharp objects. The folding axis has also been improved and has a double rail and strength to protect against physical damage.
The Fold 6 comes in three new colors: silver, pink and dark blue. Its weight has been reduced by 14 grams from 253 grams in the Fold 5 to 239 grams in the current model. It may sound a little, but the weight (and the size of the Fold) are the weak point of the device, which becomes a bit heavy in the pants pocket. The reduction in 14 grams made me feel that the new smartphone is much more comfortable in the hand, also thanks to the slightly thinner thickness when the device is folded. It is 12.2 mm (a reduction of 1.2 mm compared to the previous generation).
The external and internal screens were also changed in the Fold 6. The external screen grew from 6.2 inches to 6.3 inches and the internal screen remained the same size - 7.6. inch, at Samsung they changed the ratio of the internal screen, they lowered the height and increased the width, so you get a more comfortable screen to view.
The processor here is Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specially adapted by Qualcomm for optimal performance in the new Samsung devices, when the working memory (RAM) is 12 gigabytes and the storage volume can be obtained in three sizes: 256 gigabytes, 512 gigabytes and 1 terabyte.
The battery comes with the same capacity from last year of 4,400 mAh, but Samsung says that thanks to smart power consumption optimization in the device, you can get a longer usage time out of it. This is another 2 hours watching video (up to 23 hours) and another 3 hours playing audio (up to 76 hours). It's a shame that the charging remained not very fast, still only 25 watts.
The rear camera setup remains the same in its data as the previous generation: a 50-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilization, a 12-megapixel wide sensor and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom.
Z Flip 6 - fashionable folding
The Z Flip 6 is Samsung's foldable screen smartphone that tries to appeal more to young people and people looking for a device that becomes extremely compact. This is a device that looks like a piece of art, it folds like the clamshell phones of old and opens to a device with a normal size screen. It has AI capabilities similar to those of Fold 6.
The camera on the Flip 6, however, has been improved from last year. Instead of a 12 megapixel main sensor, you get a 50 megapixel sensor and the wide sensor remains the same - 12 megapixels.
Samsung has also added an improvement to the camera using the Galaxy AI, so that on the external screen you can more intuitively direct the zoom at the preferred angle with your finger. The AI automatically zooms in and finds the best angle in each image. The portrait shots get better depth and the object detection engine cleans up contours and provides faces with authentic colors.
The screens remained the same in size. The external screen is 3.4 inches and when you open the device you get a 6.7 inch screen.
The Flip 6 has also undergone improvements in its protection, besides water and particle resistance (IP48 standard), the screen resistance has been improved and it includes a protective layer for shock absorption. The double rail axle also disperses shocks and the aluminum chassis is 10% more scratch resistant. The glass itself is - Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and the weight of the device remains the same and light - 187 grams.
The processor is Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the memory is 8 gigabytes and the storage volume comes in two sizes: 256 gigabytes and 512 gigabytes.
The battery comes with a capacity of 4,000 mAh compared to 3,700 mAh. Charging is still only 25 watts.
Promotions in networks
Partner offers the new smartphones with a 3-year warranty and with the option to trade in when returning a Samsung smartphone (up to NIS 3,100, depending on the device). The Z Flip 6 in the 256 GB version costs NIS 4,000 and the 512 GB model costs NIS 4,450. The Fold 6 model with 256 GB costs NIS 6,900 and the 512 GB model costs NIS 7,200. In addition, you receive the benefits of coverage and a discount of NIS 650 for the purchase of a smart watch/headset.
In the Dynamics network, the Z Flip 6 is offered in the 256 GB version for NIS 3,950 and the 512 GB model costs NIS 4,450. The Fold 6 model with 256 GB costs NIS 6,850 and the 512 GB model costs NIS 7,200. In addition, you receive the benefits of coverage and a discount of NIS 650 for the purchase of a smart watch/headset.