Hands-on review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6

Usually, I review video games for Techday NZ, and I sometimes struggle to say something new when an annual product is released. I'm grateful I can review video games, but it can get tiring trying to write fresh material for MLB The Show and NBA 2K every year. 

The only reason I'm talking about this is because I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 in November 2023, and now I have to review the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. As a person that doesn't have enough money to buy a new smartphone annually, this is the first time I experienced cellphone fatigue because the Fold6 is neatly identical to the Fold5. 

Before I begin talking about the Fold6's features, the first thing you will have to know is that it's one of the most expensive smartphones available on the market right now. If you live in New Zealand, the Fold6 comes in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB models and all of them are around $3000 NZD. It goes without saying this phone is catered towards people with high incomes only. 

Even though the Fold6 may be expensive, I do believe it has a lot of neat features that surpass any phone that I have owned in the past. The most expensive phone I ever bought cost me $400 NZD and the Fold6 outperforms it in every way possible. 

Much like the Fold5 last year, the Fold6's main selling point is the fact that it can fold like paper. When folded, the phone has a skinny 6.3" screen, but it can fold out like a mini tablet to reveal its huge and impressive 7.6" screen. The groove in the middle of the screen isn't too noticeable when you are watching bright content head on. You can only notice the groove sometimes when the screen goes dark or if you're watching from an angle. 

I've seen in the past that some folding phones break after a few uses. Thankfully, I used the Fold6 for around two weeks and it hasn't showed any signs of wear and tear yet. It seems as if Samsung has perfected its formula because the Fold5 I reviewed last year withstood multiple folds, too. 

The screen is capable of displaying 4K content, and it's great to browse YouTube to see the best looking videos on the platform. The colours are nice and bright, and the big screen makes 4K videos shine really well. I noticed only 480p videos and below look really pixelated when viewing on the bigger screen though. 

The sound quality is just as good as the video is, too. It sounds like a decent Bluetooth speaker and it's great to use for listening to both music or watching big blockbuster movies on this phone. The only downside is to note that this phone does not have a traditional headphone jack. Some Bluetooth or wired USB-C headphones are required for private viewing and listening. 

Another thing I like about the Fold6 is the camera quality. I remember being jealous of the concertgoers around me during the Taylor Swift Era Tour show in Australia because their phones were able to zoom in at a very high quality compared to my budget phone. Well I wish I had the Fold6 because it can zoom in very far and the quality isn't degraded. I was also able to take excellent close up photos of my six cats too!

While the Fold6 mostly has the same features as the Fold5, this year's phone does one new feature and that's its use of AI. When you save or take a picture, you can use AI to search for the same type of animal or clothes. I took pictures of my cats and the AI found similar looking tabby and ginger cats. I also saved a pretty picture of Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and the AI showed the exact label of the clothes that she was wearing. 

I also believe the Fold6 is slightly better than the Fold5 when it comes to playing high-end video games too. I remember I wanted to play Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis on the Fold5 last year, but the game didn't work for some reason. The Fold6 was able to play Ever Crisis with ease despite the game featuring console-quality graphics and gameplay.  

Overall, I don't think the Fold6 is a necessary upgrade if you already paid for the Fold5 last year. The phones are nearly identical apart from the Fold6's new use of Samsung AI. I also recommend this phone only if you can properly afford it outright or via a monthly plan. It's still a very high-quality phone, but its price is too much for the average person.