Last year I bought the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and continue to enjoy the phone, even when I’m not “flipping” it in the way Samsung would probably prefer. I’ve been using its successor, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, for the last week and have already been impressed by the camera alterations — but has it been enough to tempt me into an upgrade?
I’ve made my decision, and if you’re in the same situation but have yet to make a choice, here’s what I’ve learned about the two phones in the past week.
A compact size is still the best
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 sat in its box for a couple of weeks while I reviewed the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and I didn’t really think about it much. It was the same situation when I first saw the new folding phones before launch when the Z Fold 6 took all my time. It’s the phone Samsung has given the most attention to this year after spending more time refining the Z Flip series last year. Pair this with our review of the phone, which called it a “lazy” update, and I wasn’t rushing to use it.
Now that I have been using the Z Flip 6 for a week, was I wrong to ignore it? Yes, in that I really love the convenience of such a small, folded-up phone. It is far less annoying to have in my pocket than other big-screen phones, and it takes up less room in my bag yet still delivers the same experience as any other phone with a 6.7-inch screen. But both you and I know this already, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 doesn’t change this much at all compared to the Z Flip 5.
But it does change one thing, and it’s the one thing Samsung should have left alone. The phone now shares the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s square chassis and corners instead of continuing the Z Flip 5’s rounded shape, and it’s a step backward in ergonomics. There’s a reason a dumbbell bar is round and not square, as no one would want to grip a square bar for long at all, and the same applies to the Z Flip 6.
It’s where Motorola wins points over the Z Flip 6, too, as I’ve been using the Razr 2024 alongside it for a forthcoming camera comparison, and it has a pleasing curve to the body that makes it more comfortable to hold. It may sound like a small thing, but we hold these devices for hours each day, and at the very least, they shouldn’t dig into our palms in an awkward manner. It’s obviously not like holding a razor blade, but it’s not a step forward, and that’s what I look for when considering an upgrade.
Battery life and more features
While I still only get about one-and-a-bit days from the Z Flip 6’s battery, which is about the same as the Z Flip 5, there are some possible slight efficiency improvements that may change this performance for others. For example, a 30-minute YouTube video at 1440p resolution and full brightness takes 5% from the Z Flip 6’s battery and 8% from the Z Flip 5. I ran the 20-minute Solar Bay Stress Test from the 3DMark benchmarking app on both phones, and it drained 10% from the Z Flip 6 and 11% from the Z Flip 5. I’m not going to get carried away with these results, though, as the Z Flip 6 is new, and the Z Flip 5 is a year old with some use behind it.
I will note the Z Flip 6’s screen has a tiny improvement, or at least the software running it does, as it has a slightly more pleasing look to it. The color temperature is more accurate, and it’s not as saturated, making it less arduous for your eyes to watch for any length of time. Similarly, tiny improvements have been made to the speakers, with less distortion at high volumes on the Z Flip 6. I haven’t noticed any difference in heat buildup from the processors, with both phones having the same degree of warmth through the top half of each device after the 3DMark test.
Then there’s Galaxy AI. Samsung wants me to think it’s a big deal, but I struggle to find any use for the tools during my day-to-day life. There are three features involving translation (calls, chats, and live scenarios), and the only time I’ve used them was to test just one of the options out. It worked, but I’ve yet to be in a situation where I’d even need to consider using it again. I feel the same about the photo AI tools. Galaxy AI can also assist with note-taking, making transcriptions, and summarizing… stuff. I know I won’t miss having Galaxy AI if I stick with the Z Flip 5.
I’m not upgrading
Overall, there are improvements with the Z Flip 6, but they’re really small and I only notice them when I compare it directly with the Z Flip 5. If it seems like I’m full of negativity about the Galaxy Z Flip 6, it’s not true. It’s a brilliant phone to own and use. There are great color options available, it’s incredibly well-made, and once set up to the way you like it, the software is trouble-free. The solidity of the hinge is a massive selling point over the Razr 2024, as while Motorola has improved it this year, the resistance, smoothness, and silence of Samsung’s hinge are still far ahead.
When I swapped my SIM from the HMD Skyline into the Galaxy Z Flip 6, I wondered if I would come to a different conclusion about the phone than the one we had in our review. Is it a “lazy” phone? There are definite improvements in the camera over the Z Flip 5, but the shape of the phone makes me think twice about upgrading it, and because there’s no real battery life or great performance advantage and I don’t care about the Galaxy AI stuff, I’ve decided to stick with the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a delight, and I’ve loved using it for the last week, but the Z Flip 5 is equally as delightful, and I haven’t felt I was missing out on anything much after using this year’s model. I’m not going to upgrade, even though I’m aware that next year my Z Flip 5 will be worth even less if I want to trade it in. If you’re in the same situation as me, I’m not going to tell you it’s not worth upgrading at all, but you’ll probably think you’ve bought basically the same phone again.
