I will admit it — the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is best than I imagined

I did not pay a lot consideration to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 when it launched; I simply appeared on the design and spec sheet, and dismissed it as yet one more iterative replace. I loved utilizing Samsung’s foldables prior to now, and whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4 had loads to supply, there is a sense within the final two years that Samsung is simply coasting on this space whereas different producers roll out revolutionary designs and novel digital camera tech.

By the point I truly received the Z Fold 6, I used to be too busy to make use of it — between the Honor Magic V3, Pixel 9 Professional XL, Vivo X200 Professional, and Discover X8 Professional, it was fairly the hectic launch season on the finish of 2024. So it wasn’t till the vacations that I used to be capable of swap to Samsung’s foldable and see the way it measures up.

After two weeks of use, I discover myself liking the foldable. I wasn’t eager on the boxy design, nevertheless it is not as a lot of a hindrance on a foldable, and the Z Fold 6 is not uncomfortable to carry. It’s heavier and bulkier than the Magic V3, nevertheless it is not anyplace as unwieldy because the Z Fold 5. If something, the design makes it simpler to fit the gadget right into a cellular gaming controller, and that may be a particular plus level.

The interior 7.6-inch AMOLED panel is among the many greatest on a foldable, and it is well-suited to prolonged Balatro periods (or some other recreation). I did not run into any points with the {hardware} both, and though it tends to throttle sooner than common telephones, that is the case with different foldables as effectively, so the Z Fold 6 is not an outlier on this regard.

The hinge is smoother this time round, and it has higher articulation. The crease continues to be seen — extra so than different gadgets I examined not too long ago — however once more, it’s significantly better its predecessors. My largest bugbear with the Z Fold 6 is that the outer display screen nonetheless is not as vast as different gadgets; it is undoubtedly an enchancment over the Fold 4, however the 6.3-inch panel is nowhere as usable because the Pixel 9 Professional Fold or the Magic V3.

Picture 1 of 3

One other annoyance is that the cameras aren’t nearly as good because the X Fold3 or Magic V3, and you do not get a lot in the best way of versatility. The X Fold3 and even 2023’s OnePlus Open take significantly better pictures in difficult circumstances, and Samsung is clearly lagging behind on this space.

The redeeming issue is the software program. Samsung continues to ship helpful software program options on its foldables, and the Z Fold 6 does an important job with the fundamentals. I am not eager on Galaxy AI, however I will admit that Samsung has one of many strongest AI-assisted software program suites round, and it’s bested solely by Pixels.

On the entire, I can see how the Z Fold 6 is an attractive choice when you’re coming from an older foldable, or when you’ve used common Samsung telephones and are mulling a swap. Though there aren’t big upgrades this time round, the litany of small tweaks make it a greater total gadget than the Z Fold 5.

That stated, it’s miles from the greatest foldable round, and Samsung wants to deal with points with the cameras and canopy display screen. Nevertheless, Samsung does not have any significant competitors within the U.S., and until that modifications, I do not see the Korean producer making any tangible enhancements to its foldable — there’s simply no incentive to take action.