Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 was a big step up from its predecessor thanks to the significantly larger screen on the roof, making it possible to use apps without opening the device. Now I’m curious how Samsung will push its next flip phone even further this year with the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6.
If rumors and reports are to be believed, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will be a minor update to the 2023 model. It will likely get a new processor and perhaps an improved camera, but will likely retain the same look as the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
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Samsung was one of the first companies to launch a foldable phone and has maintained a solid lead in the market. Samsung accounts for about 66% of foldable phone shipments in 2023, according to TrendForce. But it faces more competition than ever, with companies like Motorola, Google and OnePlus launching new bendable devices in 2023.
As I’ve written in the past, I hope to see new software features, a better camera, and longer software support on the Z Flip 6. Here’s a closer look at what we expect to see.
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Watch this: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Flip phones are cool again
Possible release date
A photo from Samsung’s July 2023 Unpacked event, where the company unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Samsung usually releases new foldable devices in August, but it debuted the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 earlier than expected in July of last year. Now a report from SamMobile suggests that could happen again this year.
The tech blog reports that Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 on July 10 in Paris. If true, this would be an earlier launch than last year, given that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 was announced on July 26 and launched in early August.
Very similar design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a gapless hinge.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is expected to look a lot like the Galaxy Z Flip 5. According to reports, leaked renders of the phone published by gadget blog SmartPrix in collaboration with Serial Leak Steve Hemmerstoffer, the new flip phone will be almost identical to last year’s device, with only minor changes in physical dimensions. The leak also suggests that the device may come in mint and lavender color options.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 was a leap forward in design from its predecessor, extending its external display to almost the entire top half of the device’s back, except for a cutout for the cameras. The Motorola Razr Plus, released around the same time, had an external display just as large. Given that the rumors don’t indicate any dramatic changes to the Z Flip 6’s design, we’ll wait to see if rival clamshells offer anything more than Samsung’s upcoming device.
Maybe a new processor and a bigger battery
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor is expected to power the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Samsung usually updates its flip phones with new processors that match those in the latest Galaxy S flagship phones. We expect that to happen again this year, which means the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip on Qualcomm.
However, a leak surprisingly suggests that may not be the case. According to SamMobile, two different variants of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 have been spotted on the Geekbench database: one with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and another powered by the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Geekbench is a performance testing benchmarking platform of the devices whose results are registered in a database.
We won’t know for sure until Samsung announces its next device, the Galaxy Z Flip. But if Samsung is testing a version with last year’s chip, it might be exploring the possibility of releasing a cheaper version of the Z Flip 6. That’s just speculation at this point, but as my colleague David Lumb points out, putting last year’s chip in a new Z Flip could help Samsung keep the price low.
Battery life could also be increased, with the Galaxy Club blog reporting that the new phone could have a 4,000mAh battery. That’s slightly higher than the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s 3,700mAh battery, which could lead to longer battery life or support for battery-draining features like location tracking or generative AI on the device.
Camera upgrade
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (not pictured) is expected to get a camera upgrade.
Camera quality is one area where the Galaxy Z Flip generally falls short of Samsung’s flagships. But according to Galaxy Club, Samsung may be taking a step towards changing that with the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Samsung’s next flip phone will reportedly have a 50-megapixel camera, the report says, making it the same resolution as the main camera sensor on the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus.
Galaxy AI seems likely
Generative Edit, which is one of Samsung’s Galaxy AI features, is featured on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Samsung launched Galaxy AI – its umbrella term for various AI-based software features – on the Galaxy S24 series in January. Compatibility has since been extended to other Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Galaxy AI on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 at launch.
Galaxy AI features include Generative Edit, which lets you manipulate and move objects in photos, Live Translate to translate conversations between two languages in real time, and Chat Assist to rewrite text messages with a different tone, translate to another language, or check for spelling and grammatical errors.
Read more: AI Showdown: How the Samsung Galaxy S24’s AI tools compare to Google, Apple
But what I’m really hoping to see are new software features that make special use of the Galaxy Z Flip’s bendable display and cover.
We’ll know more when Samsung announces the Galaxy Z Flip 6. But based on the rumors so far, it sounds like it’ll be more of a modest improvement over the Z Flip 5 than a huge leap forward.
See the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s camera in action across Seoul
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