The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is the latest flagship from the South Korean electronics manufacturing titan to enter the Kenyan market. The smartphone was released in July of this year and has been on sale in retail stores nationwide.
We had the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 test unit over the past three weeks and here are our thoughts.
Exterior and Dimensions
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is a masterfully crafted smartphone with angular edges. This isn’t overly problematic, as the device is lightweight.
The straight edges are a departure from the angular ones other manufacturers opt for with their flagship devices. The minor tradeoff for the straight edges is that with prolonged use there is some fatigue with the edges digging into the hands. This isn’t overly problematic, though, as the device isn’t too heavy. It only weighs 239 grams, which is remarkable for a device that opens up to take on a different form factor.
The top edge of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 which has one of two stereo speakers, and three ambient sound microphones. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
In its open state, the Z Fold6 has three microphones and a stereo speaker on the top edge.
It has a dual nano-SIM tray on its left edge. The bottom edge has the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6’s other stereo speaker, primary microphone and Type-C charging port.
The right edge has the power button and volume rocker. The back of the Z Fold6 has the triple camera setup with the LED flash recessed into the glass back to keep it flush on the back.
The glass front, aluminium frame, and glass back give the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 a premium feel brought nicely together by the hinge that has a plastic cover keeping the hinge protected from sundries in the pocket.
The right edge of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 has the volume rocker and the power button, which doubles up as the fingerprint sensor. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 gives off a split personality demeanor with its thicker breadth when folded and regular girth when open. The Z Fold6’s uncommon dimension is also evident with its slender width relative to its length or height depending on the user’s orientation.
The smartphone measures 6.24 inches on its longest side. This is standard in both open and closed states. The width changes from 2.68 inches when closed to 5.22 inches when open, as does the thickness, which goes from 0.48 inches to 0.22 inches, respectively.
The bottom edge of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 which has a USB Type-C charging port, a microphone and a second stereo speaker. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
A user with a sizeable enough hand will be comfortable using it one-handed in either state, although that only applies to activities such as browsing and reading. Composing emails and text messages as well as gaming will require the use of both hands in either open or closed states.
The left edge of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 which has the dual nano-SIM tray. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 boasts two screens for unique viewing experiences. The cover screen is the first of the two. It measures 6.3 inches with 968 pixels by 2376 pixels resolution.
It has a 120 Hz refresh rate, making it a highly responsive display for media playback, browsing, and gaming. With its 410 pixels-per-inch density and 2600 nits of peak brightness, the Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X screen with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection makes for brilliant viewing with crisp images and fluid videos.
The primary screen is a 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, display. It has a screen-to-body ratio of approximately 91 present, meaning very little bezel draws a user’s eye away from the screen. The Z Fold6’s primary screen has a resolution of 1856 x 2160 pixels with a relatively lower pixel-per-inch density of 374, unlike the cover display.
The primary screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 partially opened. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
Like the cover display, however, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6’s primary screen also has a 120 Hz refresh rate and 2600 nits of peak brightness. It also features HDR 10+, which makes viewing ultrahigh-definition media pleasurable. Even outdoors in the sun, the viewing experience is still a good one on account of the remarkably high peak brightness on both screens.
Cameras
As with the screens, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 has one extra camera for a total of 5 to make photography and videography possible whether the device is open or closed.
The 10-megapixel selfie camera on the cover screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
The selfie camera on the cover display is a 24 mm focal length, wide-angled 10-megapixel shooter with a f/2.2 aperture. It is great for taking group selfies and video calls with the phone held relatively close to the face. It delivers 4K video at 60 and 30 frames per second and can also take 1080p video at 60 and 30 frames per second.
The under-display selfie camera that’s accessed with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 open is a 4-megapixel shooter with a focal length of 26 mm and an aperture of f/1.8, which makes it a wide-angled camera as well, offering a user the same benefits as the cover camera.
The triple camera setup on the back of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 partially opened. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
The primary triple camera setup does all the heavy lifting for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. It’s the crowning jewel of the Z Fold6 as far as photography and videography are concerned.
It is comprised of a 50-megapixel lens with a 23mm focal length and an aperture of f/1.8. This is the lens that enables the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 to capture wide compositions.
The second lens is a 10-megapixel telephoto shooter with a 66mm focal length and an f/1.8 aperture. It has incredible magnification, which coupled with its 3-times optical zoom brings far-off subjects near for great photography and videography.
The final lens in the Z Fold6 arsenal is a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens with a focal length of 12mm and an aperture of f/2.2. It enables a user to capture wide compositions, which also enhances the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6’s panoramic photography capability.
This camera can capture video in 8K resolution at 30 frames-per-second, 4K video at 60 frames-per-second, 1080p resolution at 30 and 60 frames-per-second, and finally 720p video at 960 frames-per-second. This enables the Galaxy Z Fold6 to capture slow-motion video in great detail.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is no slouch in the performance department, running on one of the newest chipsets in the market and a powerful battery to keep it running for hours at a time.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 is fitted with a Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 taking up only 4 nm within the device. This small footprint has a direct correlation to the unit’s low power consumption overall. This means the device can operate at lightning speed, running multiple applications and functions at a go without losing power quickly.
The grunt work of how exceptionally well the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 runs applications is done by the octa-core processor. This central processing unit has a Cortex-X4 processor delivering 3.39 GHz and three Cortex-A720 processors running at 3.1GHz each. Those make up the first four cores. The next four are split into a pair of Cortex-A720 processors running at 2.2GHz each and a pair of Cortex-A520 processors each maxing out at 2.2GHz.
This power-packed ensemble ensures the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 stays responsive and can multi-task without compromising high-level performance or battery life.
The Adreno 750 with a clock speed of 1GHz serves as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6’s graphic processing unit. This chip enables playback of 8K video and rendering of 4K gaming graphics. This is a great pairing to complement the Galaxy Z Fold6’s 8K video recording and playback. Gaming on the device is also a breeze with the GPU installed.
The cover screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 runs on the Android 14 operating system, with four major Android upgrades available to owners of the device. Samsung Mobile’s custom One UI skin is also pre-installed on the device, with the currently available version being 6.1.1. This provides owners of the device with an opportunity to customize the device to suit their preferences.
Battery
The 4400mAh non-removable Li-Po battery that powers the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is one of its more understated features. It is easily overlooked given how well the smartphone retains power even with heavy use.
With moderate use, the Galaxy Z Fold6 provides a battery life of just over a day. To recharge it, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is sold with a 25-watt power brick, which can add 50 per cent charge in half an hour.
The Z Fold6 also has wireless charging at 15 watts. It can be used to wirelessly charge compatible devices at 4.5 watts. This makes it a handy companion when other devices need some juice when a user is away from a direct power supply.
Communication and Connectivity
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 cascades the 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks as is customary for flagship devices being launched in 2024. This is ideal for staying connected even in areas with poor cell reception.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 has the newer Wi-Fi triband system, which enables it to connect and operate on three separate frequency bands; 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and the newer and faster 6GHz. This feature especially shines when using the Galaxy Z Fold6 in congested areas where the device will pick the frequency band with fewer connected devices.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 also uses the newer Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy (LE) system, which uses less energy to transfer packets of data over Bluetooth securely and with accuracy. This is especially ideal when using wireless headphones, as this smartphone has no headphone jack. This is also ideal for wearable technology such as smartwatches and fitness trackers that connect using Bluetooth.
You then have your other regular features, such as the side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which secures the device, as well as other sensitive utilities, such as Google Pay.
The glass back of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 with the triple camera setup and the LED flash. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
You’ll also find the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 fitted with an accelerometer, a gyro, a proximity sensor, a compass, a barometer, and Samsung DeX. The latter is especially handy for mirroring your Galaxy Z Fold6 on a compatible desktop.
The accelerometer and the gyro are essential for detecting displacement and orientation. Fitness apps use the two sensors to track movement and intensity of motion to accurately log progress. The sensors are also used to detect whether the device is in portrait or landscape orientation and relay on-screen media accordingly. For some gameplay that relies on orientation changes to respond, these two sensors get the job done.
The proximity sensor in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 enables the cover display to automatically lock when the device is held up to an ear during a phone call. It also comes into play when the device is put in a pocket, in a bag, or on a surface with the face down. This helps prevent accidental touches.
The barometer, like the accelerometer and gyro, is also a positioning sensor. It reads pressure differences in the atmosphere to detect elevation. Fitness apps with hiking as a category utilize this sensor. This also works in conjunction with the compass to detect a location change.
Verdict
For all the features the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 has, the major talking point is its price tag.
The price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold in Kenya is around Ksh260,000, depending on which outlet you buy it from.
The price tag, however, pales in comparison to the benefits the phone comes with. It has that perfect blend between business and pleasure that makes it an option to consider if you have the money for it.
A back view of the partially opened Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6. Photo/EUGENE OKUMU
The build is solid, and the features cover all the basics and then some when it comes to utility. It looks and sounds great. In the time we had the review unit, with moderate to heavy use, the primary screen didn’t show a crease where it folds when the device is closed.
Media playback, gaming, and browsing were all pleasant on the devices. The customization that the One UI 6.1.1 provides enabled us to set up the device in a way that made it feel like an extension of our personality.
All in all, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is a terrific device. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a flagship in that price range.