Samsung has revealed its latest foldable phones - the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 - and the pair address some of the largest complaints about past models. The Galaxy Z Fold 6, the handset has a wider external display and a much lighter build, while Samsung is promising improved battery life and camera performance for the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
These upgrades have come at a cost, however. Both the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 have a higher starting price than their predecessors. No matter which model or storage size you're looking at, you'll pay $150 more than you would have for the equivalent device last year. This means you're looking at a minimum of $1,799 for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, or $2,749 for the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of what's new, pre-orders for Samsung's new foldables start on July 11 ahead of a July 31 release date. As tends to be the case with Samsung phones, there's a stack of pre-order bonuses on offer, whether you order on a mobile plan or buy outright.
If you pre-order either phone through Optus, you'll get a $250 discount, a bonus pair of the newly announced Galaxy Buds 3 Pro valued at $399, and a bonus Galaxy Watch 6 valued at up to $699.
Vodafone is also offering a slightly smaller $200 discount on Samsung's new devices and a bonus year of Samsung Care Plus. If you pre-order the Galaxy Z Flip 6 through Vodafone and trade in an old device, you'll get $500 in bonus credit. This increases to $700 if you're getting the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Lastly, if you pre-order through Telstra, you'll get a bonus Galaxy Tab S9 FE, valued at $949. In addition, trading in an old phone toward either device will get you $400 of extra credit.
Here are the cheapest 36-month Galaxy Z Flip 6 plans:
|
Telstra
$123.97/mth
Min. cost $1,835.92
Link not supplied
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And here are the cheapest 36-month Galaxy Z Fold 6 plans:
|
Telstra
$150.36/mth
Min. cost $2,785.96
Link not supplied
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If you'd prefer to grab the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Galaxy Z Fold 6 outright, the Samsung website has its own offers. The deal is the same for both phones: a $400 voucher to spend on the Samsung store, $150 in bonus credit if you trade in an old phone, and a free year of Samsung Care Plus.
Complete outright pricing for the phones is as follows:
| Phone | RRP | See price on |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (256GB) | $1,799 | Amazon |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (512GB) | $1,999 | Amazon |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (256GB) | $2,749 | Amazon |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (512GB) | $2,949 | Amazon |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (1TB) | $3,299 | Amazon |
The Galaxy Z Fold 6's key improvements are design-related. The front display is now a 6.3-inch panel and a little bit wider, making it more like a "normal" phone rather than the narrow and tall candy bar associated with the form factor.
Samsung has also cut Z Fold 6's weight. It measures in at 239g, making it just 7g heavier than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Similarly, the Z Fold 6 has taken on the Galaxy S24 Ultra's squared-off design, replacing the curvier feel of its predecessor.
Otherwise, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a fairly iterative upgrade from a hardware perspective. The main change is the move to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. The cameras and battery capacity are unchanged from last year's Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Samsung has however extended the software life of its latest foldables. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 will get seven years of major operating system upgrades and seven years of security updates. That's a best-in-class promise that matches the Pixel 8 family.
Conversely, the Galaxy Z Flip 6's design hasn't changed year-on-year, but Samsung has upgraded the phone's primary camera and battery life - both of which were considered weaknesses in previous models.
On the camera front, the Z Flip 6 now has a 50MP primary lens, up from the 12MP camera on last year's model. Samsung says it’s the same camera as on the Galaxy S24, so it should offer a decent step up in quality. The Z Flip 6's ultra-wide lens is still 12MP.
And in terms of battery, the Z Flip 6 has a slightly larger 4,000mAh battery. That's a 300mAh increase on last year. In our testing last year, we found the Z Flip 5 could make it through a full day but with very little buffer, so hopefully that extra capacity will help push past that.
Much like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 also gets a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, and seven years of major operating system upgrades and of security updates.
Here are the complete specs for both phones:
| Galaxy Z Fold 6 | Galaxy Z Flip 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Outside Display | 6.3-inch 120Hz | 3.4-inch 60Hz |
| Inside Display | 7.6-inch 120Hz | 6.7-inch 120Hz |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP + 12MP + 10MP | 50MP + 12MP |
| Front Camera | 10MP + 4MP | 10MP |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB - 1TB | 256GB - 512GB |
| Battery | 4,400mAh | 4,000mAh |
| Water-Resistance | IPX8 | IPX8 |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is available in a choice of silver, yellow, blue, and mint, while the Galaxy Z Fold 6 comes in silver, navy, and pink.
In addition to new foldables, Samsung also announced two new pairs of earbuds - the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. The standard Galaxy Buds 3 have an open-ear fit, while the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are in-ear. Both feature an AirPod-like design rather than the pod-shape Samsung earbuds have used previously. They retail for $299 and $399, respectively.
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Alex Choros
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