The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year, that much is for sure. The competition has started releasing some truly compelling foldables, and Samsung is kind of a in a catcup mode, at least as far as the hardware is concerned. There are now thinner and lighter foldables out there, with less noticeable creases, and some of them arguably have even more compelling software. Samsung has to make a considerable step forward in order to attract consumers once again. The company has been making rather small iterations of its ‘Galaxy Fold’ devices for years now, so… it’s time. In this article we’ll go over what you can expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to bring to the table.
This article will be regularly updated with new information on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Android smartphone. The last update was made on April 8, 2024.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 be released?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to arrive in July. Based on the latest report, it is coming in early July, actually, which is a bit surprising. July 10 has been mentioned as the launch date (several times), as that’s a Wednesday, and Samsung has a tendency to do Unpacked events on Wednesdays. Last year’s event took place on July 26, when the Galaxy Z Fold 5 launched, so why the change? Well, it’s allegedly due to the Olympics, which are starting on July 26. Samsung moved up its second Unpacked event of the year last year, as it usually launches ‘Fold’ and ‘Flip’ devices in August. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the Galaxy Ring too. The company likely won’t confirm the exact launch date until July.
What models are coming?
We may see a rather considerable change this year. Samsung is actually rumored to announce two Galaxy Z Fold 6 models, not one. A well-known tipster, Roland Quandt, suggested that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra will be coming. He’s not sure about the name, though, the ‘Ultra’ naming is just a guess. He’s also unclear on how the ‘Ultra’ model will differentiate compared to the regular unit. Their internal codenames are the ‘Q6’ and ‘Q6A’, with the latter being the more powerful model.
The tipster did indicate some possible differences between the regular and ‘Ultra’ models. He pointed at different display sizes, different camera setup, possibly a larger battery inside the ‘Ultra, and even an optional stylus support. Those are just some wild guesses on his part, though, he’s still unsure. If there really are two models that are coming, we’ll hear more about that in the coming weeks/months.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 cost?
We didn’t hear much about the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s launch price. If there are indeed two models that are coming, then we know even less than we thought. We can always asume until some concrete info appears, though. Let’s assume that the regular Galaxy Z Fold 6 model will be on th same level as the Galaxy Z Fold 5, a direct successor to that phone. In that case, the price tag could be similar to Samsung’s current flagship foldable smartphone. In the US, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 launched for $1,799.99. Do note that a ton of trade-in deals were available, though, of course. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 could have a similar price tag.
What about the ‘Ultra’ model, however? Well, considering how very little we know about that device, we can’t really say much. The ‘Ultra’ is only rumored as ‘coming’ at this point, and no specific info was shared. If it does indeed launch, it’s possible that it will be a couple of extra hundred dollars on top of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It all depends on what it ends up offering, we can guess all we want. There’s even a chance that the ‘Ultra’ will be a successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 some sort of a more affordable variant. We’re waiting for more information.
What will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 look like?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 did appear in CAD-based renders (no word on the ‘Ultra’), which basically revealed the phone’s design. It will have a similar design language to its predecessor, but with one notable change. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 will be a bit wider and shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. That points to a wider cover display, which is something many people have been waiting for. All Galaxy Z Fold models thus far had extremely narrow cover displays. It was rather cumbersome to type on them, as they were considerably narrower than displays on regular smartphones. That will change with the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 CAD-based renders:
The phone’s rear camera setup looks very similar to the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, design-wise. It is bigger this time around, however. The sides are once again flat all around, while the bezels around both displays will be rather thin. Samsung will once again use an under-display camera on the main panel. A display camera hole will be placed on the cover panel. The phone will fold flat, as did the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and we’re hoping that it will also be lighter than its predecessor.
According to a trusted source, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will weigh 239 grams (the Galaxy Z Fold 5 weighs 253 grams). So it will be noticeably lighter than its predecessor. The device is said to measure 154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1mm when unfolded, though a different source suggested an even thinner profile at 5.6mm when unfolded. We still don’t have its measurements when folded, though. The phone is coming in Dark Blue, Light Pink, and Silver colors. Samsung will likely use fancier names for those colors, though. A titanium build was also mentioned, and that could help with the overall weight. One rumor also suggested it will be 11mm thick, but some sources indicated that it won’t be happening. So we’ll see.
What specs will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 have?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 will be fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy SoC. That is basically an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It’s the most powerful processor Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. The device is expected to include a 7.6-inch main display, and we’re probably looking at a QHD+ resolution on that panel, or at least something close to it. What about the main display? Well, it will be wider, but we don’t know its size just yet. Samsung could aim to keep the same size, though, as it looks set to keep the same size of the main panel. That means we could get a 6.2-inch panel, but a wider one. Alternatively, the size could be boosted to 6.3 inches. This will be a fullHD+ panel, and both displays will offer a 120Hz refresh rate.
A larger battery, but the charging likely won’t be faster
A 4,600mAh battery was mentioned in rumors as well, but that was denied by a second report (from a trusted source) claiming a 4,400mAh battery will be included. A recent rumor suggested that the phone will include a 200-megapixel main camera, but another one quickly squashed that info, claming that a 50-megapixel unit will be included. Do note that two Galaxy Z Fold 6 models are rumored, so that may be the cause to the confusion. We’re hoping to see upgrades for all cameras on the device, especially rear-facing ones, but that may not materialize.
That’s all the information on specs that we have at the moment. It’s possible Samsung will cling to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. It’s also quite possible that we may not get faster charging here. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 will support 25W wired charging, unfortunately, as a charger certification confirmed. We do expect 15W wireless charging to be included, however, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Let’s hope the phone will support the Qi2 standard.
Should you wait to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6?
Based on everything we’ve seen thus far, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 won’t be a major upgrade. It’s still rather early, though, so take that with a grain of salt. The biggest upgrade seems to be a wider cover display. If you do consider that an upgrade, some people prefer the narrower display. The thing is, the ‘Ultra’ model is now rumored, so if we take that one into consideration, we may, after all, see some major upgrades coming. We’ll have to wait for more information to surface, as what we know now is quite limited. The phone’s launch event is still months and months away, so… we’ll see.
2024-04-08 15:08:30