Last year Ibought the Galaxy Z Flip 5and cover to enjoy the headphone , even whenI’m not “ flipping ” itin the mode Samsung would believably prefer . I ’ve been using its successor , theGalaxy Z Flip 6 , for the last workweek and have already beenimpressed by the camera alterations — but has it been enough to entice me into an upgrade ?
I ’ve made my decisiveness , and if you ’re in the same situation but have yet to make a choice , here ’s what I ’ve learned about the two phones in the past week .
A compact size is still the best
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 sat in its box for a span of weeks while I review theGalaxy Z Fold 6 , and I did n’t really think about it much . It was the same position when I first see the unexampled fold up phones before launch when the Z Fold 6 took all my meter . It ’s the phone Samsung has give the most tending to this twelvemonth after spend more clip refining the Z Flip serial last twelvemonth . couple this with our review article of the phone , which called it a “ faineant ” update , and I was n’t rushing to use it .
Now that I have been using the Z Flip 6 for a week , was I wrong to brush aside it ? Yes , in that I really bonk the convenience of such a small , folded - up sound . It is far less plaguey to have in my pocket than other full-grown - sieve phone , and it accept up less elbow room in my base yet still deliver the same experience as any other phone with a 6.7 - inch screenland . But both you and Iknow thisalready , and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 does n’t change this much at all compared to the Z Flip 5 .
But it does change one affair , and it ’s the one affair Samsung should have leave alone . The speech sound now shares the Galaxy Z Fold 6 ’s square chassis and corner instead of continuing the Z Flip 5 ’s rounded frame , and it ’s a footstep rearwards in ergonomics . There ’s a cause a pinhead bar is round and not solid , as no one would desire to fascinate a straight bar for long at all , and the same applies to the Z Flip 6 .
It ’s where Motorola wins power point over the Z Flip 6 , too , as I ’ve been using theRazr 2024alongside it for a upcoming photographic camera comparison , and it has a pleasing curve to the body that makes it more comfortable to defend . It may sound like a modest matter , but we obtain these devices for 60 minutes each day , and at the very least , they should n’t dig into our palm in an awkward fashion . It ’s obviously not like apply a razor brand , but it ’s not a step forward , and that ’s what I calculate for when considering an upgrade .
Battery life and more features
While I still only get about one - and - a - piece day from the Z Flip 6 ’s battery , which is about the same as the Z Flip 5 , there are some possibleslightefficiency improvements that may change this carrying out for others . For exercise , a 30 - minute of arc YouTube telecasting at 1440p resolution and full brightness remove 5 % from the Z Flip 6 ’s battery and 8 % from the Z Flip 5 . I flow the 20 - minute Solar Bay Stress Test from the 3DMark benchmarking app on both phones , and it drained 10 % from the Z Flip 6 and 11 % from the Z Flip 5 . I ’m not going to get carry away with these results , though , as the Z Flip 6 is new , and the Z Flip 5 is a year old with some usance behind it .
I will note the Z Flip 6 ’s sieve has a tiny improvement , or at least the software system run it does , as it has a slightly more pleasing smell to it . The coloring temperature is more accurate , and it ’s not as saturate , make believe it less hard for your eye to see for any length of meter . Similarly , tiny improvement have been made to the utterer , with less distortion at high volume on the Z Flip 6 . I have n’t notice any deviation in heat buildup from the central processing unit , with both phones having the same arcdegree of passion through the top one-half of each gimmick after the 3DMark test .
Then there’sGalaxy AI . Samsung desire me to think it ’s a big deal , but I sputter to find any habit for the tool during my day - to - sidereal day life . There are three features involving translation ( call , confabulation , and hot scenarios ) , and the only time I ’ve used them was to try out just one of the options out . It worked , but I ’ve yet to be in a situation where I ’d even require to view using it again . I feel the same about the photo AI tools . Galaxy AI can also assist with note - pickings , draw transcriptions , and summarizing … stuff . I know I wo n’t miss have Galaxy AI if I stick with the Z Flip 5 .
I’m not upgrading
Overall , there are betterment with the Z Flip 6 , but they ’re really small and I only notice them when I liken it directly with the Z Flip 5 . If it seems like I ’m full of negativity about the Galaxy Z Flip 6 , it ’s not true . It ’s a brilliant telephone set to own and use . There are corking color options available , it ’s fabulously well - made , and once fix up to the room you like it , the software is trouble - spare . The solidity of the hinge is a monumental selling point over the Razr 2024 , as while Motorola has ameliorate it this class , the resistance , smoothness , and silence of Samsung ’s flexible joint are still far forwards .
When I swapped my SIM from theHMD Skylineinto the Galaxy Z Flip 6 , I wondered if I would follow to a different termination about the phone than the one we had in our followup . Is it a “ work-shy ” telephone ? There are definite improvements in the camera over the Z Flip 5 , but the shape of the phone makes me recollect double about raise it , and because there ’s no veridical battery life history or great performance vantage and I do n’t care about the Galaxy AI stuff , I ’ve decided to stick with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 .
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a delight , and I ’ve bang using it for the last calendar week , but the Z Flip 5 is equally as delightful , and I have n’t matte up I was missing out on anything much after using this year ’s framework . I ’m not going to upgrade , even though I ’m aware that next year my Z Flip 5will be worth even lessif I want to merchandise it in . If you ’re in the same situation as me , I ’m not croak to tell you it ’s not worth upgrading at all , but you ’ll believably recall you ’ve bought basically the same speech sound again .