Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6: The "Old Money" Vibe of Foldable Phones, and What You Need to Know

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6: The "Old Money" Vibe of Foldable Phones, and What You Need to KnowThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, often dubbed the "old money" foldable phone, has captivated countless eyes. What is the secret behind its mysterious allure? As someone who has used the Z Fold6 firsthand, I want to share my experiences and unveil the true nature of this foldable phone

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6: The "Old Money" Vibe of Foldable Phones, and What You Need to Know

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, often dubbed the "old money" foldable phone, has captivated countless eyes. What is the secret behind its mysterious allure? As someone who has used the Z Fold6 firsthand, I want to share my experiences and unveil the true nature of this foldable phone.

Design: Aligned with "Ultra", Comfort Brought by Straight Edges

The Z Fold6's design is undoubtedly one of its draws. Ditching the "remote control" proportions of its predecessor, it boasts a more conventional smartphone-like 22:9 aspect ratio, with the outer screen upgraded to 6.3 inches, enhancing both visual appeal and a more familiar feel in hand. Many say the Z Fold6's aesthetics resemble a foldable S24 Ultra, and that's exactly the design direction it has taken.

The straight-edge design is the Z Fold6's biggest change this generation. Many feared that straight edges would feel uncomfortable, but the actual experience is surprisingly pleasant. While the frame is designed with straight edges, it still retains a slight curvature, ensuring a comfortable grip. The wider body also makes typing with both hands more comfortable. Of course, holding the phone with your left hand, the 90-degree design at the top left corner can still feel a bit uncomfortable, a necessary compromise for symmetrical hinge design.

Quality: Beauty in Detail, Within Reach

The Z Fold6's quality can be described as "Can you feel it?". Compared to the previous generation, its quality has climbed a notch. Its entire body is adorned with clean, horizontal and vertical lines, even the upper and lower speakers have been transformed into a bar-shaped design, showcasing a beauty in detail that's within reach. Additionally, this generation has shed over 10 grams and reduced the thickness, although these numerical changes may seem insignificant, they are almost indistinguishable from the feel of a flagship phone with a screen protector and case. However, in the face of numerous "king of roll" foldable phones from domestic brands, Samsung's quality still needs further improvement.

Hinge Experience: Still the King of Foldables

The Z Fold6's hinge is one of its highlights. Although I haven't tried every hinge on the market, Samsung's hinge undoubtedly boasts the best feel. It provides a perfect level of damping, allowing for precise control, without any looseness. Whether opening and closing at a large angle or in the initial opening state, the body remains completely stable. Additionally, I adore the crisp "click" sound it produces when closing, a clean and definitive action. If you doubt my description, I recommend a hands-on experience in a physical store.

Unfolded Experience: 7.6-inch Large Screen, Immersive Enjoyment

While the Z Fold6's outer screen has become wider and more user-friendly, Samsung encourages users to unfold the phone and enjoy the immersive experience of a 7.6-inch large screen. Thanks to the straight-edge design, the unfolded Z Fold6 resembles a square, compact tablet. The inner screen, with a 2160x1856 resolution, supports a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2600 nits, naturally, the color and detail are beyond question, as Samsung is a screen specialist. The eye protection effect, well, it's on par with Apple.

Undeniably, the under-display camera in the top right corner of the inner screen has a slight "screen door" effect, although it doesn't affect visual experience, I can't help but look at it. Even after several generations, Samsung has remained unchanged with this under-display camera. I even wonder if they should just make it a punch-hole camera in the next generation. With the potential to score 90, it only manages a 61. It's truly frustrating.

As for the long-standing issue of the crease on foldable screens, especially Samsung's foldables, I personally don't mind it. After all, folding is a physical phenomenon, and it's impossible to completely eliminate it. The Z Fold6's crease is almost unnoticeable under normal brightness conditions, unless you touch it with your finger, you can feel its presence. From the side, the crease is slightly more noticeable, something to keep in mind.

Minor Design Flaw: The Mystery of Camera DECO

If we were to find fault with the Z Fold6's design, most people would point to the "camera DECO". While the Z Fold6's camera design is quite simple, why the need for a circle of decoration that resembles a CD? Is Samsung planning for users to rub it idly when they have nothing to do?

System Software: The Agility and Playfulness of an Old Goat

If the Z Fold6's exterior is G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time), then its system software is a goat.

The Z Fold6 features the debut of the AI Doodle to Image function. The usage is straightforward, simply call out the side panel from the right, click the icon, or use Samsung Notes. You just need to sketch a few rough lines, then click the generate button, and after a short wait, you get a decent AI picture. This feature is quite interesting. You can even copy a master's work, a true "cyber version of the magical paintbrush".

The "Portrait Studio" allows you to transform selfies or portraits into different styles using AI, although personally, I feel it's not very realistic, a tool to just have some fun with.

The real-time translation feature this time also utilizes the foldable phone's form well, allowing users to show it to a foreign friend on the front, while viewing the translation internally. The real-time translation speed is faster than expected, making it highly practical for those traveling abroad.

There's also this year's Samsung's highlight features: instant circle and search, smart summary, AI photo editing, chat assistant, note assistant, etc. I mentioned these in my previous S24 Ultra content, so I won't elaborate here.

Overall, Samsung's AI, compared to domestic mobile phone manufacturers, is more focused on practicality and prioritized higher. Features like "Doodle to Image" and "Instant Circle and Search" can be accessed at any level of the system. However, the results sometimes fall short, which is not something Samsung can change on its own, you know what I mean. Fortunately, Samsung's operation is simple, with a low learning curve, making users more willing to use AI.

Experiencing Samsung's System: A Perfect Balance of Playfulness and Stability

In recent years, Samsung has made significant strides in system localization, though sometimes a little tinkering is necessary to make it more user-friendly. But is that a problem? Don't you know how to set it up yourself? This is what playfulness, customizability is all about, clearly, you're not part of Samsung's target audience.

Undeniably, Samsung's system stability is impressive. I've used the Z Flip5, S24 Ultra, and Z Fold6, and haven't encountered any system bugs. Coupled with the system's highly responsive touch optimization, it's overall in line with the standards of a large-scale manufacturer, better than those of some big domestic manufacturers.

However, some things that could be integrated into the system, Samsung stubbornly refuses. The built-in multitasking bar doesn't look great, you want to change it? Simply download Goodlock, then download Homeup inside, find TaskChanger, and you can customize it to your liking. At this point, some people might ask, are these plugins illegal? Nononono, (waves hands) these are officially released by Samsung. I can talk about setting tutorials like the one mentioned above for three days and three nights, but I won't go into details here.

Furthermore, in the unfolded state, many software applications simply perform a simple scaling, without any adaptation for the large foldable screen, completely failing to leverage the potential of this big screen. For example, when you want to open multiple software applications on a large screen, on a normal phone you just swipe up an app to the top left corner to activate the small window. So how do you do it on the Samsung? You need to swipe up the multitasking, long-press the app and move it to the middle of the screen before releasing. Are there any simpler solutions? Yes. Go to settings, find advanced features, click multi-window, enable "Swipe to Switch to Pop-up View". Now you can enter the small window mode directly from the top right corner, and the size is fully customizable. Sigh... Samsung, why do you always complicate simple things? Is this the only way to make yourself unique? So, I say the Z Fold6's system software is a "goat", am I wrong?

Performance and Battery Life: Meets Daily Needs, Average

The Z Fold6 utilizes the third-generation Snapdragon 8 mobile platform for Galaxy. Performance is definitely not an issue, daily usage is smooth, and it'll last for two or three years without a problem. This generation also increases the VC heat dissipation area, overall performing better than I imagined. Playing half an hour of King's Glory, the heat is acceptable.

The battery capacity remains at 440