Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 preview: specs, release date and everything we know
Are there big hardware changes coming for Samsung's next clamshell foldable?
The book-style Z Fold series might be Samsung’s foldable phone darling, but it’s the smaller, clamshell-style Z Flip that’s been the real sales hero. It’s comfortably one of the most popular folders out there, and rivals haven’t been able to touch it for multiple generations. But that doesn’t mean a sequel isn’t on the way. All eyes are now on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which will surely make its debut in summer 2024.
What will change from the Galaxy Z Flip 5? Has Samsung learned any software smarts from new folding arrivals such as the Google Pixel Fold or OnePlus Open? Are the cameras in line for an AI-assisted upgrade? And will the price continue to climb, or might this be a more affordable foldable? Here’s everything we’d heard about the upcoming phone so far.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 expected release date
We can be pretty positive Samsung will launch a Galaxy Z Flip 6. The series remains one of the best-selling of any foldable phone worldwide, and although Android rivals have started to muscle in, Apple remains out of the game. Samsung will surely want to extend its lead with as many new generations as possible.
The Z Flip 6 doesn’t have a firm release date just yet, but a look back at Samsung’s prior history with product launches gives a clue of when we can expect to see it for the first time.
- Galaxy Z Flip 5: launched 26 July 2023
- Galaxy Z Flip 4: launched 10th August 2022
- Galaxy Z Flip 3: launched 24th August 2021
- Galaxy Z Flip 2: launched 5th August 2020
Even though the firm mixed things up in 2023 with a July reveal for the Z Flip 5, it was only a few weeks earlier than the more familiar August time slot. That means a mid- to late-summer launch is almost certainly on the cards.
We’re betting it’ll be revealed a dedicated Unpacked event, alongside a Galaxy Z Fold 6, and maybe new Galaxy Watch wearables. Samsung hasn’t launched new products at a trade show, such as IFA or Mobile World Congress, for quite a while now.
As for pricing? The Z Flip 5 landed at $999 / £1049, a hike over the previous generation – but it did come with 256GB of storage as standard, up from 128GB. We’re betting Samsung will aim to keep the price consistent this time out, but rising materials and shipping costs mean that may not be possible.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 hardware & design rumours
There’s currently very little information out there on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 – even less than the Z Fold 6, which was teased by Samsung itself when it showed journalists design study mockups of future iterations during the launch of the Z Fold 5. The rumour mill is beginning to spin up, though.
Display analyst Ross Young took to X (formerly Twitter) claiming the Z Flip 6 would have both a larger internal folding screen and larger external display than the outgoing Z Flip 5. Apparently the latter will be close to 3.9in, which would be half an inch larger than the current phone’s 3.4in panel. That would make it even more user-friendly when closed – something that couldn’t be said of earlier generations. A subsequent report from leaker Naver backed this up, suggesting the expanded internal display would be made possible by significantly slimmer bezels than previous Z Flip efforts. There was no mention of specific panel size, though.
Newer leaks have suggested otherwise. Apparently the Z Flip 6 will be all but unchanged physically from the outgoing model, with the bulk of the upgrades being internal. The Z Fold 6, on the other hand, will take some design inspiration from the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
We’re expecting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor inside; Samsung and Qualcomm have a ‘multi-generation’ deal in place to put the chips in its top-tier handsets. There’s no clue if the firm will get a bespoke version that runs faster than the off-the-shelf CPUs used by rival phone makers. Based on Qualcomm’s early benchmarks, though, it already sounds like quite the performer. Improved AI abilities could also help Samsung rival Google’s Tensor G3 and the iPhone 16 Pro, which is expected to go big on machine learning.
Memory and storage options will probably remain unchanged, with 8GB and 256GB being the entry-level variant. It’s unlikely we’ll see a version with 1TB storage, as Samsung will likely keep that capacity exclusive to the Z Fold series. Unless the phone gets physically bigger than this year’s model we’re doubtful battery capacity will grow either. Only the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus saw an upgrade to charging speeds, so we’re doubtful there’ll be an improvement on the Z Flip 5’s 25W top-ups.
Camera hardware is a mystery right now, but we’re hoping the 50MP sensor found in the Galaxy S23 will make an appearance. The Z Flip series has relied on 12MP sensors for multiple generations now, and it’s beginning to feel a little behind the times. Clamshell rivals including the Oppo Find N3 Flip have even found space for three lenses, but until we hear otherwise we expect Samsung to keep a dedicated telephoto lens for the Z Fold series.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 feature wish list
We awarded the Galaxy Z Flip 5 four stars in our review. It might’ve been the best clamshell-style foldable phone around at the time, but there was still a few areas we felt Samsung hadn’t quite nailed the brief – meaning there’s room for the new model to do even better, with a few choice upgrades. Here are what we’d like to see make the cut:
Catch up on cameras
The Z Flip line has always played second fiddle to the mainline Galaxy S smartphone range in terms of camera hardware. We’d love it if 2024 was the year that everything was on par, meaning you weren’t sacrificing picture quality by buying a foldable instead of a traditional handset. The same main sensor as the Galaxy S24, please.
Speedier charging
Wireless top ups are convenient, but there’s no denying the fact Samsung’s 25W wired refuelling is now behind the times. Rivals are managing 65W or higher – and we’re talking clamshell-style foldable rivals, not just traditional smartphones. There may not be room for a physically larger battery, but being able to recharge it in half the time would be a boon for heavy users.
A fully functional outer screen
The Z Flip 5 plays nicely with quite a few third-party apps now, but that wasn’t the case at launch. Samsung has worked with developers to create specific versions that respect the phone’s compact outer display, whereas rivals including Motorola just adapt every app on the fly, no extra work required. We’d love to see better support here, so we don’t have to open up the phone to launch one or two specific apps.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor