The disappointing state of Galaxy Z Flip 6 rumors: Should we brace for a letdown?
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Summer is just around the corner, and one of the landmark releases during the hottest months will be Samsung's next crop of foldable devices, consisting of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Rumors are already piling up about both devices, which is par for the course with most high-profile Samsung phones.
However, it's only the Galaxy Z Fold 6 that is garnering a healthy amount of interesting rumors for potential upgrades, whereas things are abnormally quiet on the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Foldables have been on the market for half a decade now. While still intriguing, foldables are no longer captivating. At first, foldable technology was considered innovative and noteworthy, but it's 2024 already, and extra features are required to stand out.
So far, all Galaxy Z Flip phones have come along with Snapdragon chipsets, so employing Samsung's in-house line of infamous chips would only hurt the case for getting a Galaxy Z Flip 6 this year. Although the Exynos 2400 rumored to be considered for the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is seemingly just as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, there's always that negative connotation associated with the Exynos name.
Last year's Galaxy Z Flip 5 was admittedly a great upgrade, but judging from all the rumors so far, Samsung may struggle to improve on that one with the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The latter seems like it will be another mostly iterative and stagnant episode in Samsung's foldable phone releases, remarkable only for being a direct successor to the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
If most rumors hit the mark (and preliminary rumors for Samsung phones usually do), then foldable phone enjoyers might have to brace for a disappointment.
Also read:
- Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs iPhone 16 Pro: We compare the incomparable
- Galaxy Z Flip 6 preview: new main camera, bigger battery
Being foldable is no longer sufficient merit
Foldables have been on the market for half a decade now. While still intriguing, foldables are no longer captivating. At first, foldable technology was considered innovative and noteworthy, but it's 2024 already, and extra features are required to stand out.
The market's expectations have also evolved to higher standards. That's why a foldable phone like the Galaxy Z Flip 6 needs way more in terms of novel features to hold its ground against its foldable and standard competitors.
Based on the rumors we hear, Samsung won't be reinventing the wheel with its next compact foldable. On the contrary, the largest Android manufacturer has chosen to rest on its laurels as the first mass producer of foldable phones. Bold experiments and innovation are seemingly out of the window, as the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is shaping up to be yet another garden-variety Samsung release.
Based on the rumors we hear, Samsung won't be reinventing the wheel with its next compact foldable. On the contrary, the largest Android manufacturer has chosen to rest on its laurels as the first mass producer of foldable phones. Bold experiments and innovation are seemingly out of the window, as the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is shaping up to be yet another garden-variety Samsung release.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Galaxy Z Flip 5: What will the differences be?
So far, the only semi exciting rumors circulating around the Galaxy Z Flip 6 include a slightly larger external display, which will by no means reinvigorate the overall user experience. At the same time, the number of rumors confirming the Galaxy Z Flip 6 won't differ that much from the Galaxy Z Flip 5 are a dime a dozen.
Let's break down the rumors so far and see what's what.
- Although Samsung vastly improved the hinge mechanism with the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the unsightly display crease was still there. So far, rumors don't indicate a massive step has been taken into eliminating that one, so it's safe to assume the Z Flip 6 will also have a display crease. Most of Samsung's competitors on the scene have mostly resolved this issue, and some didn't even have display creases to begin with (OnePlus Open, Oppo Find N2 Flip, and Oppo Find N2 serve as perfect examples.
- Credit where credit is due: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could score a 0.1-inch bigger inner screen, as well as a 0.5-inch cover screen. Thus, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will come with a 6.7-inch internal and 3.9-inch external display. However, despite the screen size bump, display resolution, maximum brightness, and refresh rate will remain the same, which might not play well with the ever-evolving competition. Foldable phones like the Moto Razr these days pack 120Hz external screens.
What's more, merely increasing the cover screen's size won't resolve its core problem: the functionality. Currently, you can only run a very limited selection of apps on the cover screen. While it's true that it's mostly there to show you your notifications or change the Spotify playlist, but what we actually need on the Galaxy Z Flip lineup is enhanced functionality and support for way more apps.
- The Galaxy Z Flip 6 will come with the yearly chipset upgrade; the phone will most certainly get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, an upgrade over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the Galaxy Z Flip 5. However, rumors indicate that the phone could arrive with just 8GB of RAM, which is mid-range territory as far as Android powerhouses are considered.
So far, all Galaxy Z Flip phones have come along with Snapdragon chipsets, so employing Samsung's in-house line of infamous chips would only hurt the case for getting a Galaxy Z Flip 6 this year. Although the Exynos 2400 rumored to be considered for the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is seemingly just as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, there's always that negative connotation associated with the Exynos name.
- Charging speeds will also stay the same for another year in a row. This means 25W of wired and 10W of wireless charging, which is the bare minimum when it comes to fast-charging. Foldables originating from China are already pushing the charging capabilities of their phones to the other end of the spectrum, so Samsung might once again be the outlier. Battery life, however, could be ever-so-slightly better thanks to a suggested battery capacity bump to 4,000mAh.
- Rumors also call for a new 50MP camera, and I have to agree, this one sounds like a great thing to have, considering that most previous Galaxy Z Flip arrived with a 12MP camera. Samsung's foldables have rarely bet heavy on camera performance, so if true, that upgrade would be a decent one. Still, here's to hoping the phone inherits the Galaxy S24 series' image-processing and natural photography style.
Brace for letdown?
So, to sum up, don't expect the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to bring significant innovations or bold new features. While it might succeed in bringing fresh new adopters to the foldable market, it will likely fail to persuade existing foldable phone enjoyers to switch and upgrade.
Given the mounting competition in the foldable phone market from Motorola and OnePlus in the US, as well as the majority of China-based phone manufacturers, Samsung might fail to bolster its positions. This is crucial given that Apple will eventually come up with a foldable iPhone.
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