There’s no doubting the fact that Samsung makes some of the best book-style folding phones around. The latest Galaxy Z Fold 5 is its best effort yet, but there are still some key shortcomings – including that high price tag.
Its improvements compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 were minor, so can we expect more wholesale changes on the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6? Recent rumours suggest that won’t be the case, but the device does look to be in line for a few upgrades.
Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 and its rumoured budget ‘a’ variant.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 be released?
There are no concrete rumours regarding the Galaxy Z Fold 6 release date at this stage. However, the timing of previous launches gives us a good idea what to expect:
Assuming Samsung sticks to the same rough schedule, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is likely to arrive in August 2024.
However, that’s only speculation and guesswork at this stage.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 cost?
Pricing is often one of the last things to be revealed about a new product. So it should come as no surprise that there are no leaks or rumours about it yet. However, the starting prices of previous generations serve as a useful guide:
As you can see, while pricing has remained consistent in the US, there’s been plenty of fluctuation in the UK. It’d be a surprise to see it become even more expensive, but that might happen if significant upgrades are introduced.
However, there might be an unexpected addition to the lineup as well. According to a report from The Elec, Samsung is reportedly considering introducing an entry-level Galaxy Z Fold 6, a claim that’s supported by ET News.
As per WinFuture, the more affordable model is referred to internally as codename Q6A. To provide context, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 carried the codename Q5, indicating that Q6 could potentially denote the Galaxy Z Fold 6, while Q6A may signify another variant.
The addition of the ‘A’ may indicate a slightly stripped-down, but also cheaper variant. A similar strategy can be seen with the Pixel phones from Google, as well as the upcoming Nothing Phone (2a). However, this would be the first foldable to adopt such a dual release.
What specs and features will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 have?
Design
Leaker Chun VN suggested that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could feature a wider yet thinner and lighter profile, possibly measuring 11mm when folded. Additionally, it may sport sharp edges reminiscent of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The device is also anticipated to boast a Titanium build and offer three colour options. The absence of an S Pen slot was mentioned too.
Some of these assertions were corroborated by Korean blogger yeux1122 on Naver. The blogger highlighted a thinner and lighter design, a more robust and slimmer hinge, a Titanium construction, and design cues from the S24 series.
Furthermore, the source mentioned the likelihood of the foldable featuring more durable ultra-thin glass (UTG) with enhanced tactile feedback.
Display
Before the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, leaker Revegnus indicated that there’d be a change to the aspect ratio of the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s cover display.
Additionally, analyst Ross Young suggested that both the foldable and cover display on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 would be larger than those on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, although specific dimensions or additional details were not publicly disclosed.
According to leaker Yogesh Brar, the cover display on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could measure 6.4 inches diagonally, an increase from the 6.2-inch cover display on the Galaxy Z Fold 5:
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 may adopt a wider form factor, featuring a 20:9 aspect ratio for the cover screen compared to the 23.1:9 aspect ratio on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Consequently, this alteration in shape would also impact the aspect ratio of the internal screen, potentially resulting in a slightly more square aspect ratio of 1.08:1 compared to the previous 5:6 aspect ratio.
Performance
Given all previous Galaxy Z Fold’s used the latest and greatest Qualcomm chip at the time of launch, the Z Fold 6 is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This is an assumption also shared by the leaker Chun VN:
But could Samsung’s own Exynos chips be used in some markets? As we know, the Galaxy S24 phones are split between Snapdragon and Exynos, so it’s possible the same could apply to the Z Fold 6. This is now all the more possible, looking at rumours of the arrival of a second, budget version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
All Galaxy Z Fold 5 models have 12GB of RAM, but Korean blogger yeux1122 mentioned that the device might offer up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
Cameras
In another tweet, Revegnus suggested Samsung will persist with the Isocell GN3 main sensor from the Z Fold 5.
However, the leaker also hinted at the possibility of the Fold 6 being equipped with the camera sensor used in the S24 Ultra, potentially upgrading it to a 200MP primary camera.
A report from GalaxyClub indicated that Samsung was considering implementing a 50MP primary camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which is identical to the camera featured in the Galaxy S24. However, the report did not address the claims regarding the 200MP primary camera.
Leaker Yogesh Brar mentioned a potential camera setup comprising a 50MP primary rear camera, a 10MP telephoto lens offering 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide camera, similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
It also looks like the other sensors will be unchanged, if a tweet from IceUniverse is anything to go by:
Therefore, you can expect the same five lenses as the Galaxy Z Fold 5: 50MP main, 10MP 3x telephoto, 12MP ultrawide, 4MP under-display inner screen selfie and 10MP cover selfie.
However, the 200MP main camera may appear on the standard (and arguably more expensive) Galaxy Z Fold 6 variant, while the 50MP camera from the previous model may appear on the alleged budget variant.
Battery & charging
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2‘s power efficiency benefitted battery life on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, despite it remaining at the same 4400mAh as its predecessor.
However, leaker Chun VN has been suggested that the phone could come with a slightly larger 4,600mAh battery and the rumoured inclusion of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 should improve battery life further.
You can already get a full day of regular use on a single charge, but it’d be great if it could also last until the end of demanding days with lots of GPS, high brightness and mobile data.
The 25W wired charging could also be improved – the Galaxy Z Fold 5 only charges to 28% in 15 minutes and 56% in 30 minutes.
Software
In terms of software, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will probably run on Android 14 with the Samsung’s One UI 6 overlay. The exclusive features that were specific to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 are also expected to be available on the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
There may also be some new additions, like Galaxy AI, thanks to the implementation of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. At this point, however, this is not certain.
This is all the information we have at the moment, but please stay tuned as we will continue to update this article with more details. In the meantime, be sure to check out our guides to the best foldables and best Samsung Galaxy phones, plus news on the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6.
