Beyond the Alphabet
Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world both inside and out of the confines of Mountain View.
With just a few days left until Samsung officially unpacks the Galaxy Z Fold 7, now is as good a time as any to reflect on how the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has stood up over the past year. For a good chunk of the past year, the Z Fold 6 has either been my primary or secondary phone, only being swapped out with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Despite being a huge fan of foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 just didn’t spark the same level of excitement that I’ve felt elsewhere. I’ve already written about how Samsung played it safe with an iterative design, only to release a more modern iteration with the Z Fold Special Edition, which was limited to a handful of regions.
What’s the problem?
The problem is that, for the most part, the Fold 6 has been the phone that I keep coming back to, time and time again. I revisited the OnePlus Open in anticipation of an Open 2 that never arrived, but still ended up back on the Samsung train. The only phone that has managed to pull me away has been the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, especially now that Desktop Mode has arrived with Android 16.
Why is that a problem? When you see phones like the Find N5, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and even the Huawei Mate XT being released, the Z Fold 6 simply looks outdated. It’s kind of like how the original Pixel Fold looked like it was supposed to originally launch in 2020, but for whatever reason, was held back until 2023.
On top of that, the Z Fold Special Edition was basically proof that Samsung could release a modern foldable with better cameras, a bigger screen, and all of the things I’ve been hoping for. So when we see reports and rumors about sales figures being down, it doesn’t come as a shock, considering that it’s really just Samsung, Google, and Motorola in the space, at least until we get a proper OnePlus Open successor.
Why do I keep coming back?
So if the hardware and specs are such a letdown, why do I keep coming back to the Z Fold 6 at all? Everything else.
The thing about this phone is that if I really had to, I could use this for literally everything. Its narrow cover screen is great for doom-scrolling or replying to messages, and if I need more space to spread out, I can just unfold it. If I need to sketch something out or jot down a note, I can just grab an S Pen and be on my way.
Do I need even more space? Then I can plug in my handy-dandy NexDock and turn the Fold 6 into a laptop via DeX. And if I’m really in a pinch, then I can pair my Samsung ultrawide monitor with the Fold 6 and use DeX that way. But that’s more a last-ditch effort kind of thing since DeX doesn’t really play nice with ultrawide monitors.
And when it comes to multi-tasking without DeX, Samsung has my current favorite implementation. Basically, there aren’t any major limitations. I’m able to have more than two or three apps appear on the screen, and can easily swap them out or just pull up a floating window. Admittedly, the only time I do that is to access my password manager or if I’m watching football while checking fantasy scores.
Surprising discovery
There is one thing I’ve noticed regarding the design, and it’s that I’m much more likely to use the inner screen on the Fold 6 than the other foldable phones I have. It’s not like I can’t do anything from the cover screen, but it’s simply too narrow.
That’s not the case with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which features the same 6.3-inch display as the Pixel 9 Pro. I’d be lying if I said that there haven’t been days when I don’t use the inner screen on the 9 Pro Fold. But unless my memory is failing me, I can’t remember a day when I didn’t unfold the Z Fold 6 at least once.
Naturally, I’ll be paying closer attention to this once I get my hands on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, provided that the rumors and leaks are true about the larger screens.
Battery life is awful
Gripes about the hardware aside, that’s not the only area that Samsung needs to improve on. Battery life on the Fold 6 has been absolutely atrocious. More often than not, it won’t last until the early evening without needing to be charged to make it through the rest of the day.
Obviously, a foldable is a bit different when compared to a slab phone, but surely Samsung knows that this isn’t good enough. I’m not even talking about charging speeds, but having the 4,400mAh battery is the smallest of the other recent foldable phones. Vivo recently unveiled the X Fold 5 and managed to squeeze a 6,000mAh battery, while the Find N5 offers a 5,600mAh cell.
I understand there are ways to try and remedy this, but I didn’t take any of those approaches. For one, it’s extremely annoying and time-consuming to reset and restore a phone, especially one that you’ve been using for the better part of a year. More importantly, I would have to assume that the majority of people don’t wipe and restore their phones once a year, so I decided against doing so.
Everything was fine in the beginning, easily making it through a day. But less than a year later, the Fold 6 barely lasts eight hours, and that’s just unacceptable.
Conclusion
It’s kind of a weird thing, as I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts and feelings, but just coming back to the same conclusion: I’m beyond ready for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Samsung was once at the top of the mountain when it came to foldable phones, but stood pat while the competition ran circles around them.
All of the leaks and rumors suggest that Samsung will be implementing quite a few new changes. I’m of the mindset that it’ll basically be the Z Fold Special Edition, with newer internals while hopefully retaining S Pen compatibility. And even with all of these supposed changes, there’s a chance that the Fold 7 might not even be the star of the show.
Nevertheless, I don’t dislike the Galaxy Z Fold 6, as the “kitchen sink” features mostly make up for the shortcomings of the hardware. Plus, Prime Day is right around the corner, and we’re already seeing some solid discounts on the current iteration. I just hope that Samsung is able to offer an almost-no-compromise foldable phone and give me a true flagship experience.
For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.
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