Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Z Flip 6: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

When you think of foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Flip series is likely one of the first that comes to mind. Few brands have tried to compete with Samsung in the clamshell form factor in North America, apart from a couple of notable exceptions like the Moto Razr line. Does this mean the South Korean company has slowed down innovation with its latest Galaxy Z Flip 6, or is there enough on offer to justify an upgrade? Let’s find out in this Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs. Z Flip 5 comparison.

While the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 was a solid smartphone and an easy recommendation for many users, it was admittedly a minor upgrade over its predecessor. The changes introduced were mostly incremental, such as a significantly larger outer display (or as Samsung calls it, Flex Window).

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 continues this trend of evolutionary improvements. Design-wise, the cameras are now surrounded by colored rings that match the color of the phone’s frame. It’s also IP48 rated and not IPX8 rated now, though it’s still not dust-proof with that rating. Besides that, however, you may struggle to distinguish the phone from previous generations as the inner and outer displays remain identical. Luckily, there are plenty of differences under the hood that warrant the Galaxy Z Flip 6 a second look if you’re on the fence.

Take the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, for starters. The Galaxy Z Flip series’ compact form factor has historically translated to lower performance due to space and thermal constraints. To combat this, Samsung has added a vapor chamber to the Z Flip 6 for better heat dissipation. This should allow the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip to better stretch its legs in more demanding workloads. According to Samsung, the vapor chamber in the Z Flip 6 is significantly larger than the one used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Photography is another area where the Galaxy Z Flip series has historically lagged behind other flagship smartphones. Luckily, Samsung has addressed this long-standing complaint with a new 50MP primary camera — a big leap over the outgoing model’s dated 12MP sensor. With this update, you can expect the Z Flip 6 to deliver shots that are about as good as the mainline Galaxy S24. However, the ultrawide and selfie shooters remain unchanged from last year’s model.

While clamshell battery life has improved considerably in recent years, Samsung has given the Z Flip 6 a significant capacity boost. With its 4,000mAh cell, you can expect the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to deliver roughly 10% better runtimes than the Z Flip 5. And even with this capacity bump, Samsung has managed to keep the weight unchanged at 187g. This improvement should all but eliminate any battery anxiety, which is a good thing since charging times unfortunately remain the same.

Samsung has made a big deal about Galaxy AI in 2024 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 unsurprisingly gets a few new tricks as well. It also gets 12GB of RAM, a big jump over the 8GB included with the Z Flip 5. This should be enough to run local AI models like Gemini Nano as well as future ones in the years to come. Samsung is also putting some Galaxy AI features directly on the Flex Window cover display such as suggested replies for one-handed chats.

Unfortunately, these improvements come at the cost of a slight price increase year over year. You’ll have to shell out $1,099 for the Z Flip 6’s base 12GB/256GB variant vs. the Flip 5’s $999 launch price. To soften the blow, however, it’s worth remembering that Samsung guarantees seven years of Android and security updates on its latest phones. That’s a big jump over the Z Flip 5’s update commitment, which includes only four generations of Android updates and five years of security patches.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 will hit store shelves starting July 24, 2024. If you decide to pre-order, Samsung will double the storage for free so simply paying $1,099 will get you the top-end model.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 looks nearly the same as its predecessor, so if you own a Z Flip 5, you may not see much reason to upgrade. But on the other hand, the improvements to performance, imaging, and battery life are significant enough to make a noticeable difference in day-to-day use. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a much more well-rounded smartphone than any of Samsung’s previous clamshell attempts, so if you frequently notice deficiencies in these areas, the Z Flip 6 should resolve them once and for all.

If you’re new to the Galaxy Z Flip line, you’d almost certainly be much better off buying the newer phone. On top of the hardware changes already mentioned, the seven years of software updates help offset the slight increase in price. The only exception to this advice is if you can find a Galaxy Z Flip 5 on a deep discount as the older stock sells out.