Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs iPhone 16 Pro: We compare the incomparable

At first glance, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the iPhone 16 Pro are incompatible, just like the theories of General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory in physics. These two might seem incomparable, but there's something hidden, just like a hidden variable in the collapse of the wave function.

In the end, everything should lead us to a unified theory that should work in all cases and everywhere in the universe, and this applies to phones too. We're sure there are some people somewhere who will ponder whether to hop on the foldable train with a flip phone or play it safe and get the upcoming Apple Pro model.

So, today we will try to unify these two entities in a cohesive theory—we mean comparison. Bear in mind that all the information is based on leaks and rumors at the moment, so further empirical evidence and testing are needed.

The world is holding its breath, waiting for the moment when Apple will finally announce a foldable phone, but until then, iPhones are bound to stay as they are now, rectangular slabs of glass and metal. We don't expect a major change in design with the iPhone 16, so you know exactly what to expect.

We also expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, with minor tweaks and changes here and there. A bigger inner and cover screen, probably a slightly larger phone altogether, and maybe a redesigned hinge. But the glass and aluminum are likely to stay, along with the dual-camera setup on the back.

As far as colors are concerned, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is rumored to get at least two color variants, Light Blue and Mint, while the iPhone 16 Pro is expected in Black, White, Rose, and Grey.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is expected to come with a larger main screen and a larger cover screen, 6.7 inches and 3.9 inches, respectively. Those, of course, will be AMOLED, and the main screen is expected to have a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution.

The iPhone 16 Pro will most likely retain the 6.1-inch diagonal, the ProMotion 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate, and the resolution from its predecessor.

In terms of biometrics, we expect the status quo to remain unchanged; the iPhone 16 Pro will rely on FaceID, while the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will probably use a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner.

Due to the specific launch cycle these two models have, their beating hearts, the chipsets inside, are a generation apart. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 will come with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 onboard, while the iPhone 16 Pro will feature the newest Apple silicon, the A18 chip.

In terms of RAM, due to the different ecosystems and the way Android and iOS handle apps and optimize them prior to putting them on their respective stores, differences in RAM don't always translate into a difference in performance. We expect both phones to sport 8GB of RAM.

The software situation is an interesting one. We know that Samsung already has Galaxy AI to help people get onboard with the new reality, but Apple seems to be missing the party. We don't know whether or not the iPhone 16 Pro will feature a dedicated AI assistant or some kind of AI system.

Software updates used to be Apple's forte in the past, but ever since Google decided to offer seven long years of software support, things have changed. We expect the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to come with seven years of major OS updates, while the iPhone 16 Pro will most likely offer "just" five.

Even though we don't know the exact specs of the camera system on these two phones, one thing we can say for sure. The iPhone 16 Pro will have an advantage in the form of an additional telephoto camera.

The rumor mill says that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will come with a dual camera system on the back, consisting of two 12MP sensors for the wide and ultrawide cameras. We expect the iPhone 16 Pro to come with two 48MP main and ultrawide cameras, accompanied by a 12MP, 5x optical zoom camera with a focal length equivalent of 120mm.

The new 48MP ultrawide camera in the iPhone 16 Pro will definitely upgrade the quality of the photos, add detail, and make this camera more capable and flexible. The same goes for the telephoto; 5x optical zoom is a lot, and we expect great close-ups from the iPhone 16 Pro.

The stereo speakers inside both phones are a mystery at the moment, so we can only make some educated guesses and assumptions about the audio quality. Apple traditionally puts high-quality speakers in its iPhones, so expect the loudness and quality to be on the same level as previous iPhone Pro models. The same holds true about the haptic feedback; Apple's Taptic Engine has proven to be one of the best in the business.

We expect the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to sport a stereo setup where the earpiece doubles as a secondary loudspeaker, but we don't know if there will be an upgrade in that area. Neither of these two phones is expected to have a 3.5mm audio jack.

The latest leaks and rumors point toward a battery capacity upgrade both for the iPhone 16 Pro and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The iPhone is expected to come with a 3,355mAh battery, a very slight upgrade compared to the 3,274mAh cell in its predecessor. The Galaxy Z Flip 6, on the other hand, is bound for a more substantial upgrade; we expect a 4,000mAh battery inside Samsung's next flip phone.

Charging is another area where we can see improvement, especially on the iPhone 16 Pro, as the new USB-C port Apple introduced with the 15 series, allows for much faster charging than the 27W we have on the current model. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 could also benefit from a bump in charging speeds, as its predecessor only supports 25W wired and 10W wireless charging.

Here's a quick overview of the expected specs differences between the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the iPhone 16 Pro. You can check out our detailed specs comparison on PhoneArena.

It's very early to tell whether one of these two will be a better choice, all things considered. The only thing that makes these two comparable is the price, which is expected to be close. Samsung could try and sell the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 for around $999, and the same goes for the iPhone.

The question is, do you want a flip phone for that kind of money, or do you want to play it safe and get an iPhone Pro. On the one hand, the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to have a better camera setup and a faster chipset. On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a phone you can fold in half, and it has two screens, providing a completely different user experience.

We will update this comparison with tests once we get both phones, and hopefully that will help with your decision.