Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 vs Galaxy S24: Fold me, bend me, but don't break me

Samsung kicked off 2024 with the Galaxy S24 series, and no matter how hot those are, it's the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 that are the more intriguing phones. Freshly announced, the latter are two very important releases for Samsung as it experiences mounting competition on the foldable market. 

Unlike previous years, in 2024 it's the Galaxy Z Flip that sounds like the more exciting device, and not the Galaxy Z Fold. It scores some exciting improvements, like a larger battery and a new camera. 

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 is a no-nonsense device that covers all the basics and delivers an outstanding flagship phone experience on Android. 

Should we abandon the classic candy-bar experience for a foldable phone? Could the Galaxy Z Flip 6 be the perfect entryway for everyday users to experience foldables?

Z Fold 6: up to $1,200 of; Z Flip 6: up to $650 off

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 are available at Samsung.com. Right now, you can get the 512GB Galaxy Z Fold 6 for up to $1,200 off its list price with eligible phone trade-ins. The Z Flip 6 is available with 512GB of storage and can be yours for up to $650 off its price tag with trade-ins.

$1850 off (57%) Trade-in

$1389 ⁹⁸

$3239 ⁹⁸

Buy at Samsung

Galaxy Z Fold 6: $300 Gift Card + Free storage upgrade

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is available at Amazon. Right now, you can save $120 on the smartphone in the form of a FREE storage upgrade. The offer includes a $300 Gift Card as well.

$420 off (18%) Gift

Buy at Amazon

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Galaxy S24 are two extremely different devices. And it's obvious: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 reiterates Samsung's commitment to super-compact foldable phones, while the Galaxy S24 is an aluminum-glass sandwich that embodies everything that is classic. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is also the first Galaxy foldable with a dust-protection rating. The phone has an IP48 rating, which means that it is mostly water-resistant (for up to 30 minutes in up to 1.5m of water) and will keep particles larger than 1mm at bay. 

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 hardly needs an introduction: the essential Galaxy flagship is quite compact but capable, with a masterfully crafted exterior that exudes a premium feel. This aluminum-glass sandwich has evolved its signature design over many years, culminating with this here Galaxy phone. You get all the bells and whistles you might expect: complete water- and dust-resistance, a USB Type-C port at the bottom, as well as a punch-hole display.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 colors is available in Blue, Mind, Silver Shadow, and Yellow. Exclusively on Samsung.com, you can get the phone White, Crafted Black, and Peach. 

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 can be yours in a trove of colors: Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow. Purchasing the phone through Samsung.com unlocks access to the Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone Orange colors, which are quite eye-catching. 

Of course, the big difference here is the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 arrives with not one, but two displays on board, like most of its predecessors. No size changes: a 3.4-inch external and 6.7-inch internal screens are in tow.

Other than that, Samsung has also mostly eliminated the crease on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which is not the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Display creases are already a thing of the past for most devices coming from China, so it's nice to see a more popular foldable like the latest Galaxy Z Flip to join the fray. The main reason for this beneficial improvement is the use of a thicker glass at the front in comparison with the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Meanwhile, with the Galaxy S24 relies on a 6.2-inch screen Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with FHD+ resolution and up to 120Hz of maximum refresh rate as well. Just as good, though slightly smaller, than the one on the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

What are the differences between the quality properties of the main screens?

As per our benchmark tests, the Galaxy S24 has the upper hand when it comes to maximum brightness, though the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is not that much behind. Yet, the new foldable achieves an extremely low minimum brightness, just 0.7 nits.

Display Measurements:

So, what has changed with the Galaxy Z Flip 6?

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip powers the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Judging from our experience with other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 devices, this one will deliver more than decent performance and, at the same time, be extremely efficient so that you get longer battery life.

The Galaxy S24 is a prime example, but only if you consider the US version. The phone comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 top performer in the US, while most other international markets carry the Exynos version of the device. With the Galaxy S23 models, we thought Samsung might have ceased this practice, but alas, it's fully back on with the Galaxy S24 lineup.

Is there any massive difference between the two phones in terms of performance? Sure, our benchmarks results are not identical, but this can be attributed to various factors, so you shouldn't assume that either phone is a better performer. Moreover, you likely wouldn't notice any notable difference between the two phones.

In terms of memory and storage, we get 12GB of RAM on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, along with 256 and 512GB of available storage. That's a bit better than the 128GB and 256GB storage variants that the Galaxy S24 comes with; the standard flagship also has 8GB of RAM on board. 

In terms of software support, Samsung recently committed to providing seven years of software support for its devices, which is as good as it gets! Either of the Galaxy S24 or the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will easily be supported until the end of this decade, and even beyond that. 

Samsung's foldable phones, especially the Flip ones, have never been about camera prowess. 

In reality, the dual-camera system that has graced most recent Galaxy Z Flip device is just there to provide essential functionalities and doesn't really deliver anything spectacular in terms of features or overall image quality. But that's not bad at all: it's plenty good for regular use and will hardly disappoint. Surely, the lack of a telephoto camera is concerning, but isn't a dealbreaker. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes with a new 50MP main camera, aided by a 12MP ultra-wide. Although the phone lacks a proper zoom, the 50MP main camera allows for 2X optical quality zoom, courtesy of sensor cropping.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 wasn't terribly different from its predecessor. It comes with identical camera hardware as the Galaxy S23, which means that we get the same 50MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP telephoto cameras. The brunt of the changes lies in the software changes that Samsung has thrown. We were very satisfied with the Galaxy S24 camera. 

The Galaxy S24 resolves detail much better than the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The latter is also responsible for some minor oversharpening, which isn't something we like to see. The Galaxy S24 also delivers slightly livelier colors.

At night, both devices take similarly looking photos at night, with decent detail captured both in the shadows and highlights. 

When it comes to zooming, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is quickly outclassed by the Galaxy S24, which has a dedicated telephoto camera. At 3X, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is still more than adequate, but the Galaxy S24 quickly establishes a lead. 

At 5X, both the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Galaxy S24 are already relying on digital zoom, but the Galaxy S24 suffers less than the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Still, the latter performs good enough. 

Finally, at 10X zoom, both phones are way out of their league. Yet, we'd go with the Galaxy S24, which has slightly better detail. 

The ultra-wide cameras are mostly equal in terms of overall qualities, but the Galaxy S24 once again delivers better detail, while the Galaxy Z Flip 6 suffers from slight oversharpening. Nothing too drastic, though, which is nice to see. 

Selfies are great on both phones, with a decent amount of details and lovely color reproduction. 

No two ways around it: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 sounds better than the Galaxy Z Flip 5, but not that much in comparison with the Galaxy S24. The latter delivers high-quality sound with enough richness to make for a very pleasing listenint experience. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 scores a much-needed battery capacity boost: there's a 4,000mAh battery on board, a very welcome upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip 5's 3,700mAh battery. Paired with the more efficient Snapdragon (or Exynos) chip on deck, this could lead to very decent battery life on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Stay tuned for our full review. 

With the Galaxy S24, we have a déjà vu situation. This one is also equipped with a 4,000mAh battery on board, so we could anticipate that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could last just as long as the flagship phone. 

That's mostly the case indeed! In the PhoneArena web browsing battery benchmark, which is run at 200 nits, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 matches the Galaxy S24 with roughly 16 hours of endurance. In our web browsing test, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 beats the Galaxy S24 slightly.

In terms of charging, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes along with 25W wired charging, as well as 10W wireless charging. The Galaxy S24 supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.  

It would probably be pretty fair to say that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is just a variation of the Galaxy S24 in another form factor. Sounds peculiar when we put it that way, but there's a lot of merit to that. Given that the hardware specifications of the two phones are quite similar, you're only picking the form factor. 

If you've been holding off on upgrading your older Galaxy Z Flip phone, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could be the perfect entryway into the segment. What's more, if you've been holding off on getting a foldable phone, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip lineup is already a very mature and dependable device lineup, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 might be the perfect opportunity to join the fray. Although it has scored a $100 price increase in contrast with last year, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a decent upgrade over the previous generation. 

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 is a standard phone for those who aren't willing to experiment with foldables and would rather get a familiar, but impeccable experience. With the Galaxy S24, which is Android's best alternative to the iPhone 15, you get just that––a reliable and competent handset that just does the job.