Despite releasing new standard smartphones earlier this year, with the flagship S24 Ultra being one of Samsung's most powerful phones to date, the focus has shifted to the more experimental flagships. Unveiled on Wednesday, the new Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 bring us new Samsung handsets for the second half of 2024.
During the Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, the long-awaited Galaxy Ring release date and Samsung's Apple Watch Ultra rival finally debuted. However, the spotlight was on the new Galaxy foldables. While they offer several upgrades over 2023's models, there is significant disappointment online.
One of the main complaints is that the retail price of the Z Fold 6 is $100 more than last year's Z Fold 5, yet it is not as thin as some competitors. Rumors suggest Xiaomi is releasing a new foldable phone this week that is even thinner than the Honor Magic V2. Depending on its price, this could be a major factor against Samsung.
However, the main problem isn't the changes but the lack of any meaningful ones. On the r/Samsung subreddit, the overwhelming consensus is that the Z Fold 6 isn't significantly different from the 2023 version. Many potential upgraders are considering other options from Chinese manufacturers, who are innovating more in the foldable market.
Given the rumors of a foldable iPhone with a superhuman healing factor, which could be one of the biggest developments in folding smartphones, we wonder if Samsung will step up its game once Apple enters the competition.
On the other hand, the Z Flip 6's reveal is receiving more positive reception than its more expensive sibling, but there's still some disappointment. With the recent release of the Motorola Razr+ for 2024, the pressure is on Samsung to maintain its top spot in the market—something that the Galaxy AI features list alone cannot achieve.
Overall, the event was fairly underwhelming in multiple ways. The Galaxy Buds Pro 3 redesign seems strange, and Samsung is moving away from the sleek design of the Galaxy Watch for the Ultra model. We hope this is just a stumble rather than a turning point for the brand.