Samsung‘s latest foldable phones officially went on sale only a few days ago, and while I was thoroughly impressed by everything I’ve seen about the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 in the lead up to their launch, if I’m honest, foldable phones have alway seemed like a bit of a gimmick to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the appeal of a big screen, and the additional capabilities that enables versus a regular-sized phone. And I’ll never get tired of watching a smartphone unfold.
But I’m an enthusiastic flag bearer in the Phones Are Too Big army, so a phone that folds out to be 7.6-inches seemed like it would be my worst nightmare. I mean, I loved my iPhone 12 mini and I’ve been calling for that smaller form factor to be brought back. Sure, it’s nice to have a bigger display on hand, but if size is really that important, surely pulling a tablet out of your bag isn’t that much more hassle, is it?
Tablets typically come with screens that are at least 10-inches too, and isn’t bigger better? They’re cheaper too – you could pair almost any one of our regular-sized best phones recommendations with one of the best tablets for less than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s entry price of $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749.
Of course, all of these were the thoughts of a man before he got his hands on a Galaxy Z Fold 6. Now that I’ve had my hands on it, I’m not sure I can go back to a boring, stiff, regular-sized smartphone.
Phone-use has never been more productive
Before we get into the (more) fun stuff, I want to talk about how the Fold 6 upgraded my daily productivity. Not just in regards to work, but just generally throughout the day. I said before that I didn’t see the benefit of a foldable phone over just a phone and tablet combo. That opinion was blown away almost instantly.
It was the phones multitasking ability that really took things to the next level and had me working like Bradley Cooper in Limitless, but it turns out the ability to have a huge screen in the blink of an eye can make a big difference on its own.
It turns out, not having to pull the tablet or laptop out of your bag for a larger screen is worth the price of admission. From watching YouTube or scrolling through socials on the Fold 6’s cover screen, to unfolding it fully to read books in the Kindle app or catch up on the news in the gloriously roomy web browser, that extra space is a luxury I’m going to struggle to go without.
When you add work-related matters into the fold (pun intended), there’s an even bigger impact on productivity. Reading is a breeze on the Fold 6, whether it’s emails, Slack messages or a book, you won’t find a better experience without the e-ink of one of our best ereaders, but it’s also a breeze to type on. Whether holding it in two hands or typing away with it on a desk, I had no issue whipping up a thousand words with it. Providing the ease of use of a phone and the functionality of a tiny laptop, it makes working on the go a piece of cake.
It’s the multi-tasking ability of the Fold 6 that makes it a productivity machine, though. With up to four apps displayed on screen at one time, you can be in a meeting, type up notes, continue watching YouTube and have Slack open all at the same time. Or, if you’re feeling naughty, four different forms of entertainment.
That’s just the beginning of how the Fold 6 improved my work flow.
I’m against AI, but when it helps me like this…
I’m generally anti-AI. It’s scary, confusing and will probably take my job one day. But I have to admit, when it works like it does in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, it’s hard to be too mad.
The AI functionality is funny, because it improves productivity by letting you do less work, rather than helping you do work easier. Samsung Internet’s AI summaries, rather than sucking up hours of my day gathering information and reading articles to find a few noteworthy points, I could acquire the required knowledge in seconds, and get on with the important work.
When I was just looking for quick info, or a round-up of major ideas and key points, the time saved by the AI-powered summary is unbelievable. Summarizing thousands of words into a few key dot points is a real life-saver if you’re just looking for some general info, are going through various articles on the same subject, or just want to catch up on the latest news.
It doesn’t stop there though. With my screen split in two, I typed up notes while researching… and was left with my usual muddled mess that I have to spend an annoying amount of time formatting and making neat. Galaxy AI took care of that cleanup for me, automatically formatting my notes, as well as correcting any spelling mistakes. It can translate your notes in seconds too.
Fun and games
Those are the features that can upgrade your work, but I found there was plenty of fun to be had with the Z Fold 6 too. We’ll get into the embarrassing amount of time I spent adding AI cats into photos, but the first thing I did with the Z Fold 6 was download some of my favorite games and play them on the big screen, and I have no regrets.
A big vibrant display is the best place for games like Marvel Snap or Hearthstone, and being able to unfold my phone, play a game in the best format possible and then just close it up and return to using the Fold 6 like a regular phone was a wonderful feeling.
OK, now back to those dang AI cats. While I’m sure Samsung’s Galaxy AI photo generation and editing tools will be incredibly helpful for some jobs, using them was a case of pure enjoyment for me, and it didn’t get old. Whether I was adding things into photos or turning my terrible sketches into the stuff of nightmares, I was thoroughly impressed by how good it was at picking up what I was attempting to draw. (Well, except for that one time it thought my cat was a miniature rhino.)
One disappointing thing that I should mention is that videos like YouTube or Aussie streaming platform Kayo Sports don’t go full-screen like I had hoped. The result is that while the Fold 6’s main display does make videos slightly larger than viewing them on the cover display, it’s not a huge difference – though it is more comfortable to hold when unfolded. You can optionally zoom in, but the sides of most videos will get cut off, which is decidedly sub-optimal.
Final thoughts
Before my time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, I never dreamed of using my phone to scroll through Reddit while watching baseball highlights, but I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed being able to do so. I found myself unfolding the Fold 6 basically any time I was sitting down and using it, or standing stationary on the bus and reading.
As for the cover display and its narrower and taller form factor, I had no major issues. And while the Fold 6 is undoubtedly a thick device – basically one-and-a-half phones stacked on top of each other – and I didn’t love sliding it in and out of my pocket, it is both relatively sleek and comfortable to hold for its size.
Now, while I personally won’t be shelling out the wad of cash to pick up a Galaxy Z Fold 6 (my membership in the Phones Are Too Big army is far too precious), I’m no longer under any cloud as to why it could be a worthwhile purchase for someone else. And as for the old tablet + phone versus a foldable debate, I’ll happily admit that I’m now in the foldable camp.
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