Rumors say Samsung wants to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 even sooner than expected this year. An Unpacked press event might take place in early July, so the new foldables can hit stores in time for the Summer Olympic Games, where Samsung is a big sponsor.
The increasing number of rumors detailing the upcoming foldables indicates that an early launch might indeed be on the table. Usually, everything leaks about an upcoming Samsung flagship, whether it’s a traditional Galaxy S refresh or a new Galaxy foldable.
The latest Galaxy Z Flip 6 report is further evidence of that. A leaker posted the purported specs of the upcoming Z Flip model, teasing a bigger upgrade than we’d expect from Samsung.
For years, Samsung offered fans minimal upgrades to its foldable handsets. Meanwhile, Chinese smartphone vendors developed thinner foldables that rocked large outer displays. This put pressure on Samsung to deliver bigger design changes last year.
The Fold 5 was the first foldable of its kind that didn’t have a gap when folded. The Flip 5 has a more generous outer display than ever, matching rival handsets from Oppo and Motorola.
I wouldn’t have expected a big upgrade for this year’s Flip 6, besides the typical annual specs bump and built-in support for Galaxy AI, the suite of generative AI features that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S24 series. But according to a leaker who goes by the name Anthony on X, we’re in for a few surprises.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 will apparently feature improved hinge and internal designs. The external display will increase to 3.9 inches from the current 3.4-inch size. Moreover, the external screen should get a Gorilla Glass Armor cover.
Samsung and Corning introduced Gorilla Glass Armor in January. It can be found on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and it’s supposed to offer improved durability for both drops and scratches. Gorilla Glass Armor also reduces reflectance compared to alternatives. However, Gorilla Glass Armor can’t protect the foldable screen, since it doesn’t bend.
The leaker also mentioned a battery capacity increase for the Flip 6. We’re looking at a 4,000 mAh battery compared to 3,700 mAh for the Flip 5. Add the claim the new foldable will have a bigger cooling system, and the leak implies the Flip 6 will be slightly thicker than its predecessor. That’s something other Galaxy Z Flip 6 leaks have mentioned.
Another upgrade concerns the rear cameras. We might be looking at 50-megapixel and 12-megapixel lenses instead of dual 12-megapixel cameras, as is the case for the Flip 5.
There’s also the mention of models with 12GB of RAM, which could be another upgrade Android flagships need. This is not so much for regular tasks, but it is necessary to handle on-device AI features. We learned recently that the Pixel 8 can’t support the on-device AI features that the Pixel 8 Pro does. The difference between the two devices concerns RAM: 8GB vs. 12GB.
Still, the base Galaxy S24 model can process on-device Galaxy AI features with just 8GB of RAM. The Galaxy S24 rocks the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip, the same chipset that will also power the upcoming foldables.
Finally, the leak mentions Galaxy AI support and 7 years of Android upgrades, features that are easy to guess for a 2024 Samsung flagship. Samsung wants to add generative AI features to all of its flagships. As for the 7-year guarantee, it’s better for marketing than for users since phones generally don’t last that long.
As I explained in the past, it’s very unlikely that phones like the Galaxy S24 will survive that long. But any software update guarantee is still a win for the consumer.
Will these Galaxy Z Flip 6 upgrades bring any price hikes? The leak doesn’t say. But prices for new foldables routinely leak ahead of the official launch. We just have to wait.
I will remind you that Samsung will likely offer big incentives to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Fold 6 this summer, like preorder reservations, free storage upgrades, and increased valuation for trade-ins.
