[Review] YalZ, GabyeobZ, TtokttokhaZ... 'GaelZpold6' No Problem for Studying and Traveling Together

Sleek Rectangular Design... Improved Weight and Thickness
Asked to Make a Birthday KakaoTalk for Boss, Done in a Flash
Enjoy Soccer Game on Large Screen... Rich Sound

"We created the most refined and highest quality foldable design"

Samsung Electronics foldable phone 'Galaxy Z Fold6' Silver Shadow color / Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

On the 10th (local time) in Paris, France, right after the 'Galaxy Unpacked 2024' event, Samsung Electronics MX Division President (CEO) No Tae-moon spoke about the newly released foldable phone, the 'Galaxy FoldZ6.' He added, "You can enjoy productivity and creative experiences on the foldable large screen." Samsung Electronics' confidence in design and functionality was also evident through hands-on experience. The new artificial intelligence (AI) features and game applications showed particularly outstanding strengths. I used the Silver Shadow color Z Fold6 for three days from the 16th to the 18th.

Weight difference from S24 Ultra ↓... Well-executed angular design

It is definitely thinner and lighter. That was my first thought when I held the Z Fold6. Perhaps compared to when I held the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the perceived weight difference was not significant. The Z Fold6 weighs 239g, reducing 14g from its predecessor. Considering the S24 Ultra weighs 232g, the weight I felt in my hand might be accurate. The Z Fold6 is the lightest among all Fold series to date. Even when folded and holding the large screen phone, it did not feel thick. Although I have small hands, the grip was not bad when holding the half-folded phone with one hand.

When folded and held in one hand, the Galaxy Z Fold6 did not feel very thick. Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

The design is also sophisticated. The first thing that caught my eye was the angular edges. Unlike the Z Fold5, which had curved corners, the Z Fold6’s corners are sharply squared off. When placed upright in both horizontal and vertical positions while half-folded, it stands quite well. The rectangular display inside the angular corners creates a thin bezel effect, making the screen appear larger. The edges have a matte finish, which resists fingerprints well. The speaker has also changed from holes to a slit shape. When the Z Fold6 is unfolded, the crease in the middle of the large screen is barely noticeable unless the screen is off.

"Send a birthday KakaoTalk message"... Using Galaxy AI on SNS and email

The Z Fold6 showed upgraded AI features compared to the S24 series. You can use the functions by tapping the light-shaped Galaxy AI logo even in third-party apps like KakaoTalk and Instagram, not just Samsung apps.

I tried using the Galaxy AI 'Writing' feature on KakaoTalk. When I commanded it to create a birthday greeting message for my boss in the 'Standard' and 'Polite' modes, it quickly generated the sentences. When I pressed the apply button, the content was immediately inserted into the KakaoTalk message input field. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

One particularly useful feature is the ‘writing’ function. It is very helpful for professional life. In KakaoTalk, I set the mode to ‘standard’ and ‘polite’ and gave a specific instruction to ‘send a birthday congratulatory message to my boss,’ and it quickly generated an appropriate message. In Gmail, I simply commanded it to create a message to schedule an AI-related interview in ‘email’ and ‘professional’ mode, and it even added an explanation that ‘the interview will take about an hour.’ Using the ‘social media’ and ‘casual’ modes on Instagram, the response included emojis and hashtags fitting the nature of social networking services (SNS).

However, when using this feature, it is best to give specific commands and always double-check the generated sentences. When I used the ‘comment’ mode to watch Instagram Reels and said, ‘Write that it was fun,’ it generated a sentence like ‘When is the next episode coming out?’ Even after repeating, similar sentences appeared. When I rephrased the command to ‘Write a comment saying I enjoyed the Instagram Reel,’ a suitable comment was produced. Besides this, other AI text-related features include spell check, translation, and sentence style (which changes the written text into the desired tone).

In the gallery, when drawing a crown on the elephant doll photo and using the AI feature, a three-dimensional white crown appeared. However, there was a slight distortion in the texture of the back wall in the photo. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

Galaxy AI within the gallery also gained many fun features. I was able to use a function that converts sketches drawn over photos into completed images using generative AI. I drew a crown shape over an elephant, and it transformed into a three-dimensional crown. However, it was a bit disappointing that the crown’s background texture changed from the original rough wallpaper texture to a smooth one. This feature can also be used in the Samsung Notes app with drawings alone, without photos. The 3D profile photo feature for portrait photos was another interesting element. There is also an AI feature that creates lock screens. When I inserted a photo I wanted, effects matching the day’s weather appeared automatically.

I tried using the 3D profile photo feature for the reporter's profile picture. On the original photo, I applied the styles '3D Character', 'Watercolor', and 'Comic' (from left to right). Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

Fluent English lecture translation and math problem solving... More convenient for overseas travel

After converting the recorded English lecture into text, pressing 'Are' also allowed me to see any notes made at that moment. Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

The AI features in the ‘Samsung Notes’ app have also improved. Taking notes while listening to lectures seemed very useful for review. It especially shines with English lectures. I played a ‘TED’ English talk on YouTube and turned on the recording function in the Notes app to take notes. I tried taking notes in both text and handwriting following the speech. Later, I used the Galaxy AI feature to convert the recorded file into text, which could then be translated and summarized. When I tapped a word in the converted text, I could see what note I had written at that moment. For example, notes written at that time appeared bright, and those written later appeared dim. Through Circle to Search, I could also see answers and solutions to math formulas.

I took a photo of the back of a French pastry and used the 'Circle to Search' feature, which overlaid Korean-translated text on top of the French words. Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

AI features for overseas travel have become even more convenient. In ‘Flex Mode,’ where the foldable phone is slightly folded, the other person can see the cover screen while I look at the large screen, allowing communication in each other’s language. Moreover, I took a photo of the detailed information on the back of a French snack on the large screen and used the translation function in Circle to Search. The French text in the photo was immediately overlaid with Korean translation. This seems useful for reading signs or menus during overseas travel.

Next-level gaming immersion... Speaker placement is a bit disappointing

(Left) A soccer mobile game played on a phone folded halfway in a bar shape compared to the mobile game played on a phone unfolded to a large screen / Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

I tried running Gala Sports’ ‘Total Football’ soccer game on the Z Fold6. I played the game both in the folded bar form and the large screen form, and the immersion on the large screen was overwhelming. First, I could see the field widely, making it easy to locate our team and connect passes. The sound was clear, and with speakers on both sides, the audio was rich. Not only the soccer commentary but also the cheering sounds quietly reached my ears.

There are some minor inconveniences. When you hold the phone directly and start the game, you have to rotate the phone 90 degrees to the right to see the proper screen. Naturally, your hand moves to the bottom of the phone, which inevitably blocks the speaker. Even if you don’t press the auto-rotate button, holding the phone rotated 180 degrees places the speaker at the top, but it is somewhat cumbersome. The same applies when watching YouTube videos.