Amateur Photographer verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a lot of fun, and is good value for a foldable. There’s been some improvements to the camera, but for the price, there’s better options out there for photographers.- 50MP main sensor
- Cute, small design
- Can use main camera for selfies
- Expensive
- Much better camera systems out there
- Fold in screen is fairly prominent
The Z Flip 6 follows on from the Z Flip 5, and in many respects is more of a gentle upgrade than a revolutionary one. As before, you’ll pay a premium for this kind of phone, compared to normal bar-type phones, with the minimum pricing for this phone being $1099/£1049.

However, the good news for photographers is that there’s been an improvement when it comes to the camera units, with the main sensor seeing a much needed boost. It’s now 50MP, compared to the previous generation’s 12MP option – so it’s possible, on paper at least, that it now represents a much more competitive option.
After all, at that price, costwise it sits along some premium flagships with very powerful cameras, such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Samsung Galaxy S25, and the Google Pixel 9 Pro. It’s worth noting however that is significantly cheaper than Samsung’s other current folding phone, the Z Fold 6, which currently retails for $800/£750 more.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: at a glance
- 50MP wide camera, f/1.8 aperture, PDAF
- 12MP ultrawide camera, f/2.2 aperture, AF
- 10MP selfie camera, f/2.2 fixed focus
- 6.7-inch Full HD+ folding AMOLED screen
- 3.4-inch AMOLED cover screen
- 4K video at 30/60fps
- Android 15
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile
We review smartphones from the perspective of choosing a smartphone for it’s photography and camera performance, so we’ll be starting by looking at what the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 offers in terms of the cameras and what features are included for photography and video.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Features
Unlike flagship models at this price point, the Z Flip 6 includes a relatively modest camera set up, albeit still an improvement from the Z Flip 5.
The main sensor is now a 50MP device, which Samsung claims to offer “flagship” levels of performance. That may be true (we’ll soon see), but it’s only joined by one other lens, an ultrawide 12MP, where most flagships are usually at least three lenses. Although it’s a welcome improvement to the main camera, it’s not exactly screaming “this is a phone for photographers”.

It’s worth remembering however that there is a key selling point here that even flagships don’t have. That is, the ability to use the main camera for selfies, rather than the usually fairly substandard front-facing camera. Being able to shoot with this could be hugely appealing for those who value photographs of themselves above all else (no judgement here!).
As it happens, there is also a front-facing camera, for use when the phone is unfolded. You’re likely to want to use this for video calling and so on, rather than too much for selfies however.
Other features here include video recording at 4K up to 60fps, raw format shooting, storage up to 512GB (for an uplift in price), a 4000mAh battery (a slight improvement on the predecessor) and wireless charging.
Being perhaps intended as more of a fashion accessory than your average smartphone, the Z Flip 6 is available in a variety of fun colours, including Peach, Mint and Blue.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Handling and Design
In terms of outward appearance, very little has changed from the Z Flip 5, though it is 0.1mm thinner when folded – I highly doubt anyone is actually going to notice that kind of difference, of course.

Unlike most other folding phones, the Flip folds vertically (hence the name). When folded, it’s neat and compact, fitting into the palm of my hand. Compared to many giant flagships on the market, it’s much cuter – and you can see why it might appeal to a younger audience.
When you open up the phone, you’re still left with a 6.7” regular sized/shaped phone – though it is a little narrower than most. Samsung says it has improved the appearance of the fold compared with the last one, and while it is a little more subtle, it’s still quite obvious. You can generally look past it for the most part, but it’s hard to know how well this will stand up to multiple unfoldings over the course of a couple of years.
I’d advise that you only buy a folding or flipping phone if you’re not worried about the phone holding its value, especially if you intend to swap or upgrade quite quickly.

When the phone is folded, certain aspects of the device can still be used via the cover screen. There’s a variety of widgets that can display here, including weather and calendar. However, of most interest to us is the ability to use the main cameras for selfies. You can even stand up the phone and pose, either solo or with a group of friends, if you’ve got a stable surface to put it on. As you can also record 4K video, vloggers may also find it useful for this reason.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Native camera app
There’s a good range of shooting modes available via the Z Flip 6’s native camera, which remains the same as the Z Flip 5’s. If the phone is unfolded, you can access it via swiping up from the bottom right hand corner of the screen. You can perform a similar action on the cover screen too.

For most of your shots, it’s likely you’ll use the default “Photo” mode. Here, you can shoot either with the 1x lens or the 0.5x ultrawide. You can also access digital zoom if you tap on the 1x circle, as well as pinching to zoom.
In low light, a Night mode should automatically activate, but it is also selectable manually if necessary. There’s no close-up/macro mode for this phone, which is a shame compared to flagship models.
Other shooting modes include Portrait, and Video. Some more modes are found under a “More” tab, including an Expert Raw and a Pro mode, which is quite interesting for a phone like this – considering the likely intended audience – but it’s good to see nonetheless. In either of these modes, you can shoot in raw format if you want to. You’ll also find modes such as Panorama, Slow Motion, and Food too.

The camera app when using the front screen has a lot less going on. You just have Photo, Portrait and Video here. There are some basic options, such as aspect ratio and so on, but this is designed for taking quick snaps and much else. It’s important to remember to change the aspect ratio of your selfies however, unless you’re happy with the default of 1:1.
After you’ve taken your pictures, you can take advantage of Galaxy AI to edit your shots. With this, you can do a number of things, such as remove unwanted passers-by, replace and remove objects and so on.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Image Quality and Performance
The high price you pay for a phone like the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is for the fact that it’s folding, not because you’re getting a flagship camera performance – so it’s important to bear that in mind during purchase. It’s closer to a mid-range option, and therefore that’s the kind of performance I’d expect to see.

In good light, the Z Flip 6 does some good work, with the main sensor putting in the best performance. It is an improvement on the Z Flip 5, but it’s not a world away so don’t expect a revolution if you are thinking of upgrading.
Colours are bold and vibrant, perhaps a bit overly so – something that seems to be common for Samsung phones, but if it’s an aesthetic you like then you’ll be pleased with it. On the plus side, colours between the two different lenses are very well matched. You can use digital zoom to get closer to the action, and in very good light the 2x and 4x options are fairly reasonable. I would give the 10x setting a miss though, as you’ll see a complete lack of detail and lots of blur if you opt for that.
I wouldn’t really recommend this phone for low light shooting. The 1x lens copes just about OK if you’re only intending to share pictures at a fairly small size, but the ultrawide is best avoided as you typically get a very smudgy result.

You can create some pleasing portraits, with fairly natural looking blurred backgrounds – or you can leave the background unblurred if you want to include more context for your portraits.

For selfies, as you can use the same main cameras, then you do get some very good results – better than the average selfie camera anyway. Again, you have the option to adjust the level of blur to reveal as much background as you’d like. If you’re someone who is keen on selfies, it’s a very compelling option for this reason alone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Value for Money
The RRP of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is $1099/£1049 for 256GB storage. If you want 512GB, the price rises to $1219/£1149.
Although this is a relatively good price for a folding phone, compared to bar phones, it puts it up there with the flagship models. In essence, you have to really want the foldability, rather than other aspects of the phone.
It’s a fun and stylish model, so you may think it’s worth paying that kind of price for it, but it’s hard to describe it as a value proposition. It’s also worth remembering that folding phones don’t always hold their value too well if the folding mechanism becomes worn out over time.
That said, a folding Samsung is more likely to hold its value than perhaps a less well-known brand, simply because of the brand recognition alone.
On the other hand, it’s significantly cheaper than Samsung’s other most recent folding phone, the Z Fold 6, so that’s something to consider too.
Overall, this is an expensive phone and there’s not much getting around it – but if you want it, you may just be prepared to pay for it.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Verdict
Folding phones seem to be proving to be quite the novelty hit, and ones like this are no exception.
The Z Flip 6 is especially cute and fun, so while it is expensive, it’s perhaps worth it for the cachet of having it alone.

Some improvements have been made to the camera, though it’s not a huge revolution – if you’ve already got the previous model, I probably wouldn’t rush to upgrade, but if you’re buying a Flip for the first time, it makes sense to go for this one.
If you mostly take photos in good light, have a penchant for selfies, and want something small and cute it comes recommended. Otherwise, I’d probably save myself the cash and look at other mid-range options to get the same performance.
On the whole, if you want a Flip phone, this is a great option – just don’t expect stellar performance for the outlay.
