Updated June 25
• Samsung plans to hold its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 10.
• Leaked specs point to a lack of hardware upgrades for the the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
• A leaker expects the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to go up by $100 over the current model.
• New Galaxy AI feature could turn sketches into 3D enhanced images.
The countdown is on for the announcement of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung's next full-size foldable — especially now that we know when Samsung's next product event will be. We're excited to see if Samsung is able to climb back to the top of the best foldable phones list, now that its rivals are producing awesome folding phones of their own.
The new Galaxy Z Fold 6 is tipped to feature a wider yet thinner design, as well as a new "Ironflex" display panel that should be more durable. You can also expect the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which should bring better performance and longer battery life, and all the same Galaxy AI features on the Galaxy S24 series, plus hopefully some new ones.
Here's all the Galaxy Z Fold 6 rumors so far.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 cheat sheet: Biggest rumors
- Rumored announcement date: July 10, 2024
- Rumored price: $1,699 to $1,899
- Rumored colors: Navy, Pink, Silver Shadow
- Rumored chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- Rumored thinness: 5.6mm unfolded, 12.1mm folded
- Outer display: 6.2 - 6.4 inches
- Main display: 7.6 inches
- Rear cameras: 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto
- Front cameras: 10MP outer, 4MP innter
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Release date
It's all but certain we'll get our first official look at the Galaxy Z Fold 6 on July 10. That's the official date for the next Galaxy Unpacked event. If that seems early, it is — last year, the summer Galaxy Unpacked event took place on July 25.
Samsung has said to expect the next Galaxy Z phones at Unpacked, though it hasn't mentioned the Galaxy Z Fold 6 by name. Whatever gets announced at the show, you can already line up some savings on the price by registering to pre-order that new gear. All you have to do is provide your name and email address for a $50 gift credit toward your eventual purchase. Once you place your pre-order, you're eligible for additional savings.
Samsung's offer runs right up until Galaxy Unpacked gets underway on July 10.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Price
While the Galaxy Z Fold series has come down in price a little since the original $1,980 model, we wouldn't expect anything too dramatic this year.
The technology is still expensive, even with cheaper production methods, and rival tablet-style foldables like Google’s Pixel Fold don’t seem to be in a rush to drive MSRPs down either. Something in the $1,699 to $1,799 range seems likely. However, the leaker OnLeaks, is predicting a $100 price hike for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 over its predecessor. That would place the starting price at $1,899, while the 512GB and 1TB version would cost $2,019 and $2,259, respectively.
It would seem odd for Samsung to raise prices just as more foldable phones had arrived to compete with the Galaxy Z Fold. There had been earlier talk of Samsung releasing a cheaper version in the works in the same vein as the company's "fan edition" smartphones like the Galaxy S23 FE. A theoretical Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE with cut-back specs and no S Pen support might cut the price further.
However, talk of a Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE may have been premature. A report claims Samsung is backing off plans to release the cheaper foldable this year amid concerns that it won't be thin enough or differentiated enough from the standard Z Fold 6. Instead, the cheaper model — possibly called the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim — could debut next year alongside the Galaxy S25.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Design
Last April, before the Z Fold 5 was even official, the leaker Revegnus claimed that there would be a “major form factor change starting with the Fold 6.”
Now, renders created by XLeaks7 for Pigtou reveal what that might mean in practice. Essentially, the Z Fold 6 looks set to get a far thinner design than its predecessor, while embracing a wider aspect ratio on its cover screen (backed up by later leaks, including alleged photos).
While Samsung is clearly working on patents to have a dockable S Pen, like that found on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, renders of the phone don’t show it, so that may have to wait for a future generation.
However, one thing the Galaxy Z Fold 6 may also have titanium sides and angular corners in common with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. This would make the new Z Fold look more premium, as well as increase durability thanks to swapping out the aluminum used in previous Z Folds. But it could mean the Galaxy Z Fold 6 costs more as a result.
Overall though, the design looks mostly similar to previous Galaxy Z Fold models. Unlike the rumored triple-folding phone that Samsung may also release this year.
A recent leak has given us several high-definition renders, as well as a 360-degree video, of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It appears that it will be smaller than the prior Galaxy Z Fold 5, but will have a wider screen overall. There's also a leaked promotional image with it alongside the Z Flip 6, showing it off in their half folded positions. Otherwise, it appears that the next generation of the Galaxy Z Fold will look very similar to Samsung's other products.
For colors, we could see light pink, dark blue and silver as the three main options for the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Reliable leaker Evan Blass has confirmed those three color options, while also claiming that white and black will be available as options if you buy the Galaxy Z Fold 6 from Samsung.
A recent post from IceUniverse has revealed the apparent weight and size of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The phone should have an unfolded thickness of 5.6mm and a folded thickness of 12.1mm. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 was 6.1mm and 13.4mm in its unfolded and folded state, which means we are getting a slimmer phone this year.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Display
That said, we might have a more robust foldable. Samsung appears to have trademarked the term “Ironflex,” which refers to a “foldable OLED display panel.” What this means in practice remains to be seen, and it’s possibly just a branding exercise, but making foldables less vulnerable to the bumps and dings of everyday life would certainly be welcome.
It's tipped that the Z Fold 6 is in store for a major redesign, one that could change how it's held by adopting a squarish aspect ratio similar to the OnePlus Open with its inner screen. As a result, the narrow cover screen of past Z Folds will be stretched out a bit more.
If that wasn’t all, another leak suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will be getting a bit of a design refresh. According to Ice Universe on Twitter/X, the phone will offer a wider design and more pointed edges — closer to a true 90-degree angle. The outer display may also be increasing from 6.2 inches on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to 6.4 inches, and getting wider as it does so.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Cameras
Leaked specs suggest no big hardware changes for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 over its predecessor, and that's especially true of the camers. All signs point to no significant changes — at least in the hardware. Back in October, Revegnus posted on X that Samsung will continue to use the GN3 sensor for the Fold 6 with a switch coming in the 2025 handset.
Meanwhile, Ice Universe added that the camera “is the same as Fold4 and Fold5, that’s for sure.”
One leaker doesn't buy into that, claiming that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 cameras will be better than the Galaxy S24's camera setup — presumably that's referring to the standard Galaxy S24 that features the same camera specs as the Galaxy Z Fold 5. (That's a 50MP main camera with 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lenses.) Given the lack of details in that tweet, we think it sounds like a case of wishful thinking.
A more promising rumor touts a potential new camera housing for the exterior lenses on the Galaxy Z Fold 6. In this rumor from Ice Universe, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 would drop a separate camera array and go with lenses that protrude from the back of the phone, much like they do on Galaxy S24 phones.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Performance
A new generation of foldables means a new generation of processors. And it would be astonishing if that didn’t mean the Z Fold 6 adopting the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy as used on the S24 range. One source has claimed this will be the case, though as with the S24, there was some speculation Samsung might turn to Exynos 2400 chips in some regions. However, a report from the Elec says that Samsung's new foldables will feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 exclusively.
The Z Fold 5 currently has 12GB RAM and ships with either 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of internal storage. Given the S24 Ultra didn’t advance on either of these, it’s unlikely that the Z Fold 6 will either.
But with the Samsung Galaxy S24 embracing AI and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 set to pack the same processor, it would be very surprising if the foldable didn't have the same tricks up its sleeve. That means the ability to translate phone calls on the fly, summarize documents and edit pictures with ease, amongst other things.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Galaxy AI
Given all the focus on artificial intelligence, it should come as no shock to expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to focus on it as well. We've already seen how Galaxy AI features impact the experience on the Galaxy S24, but we could end up seeing new ones with the Z Fold 6.
So far, it appears as though generative AI will help transform hand drawn sketches in the Samsung Notes app and convert them to 3D enhanced images. This has been the only rumor we've heard so far that could be coming to the foldable phone. However, we suspect more will become known because Samsung suggests in a blog posting that the AI included in the latest Fold and Flip models will take advantage of those phones' unique designs.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Ultra model
Samsung could also be working on one other foldable, a more premium version that's reportedly a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra. Tipster Max Jambor posted on X three model designations relating to the Z series: "Q6" referring to the Z Fold 6, "B6" as the Z Flip 6, and a "Q6a" model.
The latter could be an Ultra model of the foldable, which would be an interesting addition give how Samsung could borrow some of the Galaxy S24 Ultra's unique features — like a titanium frame, S Pen, and perhaps a larger 200MP camera. Details about this Ultra model are still scarce, but we imagine that pricing concerns would be a major factor as to whether or not it comes to fruition.
A separate Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra leak points to a specific model number for this new model, but it could be a limited release, with the phone only coming out in Korea.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Outlook
We're approaching the final months before the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 launch, espeically if the earlier-than-usual release date rumor is to be believed. What we've heard up until now suggests a phone with a set of solid, if iterative, updates.
Whether that's enough to get people to buy one over the soon-to-be reduced previous generation is another matter. A lot depends on how significant the AI tricks turn out to be in everyday use, and whether Samsung has some big upgrade that we’re yet to hear about. A lot can change between now and July, after all.
