Summary
- The rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim is only slightly thinner, offering a 5% reduction in size compared to the base model.
- Limited production is expected, with a release date in October alongside the Galaxy Tab S10+.
- Samsung’s foldable line is lacking the innovation that made it notable to begin with.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 was announced at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris this summer, and it opened with a big impression. It’s a new-looking phone with a 6.3-inch panel and a slightly wider aspect ratio on the outside, in addition to a slightly squarer 7.6-inch display on the inside when opened up. With the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and major AI capabilities, there’s no question this is a refined experience over previous Samsung foldables. However, with it being $100 more expensive than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and housing few wholesale changes, the Z Fold line is becoming stale in a world of solid foldable competition now. Samsung is reportedly counteracting that stale feeling with a new slim Galaxy Z Fold 6 in development, but it might end up disappointing customers.
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Korean site The Elec reported that the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim model will indeed be thinner, but only by miniscule amounts (via 9to5Google). The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 12.1mm thick, which does indeed make it much thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s 13.4mm thickness, but if the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim does get produced, it will apparently measure 11.5mm thick. This size reduction will mainly be achieved by removing the digitizer used primarily for the S Pen’s compatibility with the phone.
What’s the point?
Going from 12.1mm to 11.5mm in thickness would mean the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim would offer a 5% reduction in size compared to the base Galaxy Z Fold 6. It’s expected to launch later this year in select markets, including China and South Korea. Only 400,000 to 500,000 units are expected to be put into production with a supposed release date in October alongside the Galaxy Tab S10+. Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim’s display area might be larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and if that is the case, it would give credence to the idea that Samsung could be using this as a testing bed for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 when it releases in the future.
We give Samsung a lot of credit for being the main pursuer of foldable smartphones for the mainstream, but there are a lot of things that are simply not up to snuff with the foldable and flippable market nowadays. There’s no reason the Galaxy Z Fold 6 should be stuck with 25W wired charging or pitiful cameras in 2024. Alongside that, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a good phone, but it suffers from the same holdups as the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Where is the innovation?
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