Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Upgrades You Need to Know

Samsung has released its latest and the most advanced foldable yet—the Galaxy Z Fold6. However, it’s not as advanced as you might think, especially when you compare it side-by-side against the Galaxy Z Fold5. So, let’s do exactly that and try to spot the difference between the latest Galaxy Z Fold6 and last year’s Galaxy Z Fold5. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Design and Build

Let’s start with the design and build. The Galaxy Z Fold6, when unfolded, has dimensions of 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm. This is 1.4 mm shorter, 2.7 mm wider, and 0.5 mm thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold5, which is 154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1 mm.

When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold6 measures 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1 mm, which is 1.4 mm shorter, 1 mm wider, and 1.3 mm thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold5 at 154.9 x 67.1 x 13.4 mm. 

Evidently, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is shorter and wider than before. This should make it more comfortable and less awkward to use, especially the cover screen. Speaking of which, the cover on the Z Fold6 is 0.1 inches larger (diagonally) when compared to the Z Fold5. 

The Galaxy Z Fold6 is IP48 water-resistant. The “4” in the IP48 does not exactly mean dust resistance but rather resistance to objects that are >=1 mm in size. Still, it’s better than the IPX8 ingress protection on the Z Fold5.

Samsung says that they’ve used an enhanced Armor Aluminum for the body of the Galaxy Z Fold6 alongside the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front (cover screen) and the back. The Fold5 also uses Armor Aluminum and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. No differences here.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Display(s)

Both the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Fold5 have nearly identical displays. The Galaxy Z Fold5 has a 7.6” Dynamic AMOLED 2X LTPO screen with a resolution of 1812 x 2176 (373 ppi) and a peak brightness of 1,750 Nits. 

On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold6 has the same setup with an 1856 x 2160 resolution (374 ppi) and a peak brightness of 2,600 Nits.

The cover screen on the Galaxy Z Fold6 is now LTPO instead of standard LTPS, meaning it can dynamically switch between 1–120 Hz to save power. It’s a 6.3” AMOLED 2X screen with a resolution of 968 x 2376 and a peak brightness of 1,600 Nits. The Z Fold5 had a 6.2” AMOLED 2X screen with a resolution of 904 x 2316.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Hardware 

The Galaxy Z Fold6 is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset. It has 1x Cortex-X4 core clocked at 3.39 GHz, 3x Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 3.1GHz, 2x Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 2.9 GHz, and 2x Cortex-A520 clocked at 2.2 GHz. 

The Galaxy Z Fold5 was powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, which is definitely inferior to the 8 Gen 3.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 now supports Ray Tracing, thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset. It also features a vapor chamber 1.6 times larger for better cooling. This gives it an edge over the Galaxy Z Fold5. 

However, the RAM and storage options remain unchanged. Both the Galaxy Z Fold5 and the Z Fold6 offer up to 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Cameras

The Galaxy Z Fold6 and the Z Fold5 share the exact same camera setup. You get a 50 MP main lens with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS, a 12 MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and a 10 MP 3x f/1.8 telephoto lens on the rear. 

There’s also a 10 MP f/2.2 lens on the cover screen and a 4 MP under-display camera on the inner screen with an f/1.8 aperture. This is the exact same setup as the Z Fold5, so there are no upgrades in the camera department.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Battery and Charging 

Also, where you will find little to no upgrades is in the battery and charging department. The Galaxy Z Fold6 and the Z Fold5 both share the same 4,400 mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging. 

Both devices support wireless charging up to 15W and reverse wireless charging up to 5W. The Galaxy Z Fold6 supports QC 2.0, which is the only upgrade, and it’s a minor one. Nothing major here. Additionally, neither device comes with a charger in the box.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Software 

The software department has had quite a bit of an upgrade. The Galaxy Z Fold5 shipped with One UI 5.1.1 based on Android 13 out of the box and is currently running Android 14 with One UI 6.1. 

The Galaxy Z Fold6, on the other hand, comes with One UI 6.1.1 based on Android 14. Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold6 brings a ton of new Galaxy AI features. However, these features will soon be available on the Galaxy Z Fold5 as well.

Where the Galaxy Z Fold6 truly shines is in software updates. It will receive 7 years of major OS updates and 7 years of security updates, a significant upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold5, which offers 4 years of OS upgrades and 5 years of security updates. 

This means the Galaxy Z Fold5 will go up to Android 17, while the Galaxy Z Fold6 will go all the way up to Android 21.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 vs. Z Fold5: Price 

The Galaxy Z Fold6 got a noticeable upgrade in the price this year. The base 256 GB model will cost you ₹1,64,999 (up from ₹1,54,999). The 512 GB and 1 TB models will cost you ₹1,76,999 and ₹2,00,999, respectively.

Summing up

You can follow Smartprix on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google News. Visit smartprix.com for the latest tech and auto news, reviews, and guides.