Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6: Price, specs, plans

Samsung's vision for the future of smartphones is unfolding a little earlier than usual this year, but the cat's out of the bag when it comes to the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6. If you've dabbled with either branch of the brand's foldable family tree before, you probably know what to expect.

However, if you've been on the fence and are now looking to pick up either device, there's a lot to unpack and consider before you shell out the premium price that either device commands. If you're not sure where to start, we've got you covered. Here's our guide to everything you need to know about the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Australia.

• New processors: Both the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor.
• Design improvements: The Galaxy Z Flip is getting a bigger battery, vapor chamber and an overhauled rear camera. The Galaxy Z Fold is getting a bigger cover display.
• New camera features: Studio Portrait mode.
• Additional AI features: Improved Interpreter, Sketch to Image, new options for Chat Assist
• Improved durability: Both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are IP48 rated, more scratch-resistant on the outside and more resilient on the inside
• Flex Window functionality: The screen on the outside of the Z Flip 6 now has widgets and AI-powered messaging.
• More expensive: Both the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are $150 more expensive than theirs predecessor were at launch.

If you're after the short version, it's that Samsung is putting the biggest spotlight on the fact that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are its first foldable smartphones to ship with generative AI-powered features on them. However, if you look past that then the design and functionality improvements here can't help but feel a little bit small relative to the price tag involved.

Aside from teaching it a few AI-powered tricks, Samsung hasn't tinkered too much with its flagship foldable this time around.

Fundamentally, the device you're getting this year isn't all that different from the one you could have bought last year. That said, it does come with more just the usual spec bump. Improvements in durability and design aren't as flashy as a faster processor, but they're always welcome when it comes to foldable smartphones.

Australian pricing for the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $2749. That's $150 more than the starting price of last year's Galaxy Z Fold 5, which was $200 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. That sum gets you 256GB of storage. Doubling that to 512GB will cost you $2949 while the 1TB model weighs in at $3299.

Here's a sense of how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 sits when it comes to the pricing of the current roster of Google smartphones:

• Samsung Galaxy S24: Starts at $1399
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Starts at $1699
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Starts at $2199
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Starts at $1799
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Starts at $2799

While Samsung has held back from any major design revisions when it comes to the cheaper of its two foldable smartphones, that's not to say there's nothing to talk about.

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 shares a lot of durability improvements that are arriving with the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It's also got many of the same Galaxy AI features, plus an overhauled camera and a bigger battery that promise to make good on what has typically been the Z Flip's biggest weaknesses.

The starting price for the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is $150 higher than what you might been looking at with last year's Galaxy Z Flip 5 at launch. Doubling the on-board storage here means paying an extra $200.

Check out the list below for a sense of how it sits relative to the rest of Samsung's existing roster of premium devices:

• Samsung Galaxy S24: Starts at $1399
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Starts at $1699
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Starts at $2199
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Starts at $1799
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Starts at $2799

Where last year's crop of foldable Samsung smartphones saw the Galaxy Z Flip series garner the most obvious design improvements, this year is the Galaxy Z Fold's turn. The most noticeable change here is the improved cover display. It's a whole inch bigger at 6.3 inches.

What's more, the bezels aren't the only thing that's thinner. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is being billed as Samsung's thinnest, lighest and most durable foldable to date. It's IP48 rated for splash and dust resistance, with a less visible crease, a dual-rail hinge, and Armor Aluminum on the outside.

When it comes to the screens on the inside and outside of the new Galaxy Z Flip 6, what you see is what you get. In other words, the setup here is pretty much a match for the one seen in last year's Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Like that device, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 still offers a smaller 3.4-inch cover display when folded and a larger 6.7-inch one when it's not. Although the cover display is roughly the same in size, it has learned a few new tricks. For example, it now supports AI-powered suggested replies to incoming messages and widgets.

On the inside, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 12GB of RAM. In terms of on-board storage, models vary from 256GB to 1TB.

As for battery size, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is powered by a 4400mAh battery. That's the same size as the one found in last year's Galaxy Z Fold 5, but given the scope of the design changes here, that's not a huge surprise.

On the inside, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 12GB of RAM. In terms of on-board storage, models vary from 256GB to 512 GB.

As for battery size, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is powered by a 4000mAh battery. That's not just larger than one found in last year's Galaxy Z Flip 5, but the largest Samsung has ever put in one of its foldable flip phones.

While this year's Galaxy Z Fold 6 might have learned a few new tricks (such as the AI-powered Portrait Styles and ClearZoom), the underlying hardware is pretty much the same as what you got with last year's Galaxy Z Fold 5. 

The device features a triple-lens setup on the back that boils down to a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lens. There's also a 10MP camera adorning the external display and a 4MP under-display camera built into the 7.6-inch AMOLED screen.

The rear camera hardware has typically been the Achilles heel of previous Galaxy Z Flip devices but Samsung is taking major steps to shore up that part of the package with this year's model. The new Galaxy Z Flip 6 still has one less rear camera module than its Galaxy Z Fold counterpart, but instead of a dual 12MP setup, you've got a 50MP main lens plus a 12MP ultrawide one.

If you're more serious about photography and don't mind ditching a foldable screen if it means better snaps for your social then you're probably going to be better off with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Still, credit should go where it's due. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 promises significant gains when it comes to camera relative to its predecessors.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 will come with the same level of 5G connectivity as last year's Galaxy Z Flip 56 and Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Of course, you'll need to be located in an area with 5G coverage in order to actually make use of this feature. To see where is 5G available in Australia, use the coverage map below.

Click the big orange button, and select your desired network provider from the dropdown (e.g. Telstra, Optus or Vodafone). Then, find out if you have 5G coverage in your area by using the (+) and (-) icons in the top-left corner of the map to navigate to your local area.