A Samsung Galaxy zFold 6 Review

As I get older and (relatively) more responsible, I care less and less for the latest bleeding-edge in tech. Sure, new tech can be cool, and I can think it'd be fun to have, but I also think about things like.. "Will this noticably improve whatever task it's designed for?", "Will this last a while?" and, more importantly lately.. "Am I physically capable of operating this device?"

This is why I haven't bought a new guitar in over 6 years, I don't have a car, and I don't own a ridiculously overpowered handgun.

This is also why - when it came time to upgrade my phone - I went with the Samsung Galazy zFold 6.

Just FYI: We're not going to talk about the speed, camera, or software much here. Plenty of folks cover that. We're mostly focusing on how this thing stacks up when it comes to physical accessibility.

I picked this thing up in December 2023 after a lot of research. Foldables have a history of breaking quite easily; they've got a lot more mechanical points of failure and design tolerances are MUCH slimmer than your run-of-the-mill smartphone.

The zFold 6, however, seemed to have fairly high marks for build quality and reliability.

That doesn't mean I didn't get the insurance, because.. Well, with my grip issues, it's pretty much guaranteed I'm going to drop this thing (also, in case you're wondering, my case is this slim beauty).

Grip is one big reason I went with this phone, in fact. I have a hard time gripping a lot of modern smartphones lately; either they are too wide, or don't provide enough surface area on the sides for me to securely hold onto them. A thick chonk of a phone that's also a little slimmer than most modern devices is exactly what I needed.. And, I have a nice magsafe grip on the back to help ensure I don't drop this expensive-ass phone (again, check out the case linked above).

I have dropped it a few times, but it's always been on softer surfaces, at least.

Anyway, let's unfold this review and get into the main feature, which is.. Well, folding.

This device is also going to eventually replace my Kindle; I spend a lot of time waiting at appointments.. Doctors offices, labs, imaging, and my monthly haircut. That means I'll be watching stuff and reading on it, and having that extra screen real-estate is a major boon.

It just plain fuckin' works for me, friends. One of my favorite uses here is actually to pop this on a magsafe stand next to my monitor and pull up podcasts (or recently, thanks to Hulu having the first seasons FINALLY, the original Law & Order) while I do stuff on the computer (including while I'm playing Star Citizen).

The audio is impressive for a phone. It's not going to blow away your regular sound system, but it's damned good for a mobile device.

It's not all sunshine and roses, however.. I will note that not all apps fully support the unfolded display: Bluesky and the Adult Swim apps - as of writing this - don't fully support the opened view when rotated, which is annoying.

Being able to multitask side-by-side is great, though, and e-mail is a much nicer experience when the screen is open.

An additional complaint I have is the camera.

As you should know by now, I'm a relatively accomplished photographer. I still shoot with an aging mirrorless, loathe to spend the money to upgrade to anything better. I actually made liberal use of my previous phone (a Google Pixel 5) quite a bit for quick photography and videography, and it handled things fairly well.

The Galaxy zFold 6, however, is definitely a step-down in the camera department.

They had to cut corners somewhere, and that's the main area where it happened, unfortunately.

Anyway, speaking of accessibility, I'm about at the end of what I can write with the nerves in my hands not knowing whether to feel anything, or just feel horrible awful pain, so let's TL:DR; this bitch up.

The zFold 6 wins in accessibility for me just because of it's sheer form factor. Paired with the right case and accessories, this is sure to be a device I'll enjoy for a long time.