I’ve Used The World’s Best Foldables, But Galaxy Z Fold 6 Remains An Inexplicable Favorite

Foldables have improved drastically since their full debut in 2019, but Samsung has been stagnating on progress for quite a while now. That’s why I can’t explain why I still enjoy the Galaxy Z Fold 6 so much, especially after having spent a lot of time with some of the best foldables the market has to offer.

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Samsung may have kicked off the foldable market we know today, but the company has not been the technical leader for quite some time. The past few generations of Samsung’s foldables have consistently been eclipsed in their technical prowess by competitors. The Galaxy Z Flip series has advanced to include a bigger outer display, but Motorola’s Razr has been beating Samsung at that game for over five years now, and the Motorola Razr+ (2024) very much outshines the Flip 6 across the board. It’s still the king of flip phones as it stands today.

The book-style foldable market is a bit more competitive, though.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series peaked early, with the Fold 2 offering essentially the same form factor as we have today. The hardware has gotten a bit thinner, the displays a bit wider, and the cameras a bit better, but Samsung’s progress has been excruciatingly slow.

In 2023, the OnePlus Open was an incredible example of what a book-style foldable could be with its rock-solid hardware, good ideas in its software, great cameras, and slightly more affordable price. While OxygenOS was worse at the time, I called the OnePlus Open “the best foldable,” the one that “really ruined me for other foldable devices.” The same year’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 was good, but not nearly to the same extent.

Meanwhile, 2024’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Honor Magic V3 just showed how far Samsung was behind the curve. Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, both devices were thinner with bigger displays and better cameras too. Honor issued an apology to Samsung fans regarding how far behind the Galaxy device was, an while I only used the device briefly, I walked away impressed. In our review, Andrew Romero said that the Magic V3 “breaks the rules and presents the idea of a book-style foldable in a way that would make more people want to make the switch” after Samsung had admitted that the bulk of its foldable customers were just repeat buyers enticed by subsidized trade-ins. In my Pixel 9 Pro Fold review, I said that Google’s foldable was “as close as we’ve come” to a foldable that just feels like a normal phone.

In my review of the Oppo Find N5 earlier this year, I lamented the fact that Oppo has wasted what is without a doubt the best foldable hardware I’ve ever laid my hands on with a device that’s being sold in barely any places around the globe.

So why, then, does the Galaxy Z Fold 6 – a device I repeatedly said was worse than the competition – still hold a candle to these devices?

Following the arrival of the One UI 7 beta on the Fold 6, I’ve been using my unit (which I bought personally last year) alongside my usual Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which I’ve been using daily since its launch. And every time I pick it up I just can’t help but remember that, for some reason, I actually really like that device.

Something about Samsung’s fit and finish on the Fold 6 is just a delight to use, but it’s hard to explain why.

The best I’ve come up with about why I still like using the Fold 6 is Samsung’s fit and finish, and the formula that, despite being objectively worse than the competition, is that Samsung’s hardware is more inviting to what a foldable is supposed to be. The thicker hardware makes it physically easier to open the device and hold it. The aspect ratio of the outer display invites you to spend time on the inner one rather than just using the outer display the majority of the time as I often find myself doing on the Pixel and Oppo devices. Sometimes I’ll go a whole day without opening those devices, where I instinctively find myself opening the Fold 6 right away.

With foldables being these pricey devices, I do find it a little ironic that we’ve come to decide that the form factor should mimic a traditional slab. I agree it’s ultimately the right call, but I also stand by what I’ve been saying for years – Samsung was on to something with the narrow design of the Fold series, and it shouldn’t have been mocked as it was for years.

With all of that said, though, I really do wonder what the future has in store for foldables in general. Oppo’s restricted Find N5 launch (and subsequent skipping of the OnePlus Open 2 this year) served as a sort of canary in the coal mine for this struggling market that’s so obsessed with pushing the technical envelope while ignoring the core complaint of foldables – the cost. While Samsung has shown its hand that it doesn’t truly care about that complaint by laughably making the Galaxy Z Fold 6 more expensive last year, I do hope that the company’s more conservative approach can eventually land a device like this at a price point people are more willing to pay.

But what do you think? Am I crazy for still liking the Galaxy Z Fold 6 despite the competition? Do you use one of Samsung’s foldables still? Let’s discuss!

This Week’s Top Stories

More Android Auto updates

There were a few notable stories around Android Auto this week. The 14.0 update is now widely available, games are rolling out for compatible phones, and the Google app randomly started showing up for some, with its purpose unknown.

• Android Auto now lets you play games on your car’s display with this requirement
• Android Auto 14.0 update is now more widely rolling out
• Google app mysteriously shows up on Android Auto

YouTube Premium kicks out grandfathered users

After several years, YouTube Premium seems to be finally ending the grandfathered pricing for very early adopters. Subscribers as far back as 2014’s “Music Key” service have been able to keep their $7.99/$9.99 monthly subscription, but that’s now ending for some.

• YouTube Premium grandfathered pricing going away for more early adopters

Nintendo Switch 2 launch details

It’s not Google-related, but one of the biggest stories this week was the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. A presentation this week detailed the console in depth alongside the reveal of new titles such as Mario Kart World. The $450 sequel is launching on June 5, but pre-orders in the US have been delayed due to the ongoing tariff situation (another important story from this week that you should read up on).

Check out all of the Switch 2 news below from 9to5Toys:

• Hands-on: We got to play Nintendo Switch 2 for nearly six hours yesterday [Video]
• Nintendo officially announces $450 price for Switch 2, $500 Mario Kart bundle
• Nintendo just officially delayed the Switch 2 pre-order date in response to Trump tariffs, here are the details
• Nintendo officially announces upcoming Mario Kart World Direct, and an insanely expensive price tag for the game
• How to preorder Nintendo Switch 2 with Midnight pickup on launch day, and more
• Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games and upgrade pack prices

More Top Stories

• Google Pixel adding ‘Battery health assistance’ for long-term use, starting with Pixel 9a
• Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold leaks in first renders [Gallery]
• Gemini Live rolling out Astra camera, screen sharing to more Android users
• Gemini Live camera, screen sharing will work on ‘any Android device’
• OnePlus 13T is ‘small, beautiful, and powerful’ in first teaser, launches this month
• Google Keep widget redesign matches new Android guidelines
• Dbrand’s ‘Touch Grass’ skin is a gentle reminder to chill
• Honey has now lost 4 million Chrome users after shady tactics were revealed
• Oppo Find N5 durability test reveals it’s not easy being thin
• How the Gemini app’s new Google Photos integration will work 
• Android 16 Beta 3.2 rolling out with Pixel battery, haptic fixes
• Lenovo’s first Legion Tab discount is as small as the tablet, follows unexplained price hike
• Lenovo’s next 8.8-inch Android tablet may have Snapdragon 8 Elite and other upgrades

From the rest of 9to5

9to5Mac: Apple stock drops almost 10% on market open in reaction to new tariffs

Elecktrek: Tesla Semi suffers more delays and ‘dramatic’ price increase

9to5Toys: Turtle Beach VelocityOne Multi-Shift Review: The 3-in-1 shifter for PC or Xbox [Video]

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