Galaxy Z Flip 6 revealed with longer battery life, Galaxy S24-quality cameras, and no change in price

Dubbed Galaxy AI, this range of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools which were launched back in January with the Galaxy S24 phone line-up to help users edit photos, take notes and transcriptions, summarise lengthy documents and webpages, write emails, and even translate conversations in real-time.

For the first time, Galaxy AI will translate phone calls from third-party services, like WhatsApp and Zoom.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a relatively minor refresh to the popular formula. You'll still find the same 6.7-inch foldable screen that unfurls like the flip phones popularised by Nokia and Motorola in the early 00s.

The unusually tall 21.6:18 aspect ratio makes the Galaxy Z Flip 6 perfect for running two apps simultaneously stacked on top of one another, or watching a blockbuster in landscape with no black bars.

With the main 6.7-inch screen closed, you're left with a 3.4-inch exterior display — known as the Cover Screen — to quickly read or reply to a text message, answer an incoming call, follow Google Maps directions, or skip a song on Spotify. For the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung has added more interactive widgets for this smaller screen.

These widgets offer glanceable access to information from your apps. Notifications can also be accessed from the exterior screen with a swipe from the top. Samsung has added a series of interactive wallpapers, which respond to swipes and touches.

There's also a new AI-powered trick known as Photo Ambient that alters your wallpaper in real-time, based on the time and weather. If it starts raining in your current location, that'll be reflected on-screen, for example.

Samsung will generate tailored responses to texts by using Artificial Intelligence to analyse previous messages to learn context and mimic your tone of voice. In theory, this'll make replying as simple as a single tap on the Cover Screen — although we'll need to get our hands on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to test it out ourselves.

For the first time since its inception, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes equipped with a flagship-level camera. Samsung has fitted its latest foldable with the same 50MP wide camera and 12MP ultra-wide sensor previously used on the Galaxy S24, released at the start of the year.

Although there's no optical zoom, Samsung can crop into the immense 50MP sensor for a 2x lossless zoom. Using AI, Samsung offers up to 10x digital zoom.

Elsewhere, HDR video recording has been improved, especially in gloomy conditions. Samsung is working with social networks to bring this upgrade to their applications, so you won't have to shoot with the default camera app to guarantee the best image quality. Instagram, including its Stories feature, is the first to partner.

Another similarity between the flagship Galaxy S24 and the new Galaxy Z Flip 6? Battery capacity.

In another first, Samsung has increased the lithium-ion cell inside the svelte Galaxy Z Flip 6 to 4,000mAh — a massive step-up compared to the 3,591mAh battery inside its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Samsung says that'll result in the longest-ever battery life on a Z Flip phone, with up to 24 hours between charges when watching videos. Of course, we'll need to test that ourselves when the Galaxy Z Flip 6 launches on July 24.

Powering the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset which, as the name suggests, is a modified version of the standard Qualcomm-built silicon found in other flagship Android phones.

As well as the usual year-on-year performance bump, Samsung says this new processor has been optimised for AI tasks and should also improve graphics in mobile games. For the first time, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 includes a vapour chamber — a conduit filled with liquid that dispenses heat quickly, so the processor can maintain high performance for a sustained period, ideal when streaming games or other intensive tasks.

Just like other foldable announced at Galaxy Unpacked, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the Galaxy S24 line-up launched at the start of the year, Artificial Intelligence plays a huge role in the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Circle to Search, which lets you draw a circle around anything on-screen to kickstart a Google search. It works on items of clothing and eyewear in social media posts as well as cityscapes in the background of YouTube videos, for example. It can also translate text from the viewfinder, a photograph, or a webpage in a foreign language. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 6, there's no stylus, so you'll be circling with your fingertip.

Another AI trick — dubbed Note Assist — built into Samsung Notes will intelligently suggest summaries of longer handwritten and typed notes. Samsung will also automatically format notes as you write them, so you won't need to worry about hurried handwritten scrawl.

Voice recordings within the Samsung Notes app can be transcribed, translated, and summarised into easy-to-read bullet points with AI too.

Samsung has taken advantage of the unusual form factor of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to debut its new Interpreter mode. Folding the handset halfway, like you're playing a game of Battleships, the foldable will translate conversations in real-time across the internal and exterior screens, so you and the person you're speaking with can read a transcript in their chosen language.

The new Google Gemini assistant, which is designed to compete with OpenAI's record-breaking ChatGPT, is integrated into the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Swipe the corner of the screen or use the wake phrase “Hey Google”, to summon the Gemini overlay on-screen and get help with writing suggestions, summaries, or additional context.

"Samsung is driven by a relentless focus on innovation," said James Kitto, Vice President and Head of MX at Samsung UK & Ireland. "It’s embedded in our DNA, and this launch is a testament to that, bringing to our customers the next generation of foldables — our slimmest, lightest and most durable yet.

"This is the next frontier of Galaxy AI, supercharging this unique form factor with enhancements across features such as Circle to Search with Google – optimised for the ultimate user experience. Another great example of this is Galaxy AI’s Interpreter feature, which uses the dual screen of our foldables to show translation for a real-time conversation.

"Underpinning all of this is also our commitment to bring the best to our customers, so we’re pleased to also provide seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates."

Prices start from £1,049 for the entry-level model with 256GB of built-in storage, maxing out at £1,149 for 512GB. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is available in Silver Shadow, Yellow, Blue and Mint colour options.

Samsung has three exclusive colourways: Peach, Crafted Black, and White.

That's the same starting price as the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which made its debut in July 2023. It's a stark difference from the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which has seen an increase of £50 with the latest refresh.

You'll be able to unlock a guaranteed discount of £100 when trade-in any smartphone in any condition during checkout. That increases to £640 off if you've got a newer, more valuable smartphone that you're willing to part with.

• View Deal | Preorder Galaxy Z Flip 6 ahead of July 24 launch — save £100

Samsung will send freepost packaging as part of the trade-in process, and you won't need to mail your existing smartphone until after the new one has arrived and you've safely transferred over your messages, photos, and apps.