Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Which should you pick?
SamsungThe Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy S24 Ultra are Samsung’s latest flagships, and choosing between the two can be confusing if you’re not sure what they each bring to the table.
The Z Fold 6 is the newest foldable from Samsung, announced at the Unpacked event on July 10. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, is now half a year old. Both are among the best Android phones on the market, featuring particularly extreme price tags.
Let’s break down which phone is right for you right off the bat. If you value camera quality, durability, and long battery life, the S24 Ultra is the clear winner.
But if you prefer a phone with a super large display that’s still easy to pocket, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the way to go. Do keep in mind that a foldable also costs more than a regular phone. Below is a more detailed breakdown of everything each phone has to offer.
Price
SamsungThe S24 Ultra starts at $1300, while the Z Fold 6 is even more expensive than the $1800 Z Fold 5. The new foldable is $100 more expensive than its predecessors, starting at $1900.
While both flagship devices are priced premium, it boils down to your budget and how much you want to spend on your next smartphone purchase.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 takes some design cues from the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But you know the obvious difference between the two— the Ultra doesn’t fold.
In terms of appearance, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 opts for a wider cover screen than its predecessor and gets sharp corners. The current Z Fold 5 has round corners. Combined with a wider screen and sharper corners, the smartphone should be easier to use when folded.
Another change is in its back design as the foldable borrows the boxy design from the S24 Ultra. The Z Fold 6 features the same vertically aligned cameras, but unlike the S24 Ultra, it gets a small island connecting the cameras. The oval-shaped island below the cameras appears to protrude less.
The S24 Ultra also underwent some interesting design changes this year. Samsung gave up on the curved display on the front and opted for a titanium frame for the smartphone. It has a boxy look and the same camera alignment as previous models.
Display
SamsungThe upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 sports a 7.6-inch foldable display with a square-ish 7:6 aspect ratio. The outside cover screen is now larger at 6.3 inches with a tall 22:9 aspect ratio.
Both the main and cover screens feature a Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate. The cover display and the back of the phone have Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra keeps the same 6.8-inch screen size as its predecessor, the S23 Ultra. But its display gets a brightness boost, reaching up to 2,600 nits. The LTPO AMOLED panel has a 1440x3088px resolution (QHD+) and a 1-120Hz Dynamic refresh rate.
Cameras
SamsungThe Galaxy Z Fold 6 sticks with the same camera setup as the Z Fold 5, including a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP telephoto shooter. While this setup is reliable, it doesn’t match the photography prowess of the S24 Ultra.
Similar to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the S24 Ultra rocks a quad-camera setup. It flaunts a 200MP main sensor capable of 10X optical and 100X digital zoom. Plus, there’s a fresh 50MP telephoto unit with 5X zoom, another 10MP telephoto with 3X zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide with autofocus.
Specs
| Specs | Galaxy Z Fold 6 | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB/ 1TB |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB RAM |
| Display | 7.6-inch main and 6.3-inch cover screen with AMOLED, 120Hz | 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Panel, 120Hz |
| Battery | 4400mAh with 25W fast charge | 5,000mAh with 45W fast charge |
| Camera | 50MP+10+12, 10MP front | 200MP+12+10+50, 12 front |
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Z Fold 6 pack a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset under the hood. This is the latest flagship chip from Qualcomm and has shown impressive performance and efficiency when we tested it on the OnePlus 12 and iQOO 12. Both phones also offer 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of UFS 4.0.
Battery life
The Galaxy S24 Ultra retains the same 5,000mAh battery capacity as the S23 Ultra with unchanged charging speeds—45W wired and 15W wireless charging. The Z Fold 6, on the other hand, offers a 4400mAh battery with 25W charging.
This means the Galaxy S24 Ultra should have a longer battery life than its foldable cousin. Moreover, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has faster charging support to refill the drained battery, while the Z Fold 6 gets a way slower 25W charging support.
Performance
SamsungWhile both devices have the same SoC under the hood, the software features will create a difference. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a native support S-Pen to help take notes, sketch, capture photos, and more.
The S-Pen can be easily stored in the body of the device, which means that there is a lesser chance of you losing or forgetting it at home.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a massive foldable display that adds a different dimension to multitasking, content consumption, and gaming. Samsung is known for optimizing its software for the sizable foldable display, making the Fold series devices a portable powerhouse.
As most other AI features remain the same on both devices, the massive foldable display will give the Z Fold 6 a distinct advantage.
Which phone should you get?
As mentioned above, the S24 Ultra is for those who prioritize cameras and battery life above all else, while the Z Fold 6 is for those who desire a large display and are willing to spend nearly $2000. If a foldable form factor is what you’re after, you might also consider the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which is about half the price.