I’ve been using the Galaxy S23 Ultra since it came out, and it’s served me well. It’s a great device with a ton of power and more camera features than I know what to do with. While I was initially tempted by this year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, I couldn’t really justify the upgrade based on my individual use case, so I figured it was best to hold on to the sidelines and see if the Galaxy Z Fold 6 piques my curiosity.
I’ve been bouncing between the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy S Ultra models over the past few years. I’m not necessarily set on sticking with one series. I prefer to evaluate each model on its own merits and weigh them against my use case, and only buy the one that ticks all the boxes. This time around, the newest foldable phone has taken the round, and that’s why I’ve already pre-ordered my Galaxy Z Fold 6.
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Brightness of the screen
The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s display was exceptional when it launched, and I loved every minute I spent using it. While I agree that its successor has significantly increased the brightness, there was nothing else to report and I felt an upgrade wouldn’t be all that necessary if I was going to stick with the same form factor.
My decision to pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 6 came down to the fact that the phone’s 7.6-inch internal display reaches a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 1,750 nits in HDR mode. That’s a significant increase that will make a world of difference if you’re using the phone outdoors on sunny days. The increase in screen size is always a welcome change, too.
Faster on-board memory
At first glance, both the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 6 appear to have similar onboard storage, which is LPDDR5X. Like most people, I purchased the standard Galaxy S23 Ultra which came with 8GB of RAM. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 gets 12GB of RAM as standard, so that’s a nice minor upgrade, but there’s more.
It also has a higher clock speed, at 4800MHz compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 4200MHz. While that may seem like a negligible difference, a higher RAM clock speed means the memory can process more data per second, therefore offering a noticeable boost in performance. Given that I tend to squeeze maximum performance out of my main device due to the nature of my work, this upgrade is more than worth the outlay for me.
Patterned color finish
Last but not least, perhaps the biggest reason I decided to make the switch isn’t performance-related, but rather aesthetically pleasing. I find the Crafted Black color offered for the new foldable phone incredibly appealing. This is an online exclusive and you can only get it if you pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 6 from Samsung.
It’s unlike anything we’ve had on a Samsung foldable phone before. It gives the device a carbon fiber-like look and you have to admit, that black-on-black look is quite the vibe. I’ve found the usual color options to be a bit boring and Crafted Black is anything but boring and worth opening my wallet for.
Finally, a big reason why the upgrade made sense is that Samsung is giving $800 as trade-in value for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It was too good an offer to be able to trade in the phone after having it for over a year and a half for such a reasonable price. Samsung is only giving these increased trade-in values until the Galaxy Z Fold 6 pre-orders end, so it’s best to get your pre-orders in before July 24 to get the most for your money, too.