The Korean consumer electronics giant this month unveiled its two flagship foldables at the Galaxy Unpacked event at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 boasts a lighter, thinner frame and a brighter display with smaller bezels. The Galaxy Z Flip6, meanwhile, gets a big camera upgrade with a new 50-megapixel sensor, as well as larger battery capacity.
But the heart of Samsung’s presentation focused on the kinds of things you can do with these foldable phones, features like live translation, more immersive gaming, and next-level photo search and editing capabilities. Helping to unlock these premium features is a premium processor in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, specifically tuned to run faster than the standard Snapdragon Gen 3 chipset.
How much faster? Samsung touted on stage that the Galaxy Z Fold6 processor’s CPU runs 18% faster, its GPU 19% faster and its neural processing unit (NPU) 42% more powerful than last year’s version. All those numbers translate into more sophisticated experiences that take advantage of its unique design.
Because ultimately, it’s not only the foldable display itself that will get consumers to buy a Galaxy Z phone, but what you can do with it.
Here are some of the key features found on the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 that Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is helping to power:
The Galaxy Z Flip6 is equipped with Interpreter, which leverages the dual screen to allow live translations displayed on both sides of the phone.
Live translation
Samsung showed off Live Translate to translate phone conversations in real time, with translated text popping up as the person talks to you.
The best part is the feature works if there’s one Galaxy phone in use — meaning its artificial intelligence (AI) handles the translation even if the other person is on a different device. The capability will also work on popular third-party messaging and calling apps.
Processing private interactions with people is sensitive, so all the AI work is done on the device itself.
Samsung said that the feature will work with 16 languages, and 20 languages by the end of the year.
Interpreter, a feature that displays real-time translations for two people speaking to each other in person, was originally introduced with the Galaxy S24 line. But Samsung took advantage of the Galaxy Z series’ dual screen to allow for the translations to work in both languages and displayed appropriately on each side.
Photo editing supercharged
The Galazy Z Flip6 is optimized to take the perfect photos.
Taking that perfect photo on your phone is still a high priority for consumers. Photo Assist takes photo editing to the next level, with AI helping to reimagine pictures into different art styles that go beyond adjusting colors or brightness.
Then there’s Sketch to Image, which lets you roughly sketch out an object and have Galaxy AI create and suggest a full-blown image. Samsung showed this feature by roughly sketching a boat on top of a photo of the Seine River and the Eiffel Tower and having the Galaxy Z Fold6 fill in the blanks with an AI-generated addition.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 has a jumbo 7.6-inch display, and is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy for the ultimate gaming experience.
A gamer’s dream
Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold6 has been “optimized for the “ultimate gaming experience” thanks to its enhanced jumbo 7.6-inch display, which is both thinner and stronger, with a smaller bezel that makes the most of the screen real estate.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy’s added horsepower will also be useful for running even the most intensive games. Samsung said it is working with partners like gaming platform Vulkan to ensure heavy games run smoothly on the Z Fold6.
The games themselves will be more immersive than ever, with the phone supporting Ray Tracing, a graphical upgrade that adds real-world lighting effects that enhance the look of premium titles.
The display supports up to 2,600 nits for an even brighter screen than ever. It also features Vision Booster, which automatically adjusts for optimal clarity, even in brighter conditions, so you’ll always be able to keep your eye on the game.
Powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, the Galaxy Z Fold6 leverages on-device AI processing.
Driving on-device smarts
These features are supported by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy’s added horsepower, but also Qualcomm Technologies’ investment in driving on-device AI processing.
As a result, Samsung can turn the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 into showcases for how AI can help its users.
“We are taking a giant leap forward in ways few thought possible to open the new frontier of mobile AI,” said TM Roh, president and head of Mobile eXperience business at Samsung Electronics, during his opening remarks at Unpacked.