Samsung Z Flip6

Samsung is, if nothing else, extremely consistent in the way they make phones. Sometimes you only get a few upgrades, other times more, but it's almost as sure as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west that you get a product that is at least as good as the last generation. Samsung should actually be commended for maintaining the quality level and, not least, their approach to design and materials.

The screen has become a lot more vibrant in terms of brightness, now at 2600 nits, which is especially noticeable when playing videos recorded with the new camera module. The camera section has been heavily upgraded: a 50 MP main camera with wide angle and a 12 MP ultra-wide angle. However, I do miss some more optical zoom; only 2x zoom seems a bit inadequate for a phone that, after all, costs £1,049 for the cheapest model. It seems strange, although the digital zoom is arguably one of the best on the market with relatively little image noise. The smallest version has 256 GB of space, which is necessary if you're shooting 4K video on a larger scale.

There's also more RAM, 12 GB, but I haven't yet had the opportunity to maximise my phone's RAM, even in a test situation. The folding itself is significantly improved; there's clearly been work done to make the edges fit together so that when you fold it, the frame aligns all the way around and closes tightly with a very satisfying "clap". Samsung calls it their most compact phone and frankly, after using it for three weeks, it will be hard to go back.

The screen is still the stunning Dynamic AMOLED 2X with a resolution of 2640x1080. You can still faintly feel the bend in the screen at the point where it curves, but it's extremely hard to see even when you know where it is. The colours are almost too real, the image quality is top notch, and the brightness is extreme. I still find it hard to believe that you really need 2600 nits in anything other than full daylight.

The cover screen is still one of the big selling points, and even though it's customisable, I miss the fact that it can take over apps, such as YouTube, so it continues to play even when the phone is folded - but I wonder if that's intentional. Samsung has ingeniously integrated their AI function with the cover screen, and I find it extremely well integrated, as the simple AI interface fits perfectly with the smaller cover screen.

The phone we tested came in baby blue. Despite weighing only 187g, it feels extremely solidly built and my reservations about phones with hinged joints being flimsy have been put to rest. The IP rating has also been improved to IP68 (more dust and water resistant). The frame is reinforced with aluminium and the processor has been upgraded to Snapdragon Gen 3.

The battery has been upgraded to the de facto standard 4000 mAh. What I miss most, however, is faster charging; it simply takes too long with only 25 Watts of charging (that's about all I could find in terms of specifications), and wireless charging is still limited to 15 Watts. I'm fully aware that Samsung is doing this deliberately; they are against fast charging as it destroys the battery and they want users to keep the phone for at least four years, preferably more. I simply cannot wait two hours for a charge. I can see the point, and the Flip users I know have also had their phones for a very long time, but I would have hoped that they would have upgraded their charging efforts.

But the use of Galaxy AI is still a brilliant move. In particular, its ability to translate speech and especially writing is something I've started to use a surprising amount. It's still not perfect, but its ability to recognise products in an image is uncanny. Samsung's AI implementation is practical but effective. On paper, the camera is not on the same level as other top models, but the AI functionality greatly increases the camera's usability when using digital zoom and especially in night mode. If you're a flip phone fan - and you quickly become one because there's just something very tactile about it, especially when it folds up and is so compact - then there's not much better than the Samsung Z Flip6.