*Header image – Fold 6 leaked render
In recent weeks, we’ve had plenty of leaks about Samsung’s yet-unannounced Z Fold 6, and we’re getting more hyped as time goes on. Now, another interesting rumor, from a trusted tipster, claims that Samsung is prepping a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra to come alongside a regular Fold 6 (instead of a Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE as rumored earlier).
This had me thinking… how could Samsung differentiate between the ‘regular’ Fold and the Ultra-branded one? And could the Fold 6 Ultra bring something that the regular Fold 6 won’t have? Let’s talk about it!
Of course, keep in mind that all I’m talking about here is based on leaks and rumors, as none of these two phones has been released just yet.
What would make the Z Fold 6 Ultra ‘special’?
- S Pen slot: to the delight of some Samsung fans?
The Galaxy Fold 5 with its S Pen
There’s plenty of room for eye-widening specs so a potential Z Fold 6 Ultra becomes attractive. For one, many Samsung fans have wanted an S Pen slot (opinions differ on the matter), just like, say, the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, the current flagship foldable, the Fold 5, doesn’t have a place in its body for the stylus.
That’s potentially one area where Samsung may go to increase the value of the Ultra Fold 6 when compared to the ‘regular’ Fold. I’ll talk about the drawbacks of this scenario later on.
Now, moving on to:
- Camera: 200MP coming to blow you away?
Another area where potential upgrades could be found is in the camera. So far, Samsung’s foldables have not come with Ultra-grade cameras (like a 200MP main sensor, for example), and that’s another option Samsung could use to make the Z Fold 6 Ultra extra eye-catchy.
Earlier the rumor world believed the Z Fold 6 could come with the S24 Ultra’s 200MP main camera. However, later on, these rumors were contradicted by reports stating the Fold 6 will have a 50MP main camera like the one on the ‘regular’ S24.
Now, here’s a twist! Usually, rumors and leaks are either correct or incorrect. However, with the recent development and the potential Fold 6 Ultra, this rumor may end up incorrect and correct at the same time. Yep, the regular Fold may indeed get a 50MP camera, but the Ultra… could get that rumored 200MP one.
This actually makes quite a lot of sense – the camera is one of the main differentiators between regular and Ultra or Pro-branded phones. And this approach is not just reserved for Samsung! Apple does it too (Pro iPhones sport better cameras than regular ones), and so do almost all other phone makers.
If the Z Fold 6 Ultra exists, it will, almost certainly, sport a better camera to differentiate itself.
The Z Fold 6 predecessor, the Fold 5, comes with a 50MP main camera. Let’s look at some image samples to see how much improvement a potential Z Fold 6 Ultra camera can bring:
One main thing that you’re probably noticing is the more natural colors of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and that’s thanks to Samsung’s new approach to colors (that may or may not be applied on the Fold 6 as well, so I’m not going to focus on it too much here).
The Fold 5 has a bit more oversharpening happening compared to the shots by the S24 Ultra. But all in all, it’s not too bad – it’s not Ultra-grade either.
The Fold 5 struggles more in low light. Noise reduction can sometimes wash out certain details (like on faces), while light sources can make the phone struggle. On the other hand, the S24 Ultra with its 200MP sensor does manage to get less confused with light sources and keep more details in the shadowy part of the image.
Overall, you get my point. If Samsung would go for an Ultra Fold 6, it sure will need to equip the phone with a better camera – hopefully the S24 Ultra camera system. It’s not excluded that other cameras will get a boost as well, not just the main one.
After all, the Fold 6 has only three cameras on its back (50MP main + 10MP zoom + 12MP ultra-wide), while the S24 Ultra sports four (200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP zoom cam for 3x, 50MP zoom cam for 5x).
- Battery: could a bigger Fold 6 Ultra fit a 5,000mAh battery cell?
Rumors say that the Fold 6 could come with improvements in the battery department compared to the Fold 5 (4,600mAh battery vs 4,400mAh). The fact that the Fold needs to be as thin as it could be (after all, it’s a foldable and it’s already thick because… you know… it folds) kind of prevents Samsung from slapping in a bigger battery.
The phone isn’t the worst when it comes to battery life, but there’s always room for improvement, won’t you say?
So, if a Z Fold 6 Ultra could be allowed to be a bit thicker (and have an S Pen slot inside of it), this could potentially mean it could get more battery as well. Of course, none of this is confirmed, so don’t get your hopes too high for now.
Potential drawbacks: will a Fold 6 Ultra be too expensive for most people?
I can see a couple of drawbacks in all the improvements I listed for a potential Fold 6 Ultra. The first one is the most important one – how much will such a beast cost?
What about the potential Z Fold 6 Ultra price? (Image Source – Pixabay)
There are no leaks to indicate a potential price for a Fold 6 Ultra. With a better camera and whatever else Samsung decides to give it to make it stand out, it’s hard to imagine the price difference between the regular Fold and an Ultra variant to be just some mere 50 bucks or something.
Probably a price difference of at least $100 will be on the table. Or more! If you look at the S24 Plus and the S24 Ultra, we have the former starting at $999.99 and the latter at $1,299.99. That’s $300 of a difference. As for the regular S24 and the Ultra: we have $500 of a difference in prices.
The price could depend on whether Samsung considers the ‘regular’ Fold 6 as a “vanilla” phone or a “Plus” phone, in relation to the Fold 6 Ultra. So, either the Ultra could cost around $2,099 (if the ‘regular’ Fold 6 remains the same price as the Fold 5 – $1,799) or all the way up to $2,299! Of course, these are just speculations, so do keep that in mind.
Also, I want to quickly address the possibility of a Fold 6 Ultra to be a bigger or bulkier device. If Samsung puts an S Pen slot and a bigger battery in the phone, it sure will be. Which could potentially hinder its portability.
But I’m inclined to believe that a foldable, no matter how thin it is, will still be more bulky than a regular phone. And people are into big phones nowadays anyway (it’s getting almost impossible to carry a regular phone in your pocket anymore!) So, maybe a bit more bulk wouldn’t hurt for what you get.
All in all, you see that a Galaxy Fold 6 Ultra sounds quite promising, and it’s very exciting to see if this rumor ends up being true. In fact, we might not need to wait for too long – after all, rumors are saying we’d be seeing the foldables earlier this year, potentially on July 10. Let’s see if I end up correct!
