The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is officially out after Samsung unveiled the device alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6 at its Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris. The new foldables come with most of the changes we expected in the run-up to the event. The Fold 6 has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset under the hood, a slimmer and lighter build, and a main screen that can hit an impressive 2,600 nits of peak brightness.
You might also be wondering if the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is waterproof, unlike its predecessor. Well, we have good news for you.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is water-resistant, offering an IP48 rating. This rating means that it’s protected from dust ingress and objects bigger than 1mm, and it can also survive long-term immersion up to a certain depth (typically 1 meter) and pressure specified by the manufacturer. This means that the Fold 6 doesn’t just repel water droplets and resist penetration — it can (in theory) survive full immersion.
However, to be waterproof, the phone would need to be completely impermeable to water ingress, which isn’t possible for any smartphone. This might be a little confusing because IP water and dust resistance are often used interchangeably with waterproofing, but that’s technically incorrect. Still, when it comes to smartphone IP ratings, this is about as good as it gets.
Let’s break down what IP48 means. IP stands for Ingress Protection (IP), and that’s usually followed by other numbers that indicate dust and water resistance, respectively. In this case, we have a dust protection rating of 4, meaning the Z Fold 6 is protected from some limited amount of dust ingress, and Samsung has taken measures to improve it by introducing brushes to the hinges (something it added with the Flip 2 and Fold 2). The number after this indicates the water resistance, which is 8 in this case. That means the device can survive long-term immersion up to a specified pressure.
That’s a significant step above the IPX8 rating that came with the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which wasn’t rated for dust ingress protection at all. Notably, the Fold 6 is not as durable as the S24 Ultra, which gets an IP68 rating, meaning it’s protected from total dust ingress. Given the hinges and moving parts, there’s likely only so much Samsung can do when it comes to keeping dust out of the device.
Essentially, this means you shouldn’t worry about taking your Galaxy Z Fold 6 out in inclement weather like rain or fog, and you should also be fine at the pool. As for the beach, you can take it with you because there is dust ingress protection now, but we don’t recommend burying it in the sand. While it can survive some dust, the combination of gritty sand and salt water isn’t good for electronics.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.