Galaxy Z Flip 6: I spent my first day AI-ing my way through Paris

Up until a few days ago, I had never been to Paris, never spoken French, and certainly hadn’t used the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Now, you might not see a connection between the City of Light, a new foldable phone, and a man who’s never flown internationally, but there is. It’s called Galaxy AI.

The $1,100 Galaxy Z Flip 6 is one of two new Samsung foldable phones that debuted at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event in July, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and other products like the Galaxy Ring. The event was in Paris. And when my boss asked me to go, I was excited, nervous, and wondering how traveling and working internationally would all… well, work.

Besides a new hinge, new display, and new camera, one of the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s biggest features (or at least the one Samsung touted the most) is Galaxy AI. And in an age where nearly every phone maker is claiming AI will improve our lives, I wanted to see if such claims were true. What better way to spend my first day with the Galaxy Z Flip 6, right? So I fired up my review unit and headed out to explore Paris and put Samsung’s Galaxy AI to the test.

Look at this: I tested the Galaxy Z Flip 6 for 24 hours in Paris

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Galaxy Z Flip 6 Interpreter did its job – mostly

My first stop was the coffee house Zoomwhich, if you’re a specialty coffee lover, should be on your list of places to visit in Paris. I don’t speak French, but I really wanted to try a cortado and learn more about the beans they use. So I fired up the Z Flip 6’s AI-powered Interpreter tool to place my order and chat with the barista.

There’s a handy mode in the tool that used the cover screen to show the barista a French translation of what I’d said in English. And on the main screen, I could see, in English, what they’d said in French. I was able to order; learn about small-batch European roasters; and drink a cortado that was simply excellent. Unlike my drink, however, the Interpreter tool wasn’t great.

I noticed during my conversation with the cashier that several words and phrases she said in French were not translating into English the way she intended, or had different meanings. She thought it was her accent that was confusing the Z Flip 6. I thought it was the Galaxy AI. We weren’t sure. Whatever the reason, it was clear that the AI ​​translation was making her feel insecure about her accent, which was a horrible situation.

Interestingly, the cashier was intrigued by the phone — not because it could translate on the fly, but because she’d never seen a foldable before. After playing with the Z Flip 6 for a minute or so, she asked me if there was an iPhone version.

Parisian Croissant vs. AI Croissant

After shooting some video of skateboarders doing tricks on the Place de la Republique, I walked along the Canal Saint-Martin to snap some photos. I wanted to put the Z Flip 6’s new 50-megapixel main camera to the test, but I also needed some photos to test out a new AI feature that lets you draw new things into an image.

Using one of my canal photos, I opened the Gallery app and tapped the sparkle AI icon below the photo to open the Sketch to Image tool. I then drew two curved lines to replicate the silhouette of a bird flying over the canal — making my inner 5-year-old proud.

Then I let the AI ​​do its work.

The result was a bird that looked pretty realistic. I’m really impressed with this tool, but I’m not sure when I’d use it. Even as I write this, I’m wondering why the tool exists. I can see how this could be fun for kids, or even how it could take the old “draw a mustache on someone’s face” joke to the next level… although I’ve tried that multiple times and unfortunately nothing happened.

But what if there were no photos involved? What if I wanted to take a rough sketch I made and turn it into a painting? Well, the same Sketch to Image AI tool can do that too. And when I was in a restaurant GrandmaI wanted to know who made the best croissant: Galaxy AI or a Parisian bakery?

To turn a scribble into art, I opened the sidebar and used the built-in sketchpad. Next, I drew a very rough outline of a croissant and added a few ribbed accent lines along the top. Then I hit the Generate button and the tool generated a handful of watercolor paintings of croissants. And guess what? They all looked like croissants (although some definitely leaned more toward shrimp than croissant).

It’s pretty incredible that a foldable phone can take a very rough drawing, imagine what you’ve drawn, and then turn it into a watercolor painting. I can see this being a way to generate your own clip art, if you’re into that sort of thing. But otherwise I don’t think I’ll ever use the feature again.

The Z Flip 6 turned my buddy into Chance the Rapper

While I was running through Paris, I also asked a video for CNETand that meant I had our talented video producer Jide Akinrinade with me all day filming. I got some portrait shots of him with the Z Flip 6 that looked great, and I decided to try out one last AI feature.

While I could turn a sketch I made into a photorealistic seagull, I could also turn an actual photo of someone into a work of art. The tool is called Portrait Studio and you can choose from a handful of art styles: comic, 3D cartoon, watercolor, and sketch.

When I ran Jide’s photo through the process, bold, comic-book-esque illustrations emerged. There was just one problem: they didn’t look like Jide at all — which he confirmed with a “that’s a no.” Like other generations of AI tools, it can miss the mark; one option made Jide look like Chance the Rapper.

Later in the day, I ran into some other reviewers with the new Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, and they had similar results. I’ll give Samsung credit: Portrait Studio was great for a few laughs, but when I’m paying $1,100 for a phone, I want something that can deliver results that look a little more like me.

Galaxy Z Flip 6 final thoughts for now

During my first day with the Z Flip 6, I kept track of the battery life. I started my day at 100% and ended it at 46%, which I found to be quite impressive, especially considering how hot and humid Paris was and how many photos and video I was shooting, as well as how heavily I was using various AI features.

I also found out that I burn easily under the Parisian sun in July.

I also found Galaxy AI to be impressive, like when it created a photorealistic seagull from two lines I drew. It’s useful, like when it helped me converse in French and order coffee. And it’s ridiculous, like when it turned Jide into Chance the Rapper. AI has a lot of other flaws, too, which might turn some people off.

I still have a lot more testing to do on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, so stay tuned for my in-depth review, coming soon.