Official Review: Galaxy Z Fold5 Update to One UI 6.0 Brings Performance Improvements, Interface Changes, and New Features but with Minor Bugs

On November 24th, One UI 6.0 was officially released for users of Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5 in the Vietnamese market. My Galaxy Z Fold5 has received the official One UI 6.0 update based on the latest Android 14. So what issues does One UI 6.0 encounter on Z Fold5? What is One UI 6.0? What's new in terms of interface and features? Let's find out in the review of Galaxy Z Fold5 Update to One UI 6.0 below!

Read More:

• Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5 Officially Receive One UI 6.0
• Review of Galaxy Z Fold4 after 1 Year: A Good Product for My Work

What is One UI 6.0? Overview of the Latest One UI Update You Need to Know

At the Samsung Developer Conference 2023 held in early October 2023, Samsung officially announced the One UI 6.0 user interface based on Google's latest Android 14. According to Samsung, One UI 6.0 is an update that brings many changes both in terms of interface such as Quick Settings panel, exclusive One UI Sans font, and AI features like automatic image analysis and suggested editing tools.

According to Samsung, One UI 6.0 is an update that brings many changes both in terms of interface such as Quick Settings panel, exclusive One UI Sans font, and AI features like automatic image analysis and suggested editing tools. Additionally, One UI 6.0 also includes a new Samsung Studio app for users to edit videos.

Currently, many Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 users in several countries (including Vietnam) have received the official One UI 6.0 update after a long testing period. You can check for the update right now by opening Settings > Software update > Download and install.

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, my Galaxy Z Fold5 has received the official One UI 6.0 update with a download size of nearly 3.0 GB. It took me about 20 minutes to complete the One UI 6.0 update process for Galaxy Z Fold5 (time may vary depending on each device and network speed).

Surprisingly, the 'System' storage size inside the Galaxy Z Fold5 has decreased by over 20 GB after updating to One UI 6.0 (specifically from 37.84 GB to 17.57 GB). This is certainly good news for many users as we can utilize this storage space for other data.

One UI 6.0 on Galaxy Z Fold5 encounters some minor bugs, stability not yet high

Immediately after updating and briefly experiencing One UI 6.0 on Galaxy Z Fold5, I noticed that this update has some minor bugs and is not yet stable. The first issue I noticed is that the Galaxy Z Fold5's main screen froze (illustrated video below). Although I tried accessing any app and then returning to the main screen, the device still encountered the issue. It wasn't until I restarted the device that the problem was resolved.

Furthermore, I've gathered feedback from some Galaxy Z Fold5 users in Facebook groups. Most of them reported encountering minor issues after updating to One UI 6.0, such as: Delay in opening/closing apps, not displaying charging time, missing screen rotation icon,...

Based on the feedback above, I checked my Galaxy Z Fold5 to see if it encountered those issues. The result is that it encountered an additional issue of not displaying the screen rotation icon in certain apps such as YouTube, TikTok, and Gallery (illustrated in the video below).

From these experiences, I believe that One UI 6.0 still seems not to be optimized well enough for Galaxy Z Fold5 (as of the time of writing). Although these issues do not occur frequently and vary from device to device, they have affected the user experience. I hope Samsung will release some bug fixes as soon as possible.

Galaxy Z Fold5 performance improves after updating to One UI 6.0

After updating to One UI 6.0, I noticed a slight improvement in the performance of the Galaxy Z Fold5 compared to the previous One UI version. Specifically, the device handles basic tasks that I commonly use (messaging, watching videos, browsing the web, social media, etc.) well, and the transition effects between apps/tasks are smooth. Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold5 on One UI 6.0 rarely experiences stuttering or lag, unlike the One UI 5.1 version.

To provide a more visual understanding, I conducted a performance evaluation and real-world gaming test on the Galaxy Z Fold5. Before diving into details, let me quickly outline the specifications of the Galaxy Z Fold5 for your reference:

• Outer screen: 6.2-inch size, Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, Full HD+, refresh rate 48 - 120 Hz.
• Inner screen: 7.6-inch size, Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, refresh rate 1 Hz - 120 Hz, maximum brightness 1,750 nits.
• CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy.
• RAM: 12 GB.
• Internal Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB.
• Rear Camera: 50 MP + 12 MP + 10 MP.
• Selfie Camera: 10 MP (outer screen) and 4 MP (inner screen).
• Battery: 4,400 mAh, 25 W fast charging.

Explore more: Learn about Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy and many other powerful chips from Qualcomm.

• Performance Benchmark of Galaxy Z Fold5 Before and After One UI 6.0 Update

In this section, I used specialized software such as GeekBench 6, 3DMark, PCMark to benchmark the performance of the Galaxy Z Fold5 before and after the One UI 6.0 update. I also want to note that the results below are for reference only as each device may yield different scores after software updates. The conditions for benchmarking performance are as follows:

• The device's battery must be between 90 - 100% (battery below 90% will affect the device's performance and results).
• Do not charge the battery while benchmarking.
• Benchmark 3 times continuously and take the average result after 3 rounds of benchmarking.

Firstly, in the single-core/multi-core test in GeekBench 6, the Galaxy Z Fold5 running One UI 6.0 yielded higher scores compared to One UI 5.1 previously. This indicates that Samsung has optimized the new One UI very well to provide the Galaxy Z Fold5 with better CPU processing speed.

- GeekBench 6 (single-core/multi-core):

• One UI 5.1: 1,986 points / 5,161 points.
• One UI 6.0: 2,015 points / 5,272 points.

Similarly, in the GPU Compute OpenCL test, Galaxy Z Fold6 after updating to the latest One UI still achieves higher scores compared to the old version.

- GeekBench 6 (GPU Compute OpenCL):

• One UI 5.1: 9,299 points.
• One UI 6.0: 9,547 points.

Moving on to the PCMark test - assessing the phone's processing capabilities in typical tasks. The results below show that Galaxy Z Fold5 after updating to One UI 6.0 achieved higher scores than One UI 5.1.

- PCMark:

• One UI 5.1: 13,538 points.
• One UI 6.0: 14,867 points.

Next, in the lightweight graphics test 3DMark Solar Bay, Galaxy Z Fold5 running One UI 6.0 continues to deliver impressive results compared to the previous version.

- 3DMark Solar Bay:

• One UI 5.1: 5,563 total points, average FPS 21.16.
• One UI 6.0: 5,595 total points, average FPS 21.27.

However, Galaxy Z Fold5 on One UI 6.0 also experienced a 1% battery drain (from 95% to 94%) after completing the test. In contrast, this figure remained at 100% on the old One UI version. The difference between the two versions also lies in the temperature of the Galaxy Z Fold5 after completing the test. Specifically, One UI 6.0 caused the device to increase by 4 degrees Celsius (from 34 to 38 degrees Celsius), while this figure on One UI 5.1 was only 2 degrees Celsius (from 35 to 37 degrees Celsius).

- 3DMark Solar Bay:

• One UI 5.1: Battery remains at 100%, temperature increases by 2 degrees Celsius (from 35 to 37 degrees Celsius).
• One UI 6.0: Battery decreases by 1% (from 95% to 94%), temperature increases by 4 degrees Celsius (from 34 to 38 degrees Celsius).

Finally, let's move on to the heavy graphics test called 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test. For those who are unfamiliar or have forgotten, this test will automatically repeat 20 times to check the stability of the phone when performing heavy tasks such as video editing, gaming, etc. Please pay attention to the Stability section as it is the most important factor of this test.

- 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test (One UI 5.1):

• Stability: 75.6%
• Highest loop score: 5,099 points.
• Lowest loop score: 3,854 points.
• Score difference between highest and lowest loop: 1,245 points.

- 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test (One UI 6.0):

• Stability: 83.6%
• Highest loop score: 5,580 points.
• Lowest loop score: 4,665 points.
• Score difference between highest and lowest loop: 915 points.

Impressively, Galaxy Z Fold5 on One UI 6.0 achieves a stability level of 83.6%, higher than the 75.6% recorded on the previous One UI version. This is further highlighted by the lower score difference between the highest and lowest loop scores (lower is better). Specifically, on One UI 6.0, Galaxy Z Fold5 achieves a score difference of 915 points, better than the 1,245 points on One UI 5.1. All these factors indicate that Galaxy Z Fold5, after updating to the latest One UI, can smoothly handle various heavy tasks with high stability.

- 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test (One UI 5.1):

• Battery decreases from 99% to 89% (a 10% drop).
• Temperature rises from 37°C to 42°C (an increase of 5°C).

- 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test (One UI 6.0):

• Battery decreases from 97% to 85% (a 12% drop).
• Temperature rises from 33°C to 40°C (an increase of 7°C).

However, the battery life and temperature of the Galaxy Z Fold5 after the test also indicate the difference between the two One UI versions. Specifically, on One UI 6.0, the Galaxy Z Fold5 experiences a 12% drop in battery, higher than the 10% on One UI 5.1. Similarly, the temperature of the Galaxy Z Fold5 on One UI 6.0 increases more compared to One UI 5.1 (specifically 7°C compared to 5°C). Thus, I conclude that One UI 6.0 may cause the Galaxy Z Fold5 to experience overheating and higher battery drain during certain heavy tasks.

• Gaming Experience on Galaxy Z Fold5 Before and After Updating to One UI 6.0

I've experienced gaming on the Galaxy Z Fold5 before and after updating to One UI 6.0. Overall, the device can handle popular games like Arena of Valor, Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact, providing a smooth gaming experience similar to when I evaluated the Galaxy Z Fold5 at launch (One UI 5.1). However, as mentioned earlier, One UI 6.0 seems to cause the Galaxy Z Fold5 to experience overheating and higher battery drain during heavy tasks such as gaming.

Unfortunately, the Perfdog app (the software I usually use to measure FPS while gaming) still does not support Android 14 in general and One UI 6.0 in particular. Therefore, I couldn't compare the frame rates of the Galaxy Z Fold5 while playing each game. During gaming sessions, I also switched between the outer and inner screens. The result was that none of the games experienced screen aspect ratio distortion (except for Arena of Valor). I'll leave the detailed settings and gameplay videos of each game below for your reference.

- Arena of Valor

 - Call Of Duty Mobile

- PUBG Mobile

- Genshin Impact

In general, I assess that the latest One UI update has somewhat improved the performance of the Galaxy Z Fold5 compared to the previous version. However, the device experiences heating and rapid battery drain during gaming sessions. I hope Samsung can address this with some updates in the future.

Galaxy Z Fold5 updates to One UI 6.0 for shorter battery life than One UI 5.1

As mentioned in the performance section above, the Galaxy Z Fold5 after updating to One UI 6.0 experiences rapid battery drain during heavy tasks like gaming. This also somewhat affects the device's battery life. To give you an idea, I conducted a battery test on the Galaxy Z Fold5 (before and after updating to One UI 6.0) following the standards of Mytour with specific conditions as follows:

• Experience 4 rotating tasks including: Playing Liên Quân (graphics settings as shown below), watching YouTube, scrolling Facebook, and using the Chrome browser.

• Each task lasts for 1 hour.
• A SIM card is inserted into the device.
• Screen brightness set to 100%, refresh rate set to 120 Hz.
• External speaker turned on with 50% volume.
• WiFi and social media notifications enabled.
• Battery saver, adaptive display, GPS, and Bluetooth are turned off.
• Measured from 100% to 0% battery.

The results I obtained are as shown below:

From the comparison table above, we can see that the battery of Galaxy Z Fold5 after updating to One UI 6.0 lasts shorter than the previous version (specifically 7 hours 4 minutes compared to 8 hours 49 minutes). During the battery test, I noticed that the Galaxy Z Fold5 on One UI 6.0 heats up quickly during gaming tasks, which affected the overall battery life.

What's new in Galaxy Z Fold5's One UI 6.0 interface and features?

After updating to One UI 6.0 on the Galaxy Z Fold5, I noticed that the changes in interface and features are almost identical to when I evaluated One UI 6.0 on the Galaxy S23+. I tried out some unique features on the Galaxy Z Fold5 (multitasking, windowing, dock bar, etc.), but everything is not significantly different from the previous One UI version. Therefore, I'll quickly point out some notable changes of One UI 6.0 on the Galaxy Z Fold5. You can leave a comment below if you discover any new features on One UI 6.0!

- Notification panel with intuitive interface

One of the most notable interface changes in One UI 6.0 is the notification panel. As you can see in the comparison images below, the notification panel in One UI 6.0 features white icons and is divided into distinct sections instead of being seamless like in One UI 5.1. This allows me to avoid missing notifications on my phone.

Additionally, the notification panel editing interface on One UI 6.0 is refreshed, allowing me to customize functions at the top or the entire notification panel.

- User Interface Changes with New Font

The overall user interface design of One UI 6.0 has been subtly refined compared to One UI 5.1, with app icons featuring bolder colors. Coupled with this is a new font that appears more robust compared to the slim style in the previous version. This aspect somewhat contributes to making the overall interface of One UI 6.0 look modern and more visually appealing than the previous version.

The difference in the interface of One UI 6.0 compared to the previous version also lies in the Camera app. Specifically, we can easily choose to separate resolution and frame rate on One UI 6.0 instead of fixed options in One UI 5.1.

Additionally, the video recording interface on One UI 6.0 is more intuitive than the old version as the resolution selection section is enlarged along with clear captions.

Moreover, One UI 6.0 also introduces another interesting widget for the Camera app called 'Custom Camera'. Specifically, this widget allows me to quickly activate a specific function of the Camera app right from the phone's home screen. This helps me save more time compared to having to enter the Camera app and select the function I want to use.

- Hidden Game in Settings

When accessing the phone software information section in the Settings app and then continuously tapping on the Android version, the Android 14 logo will appear. However, if you long-press on the Android 14 logo, a hidden game will appear.

Currently, I still don't understand the gameplay mechanism and purpose of this game, but it's a fun little detail in the One UI 6.0 update.

Conclusion

Overall, the Galaxy Z Fold5 after updating to One UI 6.0 has undergone significant changes in terms of interface, features, performance, and battery life. However, the latest One UI version still introduces some minor bugs affecting the user experience of Galaxy Z Fold5 users. Therefore, I advise against rushing to update to One UI 6.0 for the Galaxy Z Fold5 if you prioritize stability.

What do you think about One UI 6.0 on the Galaxy Z Fold5? Leave your comments below for me and everyone else to know! Thank you for your interest and for following my article.

Additionally, you can explore more official Galaxy Z Series foldable devices at attractive prices on Mytour. If you're interested, click the orange button below to learn more.

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Learn more: 

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