Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 Surprises with New Features
Samsung's latest foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, comes with some unexpected features that weren't heavily promoted during its launch. Two standout additions are the Live Effect feature and a hidden desktop mode, both of which expand the device's functionality in interesting ways.
Live Effect: Bringing Photos to Life
One UI 6.1.1, which debuts on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, introduces a feature called Live Effect. This AI-powered tool transforms 2D photos of people or pets into short parallax videos, creating a sense of depth and movement. Here's how it works:
- The system separates the foreground subject from the background
- It fills in any gaps in the background left by the extraction
- Depth information is inferred from the original image
- The foreground and background are projected into 3D space
- A virtual camera moves slightly to create the parallax effect
Users can easily apply Live Effect to their photos through the Samsung Gallery app and set the resulting videos as dynamic wallpapers for their lock screen or cover display.
Hidden Desktop Mode: Not Quite DeX
While Samsung has officially stated that the Z Flip series doesn't support DeX due to thermal concerns, the Z Flip 6 appears to have a hidden desktop mode. Here's what we know:
- It can be enabled by turning on the force desktop mode option in One UI 6.1.1 settings
- When connected to an external display, it presents a desktop-style UI
- The experience falls between Android's basic desktop mode and full Samsung DeX
- It supports multi-window functionality, allowing users to resize and move app windows
- Currently, the feature is somewhat buggy and lacks a taskbar
It's unclear whether Samsung plans to refine this hidden desktop mode in future updates.
Availability and Compatibility
Live Effect is currently exclusive to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, but Samsung has announced plans to bring it to other devices, including:
- Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5
- Galaxy S22, S23, and S24 series
- Galaxy S23 FE
- Galaxy Tab S8 and S9 series
The hidden desktop mode appears to be specific to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 for now.
These new features demonstrate Samsung's ongoing efforts to enhance the functionality and appeal of its foldable devices, even if they weren't the headline attractions during the product launch.
Update: Wednesday July 24 16:06
The hidden desktop mode on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is currently in an early, somewhat buggy state. Users may encounter issues such as split-screen functionality displaying on the phone instead of the external screen, and non-functional window maximize/minimize buttons. Overall, this unofficial desktop mode is less capable than the official DeX experience. While it offers a glimpse into potential future functionality for Samsung's compact foldables, it's unclear whether the company plans to refine this feature for the Z Flip line in upcoming updates.
