Device compatibility
Does the Galaxy Z Fold 6 support eSIM?
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is what decides whether a travel eSIM installs, not the Samsung name on the box. Storage, radio and market variant all change from one model to the next, so every figure below was checked on this model.
5
Profiles stored
2
Active at the same time
2024
Released
40
Seconds to install, median
What the Galaxy Z Fold 6 does with a travel eSIM
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 folds, which changes nothing about the profile. The eSIM lives in the modem rather than the screen, so the install and the settings path are the same as any other handset in this range.
Installing writes the profile. Nothing is spent until it attaches to a network at the destination, so an install three weeks early costs exactly the same as one at the gate. Do it at home, on wifi, while you still have a connection to fix anything.
Storage and active lines
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 holds 5 profiles, which is at the low end of everything we have checked. Delete the dead profiles from old trips before you install, or the sheet will simply refuse.
Active is how many lines run at the same time, and on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 that is 2. Storage is how many profiles sit on the device waiting, and that is the number that runs out without warning.
Each destination's line installs in one tap from the Orbislo app, and while it is valid every refill lands on that same line. Most of Europe runs on a single line, so a trip through several neighbouring countries takes one slot rather than one per country.
- Home line: calls and texts, so bank codes still arrive on your usual number.
- Orbislo line: mobile data, with roaming switched on.
- Automatic data switching: off, or the phone borrows the expensive line in a tunnel.
5G on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and where it will not appear
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 5G radio and the travel profile uses it. Where a partner network runs 5G, you get 5G, on the same profile and at no extra cost.
88 of our 197 destinations are 4G only on the networks we buy from. On those the icon reads LTE whatever the handset can do, and no setting changes it.
Speed belongs to the network rather than to the profile.
What goes wrong on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the fix
Data roaming has to be switched on for this line. Your profile is issued outside the country you are standing in, so the device treats every attachment as roaming. Leave it off and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 finds a network and then refuses to use it.
If the profile will not download at all, the order refunds automatically inside 60 seconds, with no ticket. Install again from the same order, because the profile is reissued to your account rather than lost.
On this device the sequence is Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, the Orbislo line, Roaming on. Then set Orbislo as the SIM for mobile data and turn off automatic data switching.
- No service on the Orbislo line: roaming is off on that line.
- Connected but nothing loads: mobile data still points at the home line.
- Works, then stops after an hour: automatic data switching moved you back.
- Still searching: airplane mode on for 20 seconds, off, then restart.
Your SIM tray, and tethering
Your physical SIM stays exactly where it is. Adding an eSIM does not touch the tray, does not wipe the card and does not need it taken out. Remove it and you lose your own number, which is the opposite of the point.
Tethering is included on every Orbislo plan at no extra charge. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 can share the travel data with a laptop, a tablet or a watch, and nothing behind the hotspot needs a profile of its own.
What an Orbislo plan does once it is installed
Data never expires. A gigabyte you do not use in Lisbon is still there in Bangkok next year, metered plans have no throttle, and every customer gets 100 MB of free rescue data once a month on the line in use when the balance runs out. Unlimited runs full speed to 2 GB a day and then 1 Mbps.
One balance pays in all 197 destinations, and most of Europe runs on a single line, so a rail trip through three neighbouring countries is one install and one balance rather than three of each. Refills arrive on the line you already have, with no new plan or expiry date. Where a destination has more than one partner network, the line can move between them without you touching a setting.
How to install a travel eSIM on the Galaxy Z Fold 6
- Open the Orbislo app and tap Install
- Confirm the eSIM download prompt
- Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, select Orbislo
- Turn on Roaming and set Orbislo as the SIM for mobile data
Data roaming sounds like it will cost you money. On the Orbislo line it cannot, because it is how that line reaches partner networks abroad and there is no charge beyond the data you already bought.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 at a glance
| Specification | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| Takes an eSIM | Yes |
| Profiles stored | 5 |
| Active at the same time | 2 |
| 5G on partner networks | Yes, where the network runs it |
| Physical SIM tray | Yes, and it keeps working |
| Voice on the travel line | Data only |
| Tethering | Included, no extra charge |
Stored is how many profiles the device keeps. Active is how many run at the same time. Checked on this model rather than assumed from the brand.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 eSIM questions
Does the Galaxy Z Fold 6 support eSIM?
How many eSIMs can the Galaxy Z Fold 6 hold?
Will I lose my own number?
Do I have to turn roaming on?
Can I install before I fly?
Does tethering work on the Galaxy Z Fold 6?
Pick the destination, then install its line in one tap
Take the metered wallet for maps and messaging, because the balance never expires. Take unlimited if you tether a laptop or stream, and read the 2 GB a day figure before you do.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 by market
- Singapore (SM-F956B): The Galaxy Z Fold6 sold by Samsung Singapore, model SM-F956B, takes two nano-SIM cards and also has an eSIM. It can run as two physical SIMs, one SIM plus one eSIM, or two eSIMs, so a travel eSIM fits alongside a home SIM card or a home eSIM.
- Hong Kong (SM-F9560): Samsung Hong Kong lists its Galaxy Z Fold6, model SM-F9560, with two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM. A travel eSIM cannot be added to this version, so owners of a Hong Kong Fold6 need a physical SIM card at their destination.
- Canada (SM-F956W): The Canadian Galaxy Z Fold6 is model SM-F956W. It lists LTE bands 29, 30 and 71 and 5G band n71 for North American networks, and Samsung Canada does not show 5G band n28 for it.
- United States (SM-F956U, SM-F956U1): The United States Galaxy Z Fold6 is sold as SM-F956U through carriers and SM-F956U1 unlocked. It is the version that adds mmWave 5G, on bands n257, n258, n260 and n261, on top of its sub-6 GHz 5G bands.
Networks on the Galaxy Z Fold 6
- The Singapore Galaxy Z Fold6 covers 5G bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n26, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n77 and n78, all sub-6 GHz., with no mmWave listed.
- The Hong Kong Fold6, SM-F9560, is the only version Samsung lists with 5G band n79 and LTE band 34, alongside n28, n77 and n78. Its 5G is sub-6 GHz only, and both of its lines must be physical SIM cards.
- The Canadian Fold6 lists 5G bands n25, n66 and n71 but not n12, n26, n28 or n40. It still lists n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n77 and n78, so a Canadian Fold6 keeps sub-6 GHz 5G on many networks abroad.
- Samsung Germany notes that a Galaxy Z Fold6 first sold in Germany does not use LTE TDD bands in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland or the Czech Republic. The German model also lists LTE band 32 and 5G band n75.
- Samsung confirms that the Galaxy Z Fold6 can store several eSIM profiles and that every variant supports 5G. A traveller can keep a travel eSIM saved between trips and switch it on again when needed.
- At launch Samsung described the Galaxy Z Fold6 SIM set-up as up to two nano-SIMs and Multi eSIM, adding that eSIM availability depends on software version, region and carrier.
Worth knowing about the Galaxy Z Fold 6
- Samsung supports the Galaxy Z Fold6 with seven generations of Android OS upgrades and seven years of security updates, counted from its global launch date. It launched on Android 14 with One UI 6.1.1.
- The Galaxy Z Fold6 is on Samsung's current list of devices that receive monthly security updates, which bundle Google's Android patches with fixes for Samsung-specific issues.
- Samsung lists the Galaxy Z Fold6 among its eSIM devices, with the warning that eSIM may not be supported on some units depending on the country of origin.
- A travel eSIM goes onto the Fold6 through Settings, Connections, SIM manager, then Add eSIM. Choose Scan QR code for the code from your provider, or tap Enter activation code if you were sent a text code instead.
- eSIM Instant Transfer moves a number from an older Galaxy or Android phone onto the Fold6 without a call to the carrier. The Fold6 has to be unlocked for the transfer to go through, and the carrier must take part.
- To change the physical SIM on a Galaxy Z Fold6, Samsung says to lay the phone flat with the screen face down and the cameras facing up before ejecting the tray, as a tray pushed in badly can bend or break.
- Interpreter on the Galaxy Z Fold6 has a conversation mode that shows the translation on both the main and the cover screen, so the person opposite can read it. It needs a Samsung Account, and some languages need a download.
What the Galaxy Z Fold 6 holds
- eSIM profiles it can store
- 5
- Active at the same time
- 2
- Released
- 2024
- Form factor
- Foldable
- Network generation
- 5G capable where the network carries it
- Physical SIM tray
- Has a tray as well as eSIM
How the Galaxy Z Fold 6 compares with other Samsung models
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S23, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy S22
- Galaxy S22, 2022, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy S21
- Galaxy S21, 2021, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy Z Flip 6
- Galaxy Z Flip 6, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 5, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy A55
- Galaxy A55, 2024, stores 5, 2 active