Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Review, Price, availability, Design, Performance, Battery life
Has Samsung finally made a MacBook competitor?
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Full Blog Review
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Review
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Price
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro availability
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Design
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Performance
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Battery life
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro buy
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is a powerful and well-designed ultrabook that comes with a state-of-the-art Intel processor, Wi-Fi 6, and immense battery life. It's expensive, but you're getting a great laptop—and it's a great option for those with other Samsung devices.
GOOD
- Incredible battery life
- Thin and light
- Very good performance
- Good integration with Samsung smartphones
BAD
- Expensive
- Lots of bloatware
- Design is a little on the boring side
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Review
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is the latest flagship from almost all the victorious electronics giants. We say 'almost', while Samsung dominates in many areas including smartphones, TVs, and storage, to name just a few, it hasn't had the same level of success with laptops.
However, with the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, it's clear that the company wants to change that, and has created a stylish high-end laptop that packs Intel's latest 11th-generation processors. In fact, like the HP Specter x360 (2021) and Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020), the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is an Intel Evo-certified laptop.
Intel Evo platforms are designed to deliver a certain level of performance, so they must have 11th generation processors, wake up from sleep in less than a second, Thunderbolt for super-fast data transfer speeds Offer 4 ports and deliver more than nine hours of battery life. . The idea is that if you buy a laptop with the Intel Evo badge on the box, you should know you're getting a pretty impressive performer. Then no pressure.
With the high-end new Intel CPUs and Samsung's 'Galaxy' branding that the company reserves for its flagship products, it will come as no surprise to know that the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is an expensive laptop. For the 15.6-inch model we review here, you're looking at a minimum of $1,199.99 / £1,099 (about AU$2,000). This is a big part of the change in one's standards.
- Samsung Galaxy Book Pro on Amazon $1,482.58
The good news is that overall the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro justifies the price. The design isn't the most exciting, but it's impressively slim and light - weighing in at just 1.05kg. This makes it a great laptop to take out, as you can stash it in your bag or backpack and you'll hardly notice it there.
There's a decent array of ports, including a microSD card slot, which puts it ahead of other professional laptops that sacrifice ports for a thinner and lighter design. The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro proves that you don't have to make that kind of compromise.
The general performance is pretty good with the 11th generation processor and ample RAM, so you can run Windows 10 and any app you like with ease. Without dedicated graphics, it's not going to play many AAA games or handle intense graphical workloads, but you won't buy it anyway.
What it really excels at, though, is with the battery life. In our tests, it lasted 14 to 16 hours, depending on what you're using it for. That's a remarkable amount of time, and it means you can happily work for an entire workday without worrying about plugging it in.
It's so good that it elevates the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro from a good laptop to an excellent laptop. If you're after a solid laptop for working out and about, its lightweight design and epic battery life are going to go a long way toward justifying its high price.
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, along with other Samsung 'Galaxy' products, is a flagship device, and that means it comes with a steep price tag. The base model, with a 13.3-inch 1080p AMOLED screen, Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, is priced at $999.99.
In the UK, you can get a similar spec, but with a 512GB SSD, for £1,099. It doesn't look like the Galaxy Book Pro is currently available in Australia, but these prices will be around AU$2,000.
In the US, the 512GB SSD model costs $1,199.99.
There's also a 15.6-inch model with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage that starts at $1,099.99 / £1,199 (about AU$2,200).
So, this is a high-end laptop with a price to match. The asking price means it goes up against more expensive laptops like the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020). These are formidable adversaries from more established laptop makers, so the Galaxy Book Pro definitely has its work cut out for it.
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: SPEC SHEET
Here is the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 (quad-core, 8MB Intel Smart Cache, up to 4.7GHz with Turbo Boost)
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR4x
- Screen: 13.3-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) touch
- Storage: 512GB SSD (PCIe, NVMe, M.2)
- Ports: 1x USB-A 3.2, USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, USB-C microSD card reader, HDMI, combo audio jack
- Connectivity: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX (2x2), Bluetooth 5.1
- Camera: 720p
- Weight: 2.3 pounds (1.05kg)
- Size: 13.9 x 8.89 x 0.46 inches (355.4 x 225.8 x 11.7 mm; W x D x H)
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Design
Samsung's Galaxy phones are known for being some of the best-looking handsets out there, and the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is another attractive device from the company. It's sleek and slim, with dimensions of 304.4 x 199.8 x 11.2mm for the 13.3-inch model and 355.4 x 225.8 x 11.7mm for the 15-inch model we review here.
The weight is also impressively light, with the 15.6-inch model weighing in at just 1.05kg, which is surprisingly light for a 15-inch laptop, and means you can easily lift it with one hand. It should also slip easily into your bag or rucksack, and you'll hardly know it's there.
These days, many of us are working and learning remotely, and need to be flexible with where we work (and sometimes when we work), which means That a thin and light laptop is incredibly useful, and the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro ticks those boxes well.
The color scheme is 'Mystic Silver' with a metallic colored lid, while the rest of the body is white. That's cool, but we wouldn't say the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is the best-looking laptop one can buy right now. That doesn't mean it's ugly — far from it — but there's just so much competition from the likes of the stunning HP Elite Dragonfly G2 that it's hard to stand out as a good-looking laptop these days.
Nevertheless, if we take the 'Pro' part of the name as an indication that the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is designed as a business laptop, then the overall design will certainly appeal to those who want to use such a device. Looking for equipment that you can use in an office or take out in a meeting.
The thin bezels around the 15.6-inch screen give the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro a modern look, especially compared to the MacBook Pro, and mean Samsung is able to add a larger screen without making the laptop's overall size too large. Is.
The dimensions provide enough space for a full-size keyboard with large, easy-to-hit keys. There's a fair bit of travel on them, so typing and working on the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is comfortable. It also includes a Numpad, a handy addition that is often not included in laptops due to space restrictions.
On the top right corner above the numeral, pad sits a button that turns on the laptop and is also used to scan your fingerprint to log into Windows 10 securely. There's no icon on the button, but it's highlighted with a silver surround, which is a nice, minimal way to differentiate this key from the rest.
There's a large trackpad under the keyboard that's responsive and easy to use. It's good to see Samsung taking advantage of the 15.6-inch laptop's large form factor to make the keyboard and touchpad as large and comfortable as possible.
Even with its slimline design, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro has a decent selection of ports, which is always important for a business laptop. On the left are an HDMI port and two USB-C ports.
On the right, there's an audio jack, a USB-A port (useful for older USB devices), and a microSD card slot. We are always happy to see card slots in laptops, especially one that is aimed at professionals. It's a really useful thing, especially for photographers, for example, who won't need to plug in an extra dongle or adapter. As with the Numpad on the keyboard, it's a feature often left out of laptops, so it's good to see the Samsung stick with it. The port selection certainly puts the MacBook Pro to shame, which comes with just two or four (depending on configuration) USB-C ports.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro's design is understated, yet offers pretty much everything you could want in a laptop for work these days. It's impressively thin and light, the screen is large and not dwarfed by the bulky bezel, has plenty of ports, and the keyboard and trackpad are large and comfortable. It might not be the most exciting design, but this is a laptop designed to deliver, not excite.
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: Performance
As an Intel Evo laptop, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro needs to deliver a certain level of performance and includes offering a battery life of over nine hours, while waking from sleep in less than a second. and offering 40% better performance than the other two. Year old laptop.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro certainly offers great performance out of a laptop at this price point. Not only is it thin and light, but Windows 10 runs smoothly and boots up quickly. During our time with the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, it ran several apps and websites with ease.
The keyboard's big keys and a large and vibrant screen made it easy to work with on the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro as well.
The model we are reviewing here comes with Intel Core i7-1165G7, a powerful quad-core processor with a maximum frequency of 4.7Ghz. Paired with 16GB of RAM, this results in a speedy laptop that is ideal for day-to-day workloads. This may be overkill for people who just want a laptop for browsing the Internet or streaming video, but you can load a bunch of programs if you want a few, and they start up and run quickly. Well, it's a really cool machine to do just that.
There's no dedicated graphics, but the integrated Intel Iris XE graphics provide very good performance. While you won't be able to play the latest AAA games on it (although older or some newer retro or indie titles are possible), it's good enough for photo and video editing, and it helps contribute to Samsung's overall performance. Galaxy Book Pro.
The screen is bright and vibrant, and with the 15.6-inch version, you get enough room to play. The speakers aren't as impressive, though, sounding a bit thin at normal volumes, and distorted when loud enough. This is probably a symptom of the slim and lightweight design of the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, as it means there isn't enough room to house better-quality speakers. They work, but if you want to listen to music (or you want a laptop for video and music editing), you'll want to plug in some external speakers.
The fingerprint scanner, which is used to log into Windows 10, worked great during our time with the laptop, logging us in quickly and without any fuss every time. Sadly, this is not always the case with other Windows 10 laptops.
One of the biggest selling points of the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is its ability to integrate with other Samsung products, especially smartphones and the Galaxy Buds' truly wireless headphones. We tried the laptop with a variety of Samsung devices, including the Galaxy Buds, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and Samsung Galaxy S21+, and the integration was good, but with a few caveats.
For a start, while Samsung is trying to make the integration between its devices as seamless as Apple's (with iPhones, Macs, and Airpods), it doesn't really manage it, but it's entirely Samsung's way. Not a mistake.
While Apple has complete control over its hardware and software, Samsung does not. So, connecting your Samsung phone, for example, involves using Android (by Google) and Windows (by Microsoft) and signing in to multiple accounts, including your Samsung account. Meanwhile, the Photo Sync option, which lets you view photos on your phone in Windows on a laptop, uses Microsoft's OneDrive service.
It's not a deal-breaker, but it makes the whole thing less cohesive than the way Apple works, where you only need one Apple ID account, and the process is pretty straightforward.
Samsung has also pre-installed many of its apps on the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro. These apps like Samsung Gallery and Samsung Notes will be familiar to everyone who has a Samsung phone or tablet, as they are the ones that come pre-installed on those devices. This brings a little more uniformity between the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro and its smartphone and tablet counterparts and also means you can sync items between them.
However, the Windows 10 versions of these apps suffer from the same issues that the mobile ones do, as Windows 10 comes with perfectly good apps, like Note Pad and Photos, that perform similar functions. Sure, they don't sync automatically with Samsung devices, but it does make the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro feel like it's preloaded with unnecessary tools.
On Samsung smartphones, it's a similar situation, and many people may wonder what is meant by Samsung Gallery, for example, when Google Photos does essentially the same thing. It's clear why Samsung has done this - it wants people to use its apps, not Google or Microsoft's, but many users may not be impressed - especially if they don't even have a Samsung smartphone or tablet.
Samsung's disappointing decision to pre-install a trial of McAfee Anti-Virus on the Galaxy Book Pro makes little sense. Once the free trial ends, you're harassed with a big, dreaded pop-up in red that says you're at risk - until you click 'Stay safe' and Don't subscribe to McAfee.
It's a pretty messy practice, and while it's high on McAfee and its intimidating strategy to get people to subscribe, Samsung isn't innocent as it has decided to include it. These pre-installed tests are usually paid for by the software manufacturer, so it can help smaller brands of budget laptops sell for less money the laptop maker can recover from these deals. However, with a brand as big as Samsung and a laptop as expensive as the Galaxy Book Pro, it's hard to justify. Shame.
Thankfully, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is so powerful that even with these pre-installed apps, the performance doesn't suffer.
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: Webcam and microphone
In this day and age, it is essential to have a good quality webcam and microphone in a laptop, as many of us are increasingly using video calls to keep in touch with friends and family, working remotely, or Huh.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro comes with a 720p webcam, which is a bit disappointing, as we see a growing number of premium laptops adding 1080p webcams. For example, one of the biggest rivals to the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, the Dell XPS 13, has a 1080p webcam, and the difference in quality is very noticeable.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro's webcam works, but the lower resolution means the image loses detail. Not the end of the world, but a clean and crisp image looks more professional in business meetings and can make you look more natural in personal video calls, which can really make a difference when you're video calling with loved ones half a world away are doing.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro's built-in microphone also works but isn't excellent. When buying a laptop at this price, you'll want a little more 'wow' factor with both.
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: Battery life
However, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is definitely good when it comes to battery life. As an Intel Evo laptop, it needs to offer at least nine hours, but we found it went far beyond that.
In our own battery life benchmark, which involves playing a looped 1080p video at 50% screen brightness, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro lasted a pretty impressive 16 hours and 49 minutes.
This is a great result for a laptop of this power and puts many of its competitors to shame. We also found that during our time with the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, we were able to work comfortably throughout the workday without having to charge the laptop.
The PC Mark 10 benchmark, which mimics more intensive workloads like video calling and web browsing, also showed how good the battery life is, with the Galaxy Book Pro lasting 13 hours and 38 minutes. Again, this means you can work comfortably all day without worrying about plugging it in.
Battery life is one of the most important considerations for people when buying a new laptop, so the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro being so impressive can seriously impress people.
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