Samsung unveils four Galaxy Book laptops: two with AMOLED screens, one with RTX 3050 Ti graphics

2021-04-28

Samsung unveiled four different Windows 10 laptops today, each fulfilling a different need. One is a sub-kilogram all-rounder, another brings out the artist in you, the third packs RTX GPU power, the fourth is an affordable yet still capable option.

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro

Portability is the name of the game – the 13.3” model weighs under a kilogram, even the 15.6” model is barely over that. Both are very thin as well. A big part of the appeal of these laptops are their AMOLED displays.

Both panel sizes have the same resolution, 1,920 x 1,080 px. They carry DisplayHDR 500 certifications, meaning they have a wide color gamut and brightness up to 500 nits. Also, it has 120% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut and a fast 0.2 ms response time. You can also toggle sRGB and Adobe RGB modes, depending on your task.

Both laptops are powered by 11th generation Intel Core processors, you can configure them with i3, i5 and i7 CPUs, as well as 8/16/32 GB of LPPDR4X RAM. Storage comes in the form of an NVMe SSD and is up to 1 TB. The i5 and i7 options come with Iris Xe graphics, but there’s an optional GeForce MX450 GPU (note that it adds to the weight and thickness). There are multiple performance modes, including a silent and even a “no fan” mode.

The port selection is pretty decent – even good on the 15.6” model, which has one Thunderbolt 4, one USB-C, one USB-A 3.2, an HDMI port, a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo and a microSD slot. The 13.3” model loses the HDMI port, but gains an optional nano-SIM slot.

This is because it has optional 4G LTE connectivity, for that that want to be always online. It and the 15.6” model are Wi-Fi 6E Ready for fast local connections. Additional goodies include AKG-tuned audio with Dolby Atmos support, a 720p webcam and a fingerprint reader on the power key.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 13.3” weighs 0.87kg (0.88kg if you want LTE) or about 1.9 lbs. It measures only 11.2mm thick and comes with a 63Wh battery.

The 15.6” model weighs 1.05 kg (2.3 lbs) and is 11.7mm thick. It has a slightly larger 68Wh battery. In both cases the laptops are charged over USB-C with a small 65W adapter (it weighs 167g).

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro360

If you want a touchscreen or plan to use a stylus (an S Pen, of course), this is the one to get. It comes in 13.3” and 15.6” versions, but the Super AMOLED display supports both touch and stylus input. They have the same 1080p resolution (16:9) and DisplayHDR 500 certification (i.e. 500 nits brightness). The S Pen is included in the box, by the way.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro360 13.3” also offers optional 5G connectivity, the 15.6” one again misses out. Both are Wi-Fi 6E Ready. For wired connections you get a Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB-C ports, a 3.5 mm headphone/microphone jack and a microSD slot. The 5G laptops have a nano-SIM slot too.

Like the other Pro, these are powered by Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 11th gen processors. The i5 and i7 options have Iris Xe graphics, there’s no option for an Nvidia MX450 here. The 13.3” model can be configured with 8GB or 16GB of RAM, the larger 15.6” model also offers a 32GB option. NVMe SSD storage goes up to 1TB.

The batteries are the same, 63Wh on the small one and 65Wh on the large one, both charged over USB-C at 65W. The AKG audio with Dolby Atmos, 720p webcam and fingerprint reader are available here too.

The 13.3” model weighs 1.04kg for the Wi-Fi model and 1.1kg for the 5G option (2.3-2.4 lbs), the 15.6” one is 1.39kg (3 lbs). The thickness is about the same on both, 11.5mm for the small laptop and 11.7mm for the large one.

Both Galaxy Book models are MIL-STD-810G rated, with tests for low and high pressure, vibration, dust humidity and even salt spray. Also, these two are part of the Intel Evo program, a mark of quality that also includes features like instant wake, “best-in-class” connectivity and long battery life.

Samsung Galaxy Book Odyssey

If you need performance more than portability, the Odyssey has it in spades. It’s still fairly easy to carry around, this 15.6” laptop weighs 1.85kg (4.1lbs) and measures 17.7mm thick. This is with a larger 83Wh battery, which gets a beefier charger too, 135W (USB-C).

The extra juice is needed to feed the Nvidia GPU – you can pick between a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Max-Q and a vanilla 3050 Max-Q. This is in addition to an 11th gen Intel Core i5 or i7 (no i3 this time around).

You can get the laptop from the store with 8/16/32GB of LPDDR4X RAM and an NVMe SSD up to 1TB. But since this is a practical model, you can put in your own RAM and there’s a second NVMe slot for more storage.

Connectivity is great too, at least as far as ports go. You get two USB-C ports, three USB-A 3.2, an HDMI, headphone/mic jack, a microSD slot, a security slot and even an RJ45 if you want to hook into LAN. There’s no 4G/5G option here, but you do get Wi-Fi 6 (no 6E this time).

The 15.6” display is a TFT LCD with 1,920 x 1080px resolution.

Samsung Galaxy Book

This is the basic model of the series, but it is still quite capable. If you don’t need that RTX GPU and don’t want to pay for an AMOLED display, the vanilla Galaxy Book is the one to look at.

It has a 15.6 LCD TFT display (1080p resolution) and Intel 11th gen Core i3/i5/i7 processor. There will be more affordable versions with a Pentium Gold and even a Celeron processor too.

RAM (LPPDR4X) starts at 4GB with 8GB and 16GB upgrades available. You can get a single NVMe SSD up to 512GB, but you can add a second SSD. You can have a GeForce MX450 GPU if you want it.

This model is still reasonably thin and light, measuring 15.4mm and 1.55kg (3.4lbs), respectively. The 54Wh battery charges over USB-C at 65W. The audio setup misses out on AKG’s touch, but you still get Dolby Atmos. The fingerprint reader on the power button is optional.

Unlike the Odyssey, this one has LTE to go along with Wi-Fi 6. The port selection is great too, with two USB-C, two USB-A 3.2, an HDMI, a combo jack, security slot, plus microSD and nano-SIM slots.