Samsung is ready to take its Ultra brand to the final frontier, at least when it comes to its mobile products. After introducing an Ultra variant of its tablets last year, the company will launch a high-spec model of its Galaxy Book laptops in 2023. Alongside the new S23 series of flagship phones, Samsung launched the Galaxy Book 3 Pro, Galaxy Book 3 Pro. 360 and Galaxy Book 3 Ultra at its Unpacked event in San Francisco today.
The Ultra and Pro 360 are only available in 16-inch, while the Galaxy Book 3 Pro comes in 14- and 16-inch sizes. I was able to check out a few at a recent hands-on event, though Samsung didn’t have all the models available. Rather than detailing each configuration, I’ll focus here on my impressions of the Book 3 Ultra. For the full breakdown of the other six laptops, check out our news post for full specs.
Overall, the Galaxy Book 3 lineup is pretty straightforward. They are powered by 13th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, with Iris X graphics and up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. The Pro 360 is the only touch-capable model, and Samsung has redesigned its display to remove a layer of the panel while still supporting touch. All models have dynamic 3K AMOLED displays that run at 120Hz and can be as bright as 400 nits.
The star of the show, however, is the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, and it’s a beast of a machine. It uses Intel’s Core i7 and i9 processors, and these are paired with NVIDIA’s RTX 4050 and 4070 graphics cards respectively. The i7 model comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM while the i9 configuration has 32GB.
Despite such a powerful gut, the Book 3 Ultra is an impressively thin and light laptop, weighing in at 1.79kg (3.9lbs) and measuring 16.5mm (0.64in) thin. It’s not as light as the LG Gram Style I saw at CES, which weighs just 1.2kg, but the latter doesn’t offer RTX 30-series graphics. Samsung’s laptop also felt more premium and sturdy than the Gram , which could be thanks to its aluminum frame, although I have to say that LG’s machines at least have a distinctive style. Galaxy Books are starting to look boring, with the same MacBook design they’ve had for years. Like the Galaxy S23 phones, parts of the Book 3 series were built from recycled plastics from discarded fishing nets.
The Book Ultra is more robust than the other Book 3s, but it also offers a wide range of ports including HDMI, microSD, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C sockets, a USB-A slot and a 3.5mm audio jack . Like most laptops with a 16-inch screen, the Ultra also has a wide keyboard, and its trackpad is positively huge. I wish the buttons had a bit more travel, but typing on the Book Ultra was comfortable enough. It’s no ThinkPad, but it’ll do the job.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
I wasn’t able to test much else on the Galaxy Book 3 as we had limited time to check a bunch of devices. The few apps I opened, such as Notepad and Control Panel, launched quickly, but I can’t say that’s a good measure of performance.
I also wish I could have checked out the 1080p webcam or new features like the upgraded quad speaker system and smartphone-to-PC connectivity tools like recent websites and instant hotspot via the Microsoft phone link. In theory, though, signing in to your Samsung account on the Book Ultra and your Galaxy smartphone should let you seamlessly move a web page from your phone to your computer. Samsung Multi Control now supports Galaxy smartphones so you can use your laptop, tablet and phone with a keyboard and trackpad
Computer manufacturers have been creating software that makes connecting your phone and computer less annoying for years. While tools like this get better over time, it will be interesting to see how useful Samsung’s offering will be in the real world. Frankly, the most intriguing thing about the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is what Samsung has been able to cram into such a slim frame. The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra will be available on February 17 starting at $2,400, but you’ll have to wait until we can test it to determine how it compares to the competition in performance and battery life before you lose your money.
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