Samsung takes ‘thin and light’ to a whole new level with a smartphone-thick
laptop light enough to holdin onehand52 T 3 JULY 2021
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro vs MacBook AirSAMSUNGGALAXY BOOK PROPortabilityand connectivityare king when
it comes to Samsung’slatest ultrabook, with
a franklyridiculous weight of just 0.87kg
and a thickness of less than 12mm when
closed. ere’splenty of competition inthe
ultralightultrabookarena, and the compact
chassisof the Galaxy Book Pro makesit clear
that Samsung is taking aim at competitors
likeAcer’s Swift5 and Dell’s XPS 13.
at impressiveexterior doesn’t mean
that the Galaxy Book Pro isallsizzle and no
steak, fortunately;the hardware specs on
show here demonstrate that this ultrabook
can gotoe-to-toe with bigger laptops. An
11th-generation Intel Core CPU with Xe G7
graphics givesthis laptop a decent amount of
processing oomph, enough to keepup with
other Windows 10 ultrabooks cutfrom
similar cloth.
is is a productivity machine, so it’s not
best cutout for heavylifting like video
editing ortriple-A gaming.at being said,
the i7 version should be able to handlemost
games at lowergraphical settings. e 1080p
AMOLED display – available in13.3-inch or
a pricier 15.6-inch – does look fantastic,
with vibrant coloursand vividcontrast.
It feelsa bit flimsycompared to moredurable machinedaluminium laptopsSamsung fitted severalports onto the
frameof the Pro, including but not limited
to an HDMI out, microSD,USB-A, and a
underbolt 4 USB-C. It’sa relief that
physical connectivitywasn’t sacrificed to
keep the chassis as small as possible, since
Apple’sMacBookAir only has two USB-C
ports and a headphone jack in comparison.
ere’sa conventional Wi-Fi model
available, or 4G LTE ifyou want truly
on-the-go internet. 5G would’ve been a nice
inclusion, but the MacBook Air doesn’t have
any form of mobile internet connectivity
whatsoever,so it’s certainlya point in the
Galaxy Book Pro’s favour.
e battery lifeof this ultrabook is pretty
phenomenal, with usage testsindicatingthat it’seasily capable of going dawn to dusk
without needing a charge. If you do need to
top up, the charger is pleasingly compact
and uses fast-chargevia USB-C.
If you’ve got another Galaxy device,
there’s a bevy of featureshere to take
advantageof. Photos and files canbe synced
with minimum effort,Galaxy Budspair
automatically when the case is opened
nearby, and the laptop caneven use a Galaxy
TabS7 or S7+ as a seamless second screen.
Our main criticism isthatthe Galaxy
Book Pro’s magnesium alloy construction
makesit feel a bit flimsy compared to more
durable machined aluminiumlaptops. e
keyboard and screen hingefeel fine, but that
ultra-low weight means that there’s a little
more flex in the chassis than we’d like. Be
waryof dropping or bending this ultrabook.
Prices vary significantly since there are
severalcustomisation options, from RAM
and drive capacity toprocessor and screen
size.e starting price is £1,099,slightly
higher than the base price of the MacBook
Air, witha £1,449 price tag for thehighest-
spec model.
From £ 1 , 099 ,samsung.com