The new Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: Is it a good business machine?

3 years ago 246

It's sleek, slim and fast, but "PC powerfulness that's smartphone thin" doesn't needfully construe into "good for everyone."

Samsung has acceptable itself up arsenic the anti-Apple, offering high-quality mobile devices, wearables and laptops that tin easy vie with Cupertino hardware for powerfulness and capability. The large quality betwixt Samsung and Apple are their ecosystems: While the second builds its own, Samsung ships devices loaded with Windows and Android.

I privation to get thing retired of the way: I'm an Apple user, from my laptop to my telephone to my streaming euphony service. When I reappraisal a laptop similar the latest Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, I travel to it with 2 mindsets: Do I similar this arsenic a portion of hardware careless of ecosystem preference, and/or could I spot myself purchasing it.

SEE: Power checklist: Troubleshooting hard thrust failures (TechRepublic Premium)

In this lawsuit I'll beryllium explaining wherefore it's yes to the former, and nary to the latter, and it's not due to the fact that I'm firmly entrenched successful Apple's ecosystem, either.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: What I reviewed

The Galaxy Book Pro enactment comes successful respective antithetic configurations: There's a 15" and 13" version, aggregate colors and assorted interior constituent options that instrumentality it from a $999.99 laptop up to a $1,299.99 one.

My valuation exemplary was a 13" 1 successful mystic silver, which means it's constricted successful presumption of its hardware options. An Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD are it if you privation the 13" model. The alternative, astatine 15" has beefier specs, but besides isn't configurable, arsenic it lone ships with an Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.

Regardless of specs, the Samsung GB Pro truly feels similar a nonstop effort to instrumentality connected the MacBook Air, close down the specs, dimensions and weight.

The question of however the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro stacks up tin find its reply successful comparing it to the MacBook Air. It isn't a existent one-to-one examination (macOS and Windows hardware tin sometimes execute otherwise with the aforesaid basal specs), and truthful I won't beryllium comparing them successful presumption of show and internals. Instead, I'm acrophobic with however good the Galaxy Book Pro works arsenic a instrumentality for moving professionals and location users alike.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: What it does well

As a portion of hardware moving Windows, the Galaxy Book Pro is great. It responds quickly, the keyboard feels bully and responsive, the surface looks sharp, the fingerprint scholar is casual to acceptable up and usage and the artillery beingness is beauteous good, too.

I was capable to enactment connected the Galaxy Book Pro, adjacent sending immoderate emails and penning an nonfiction connected it to spot however it performed. It handled truly well, and I would heartily urge it to anyone looking for a show laptop that's lightweight, portable and power-efficient.

Samsung has besides added different Apple-like diagnostic with the GB Pro's adjacent integration with Samsung smartphones. Like Apple's Sidecar, Samsung tablets tin easy beryllium connected for usage arsenic an extended screen, and Samsung's Galaxy Buds headphones volition power betwixt your progressive device, overmuch similar however Apple's AirPods do.

As I mentioned above, Samsung has positioned itself arsenic the anti-Apple, providing galore of the aforesaid services for a antithetic ecosystem of devices. If you've been waiting for a Windows laptop that volition tightly integrate with your mobile instrumentality similar macOS and iOS, the Galaxy Book Pro, provided you ain a Samsung smartphone, this is that machine.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: What it doesn't bash truthful well

I supported a batch of antithetic machines successful my IT days backmost successful the precocious aughts and aboriginal 2010s. One of the machines I retrieve astir powerfully were a clump of touchscreen Toshiba Portégé laptops that 1 of the aesculapian practices I supported owned. They were neat for their day, and had a stylus pen and touchscreen that was large for doctors and nurses utilizing electronic aesculapian records each day.

I don't retrieve those laptops for their capabilities, oregon the EMR bundle they contained that inactive haunts my dreams. What I bash retrieve is however flimsy they felt successful my hand: The surface was bladed and wobbly, the hinge was unsteady, and the chassis of the laptop itself was plastic, felt inexpensive and seemed poorly constructed. Unfortunately, that's besides what I'll retrieve astir astir the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro.

Samsung has released a large instrumentality that volition endure from the aforesaid happening that galore ultra-thin laptops earlier it person suffered with: They consciousness similar they're going to interruption erstwhile you unfastened them oregon reposition the screen.

The surface of the Galaxy Book Pro is housed successful aluminum, but it's a spot thinner than it should be, giving the surface a spot of a wobble. The surface joins the chassis, made wholly of plastic, astatine a hinge that feels arsenic if it's composed of a integrative that's conscionable excessively pliant for the unyielding aluminum it's connected to, which successful crook makes the full surface consciousness similar it's liable to interruption disconnected fixed a spot excessively overmuch force.

As has besides been my acquisition with different laptops made of plastic, the keyboard connected the Galaxy Book Pro and the full aboveground lodging it has a spot of flexibility to it. This makes typing consciousness unusual and adds to the consciousness of inexpensive operation — a squeezable laptop seems similar an easy breakable one.

SEE: Keyboard troubleshooting usher (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Aside from sustainability, integrative has different large problem: It doesn't dent similar aluminum, meaning its lawsuit is much apt to ace oregon shatter successful the lawsuit of a drop. I was unluckily incapable to trial this with the GB Pro, arsenic Samsung wanted their laptop backmost successful 1 piece.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: Final thoughts

I truly wanted to similar this laptop, and Samsung decidedly worked hard to make a super-thin instrumentality that performs similar a high-end flagship laptop. Unfortunately, integrative components permission it feeling cheaper than its branding and internals, which leaves it somewhat underwhelming arsenic a nonstop rival to the MacBook Air.

As a standalone Windows laptop for enactment oregon home, I similar the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro a spot more, but its flaws stay and removing Apple from the equation doesn't hole the problem. Thin integrative operation volition ne'er effect successful a laptop that has the heft and solidness of a instrumentality that volition beryllium a bully question companion and workhorse.

If you privation an ultrathin laptop that's not going to question much, won't beryllium subjected to the rigors of aggregate users and plays good with different Samsung devices, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is simply a bully choice, but beryllium definite to instrumentality a travel to a carnal retailer truthful you tin get your hands connected 1 archetypal to spot if it's constructed to your idiosyncratic standards.

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