Samsung Galaxy Book (2021) review: An enticing new arrival

Our Verdict

With its speedy performance and sub-$i,000 price, the Samsung Milky way Book impresses, merely lacks the battery life and brandish to truly stand out.

For

Astonishing Intel 11th Gen performance
Sleek design
Proficient multifariousness of ports
Decent keyboard

Confronting

Poor touchpad
Dull brandish
Terrible webcam
No backlit keys

Laptop Mag Verdict

With its speedy performance and sub-$ane,000 toll, the Samsung Milky way Book impresses, simply lacks the battery life and brandish to truly stand up out.

Pros

+
Amazing Intel 11th Gen operation
+
Sleek blueprint
+
Adept diversity of ports
+
Decent keyboard

Cons

-
Poor touchpad
-
Dull display
-
Terrible webcam
-
No backlit keys
-

Samsung Galaxy Book (2021) Specs

Toll: $899/£799
CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
Display: 15-inch FHD LCD (1980 ten 1080)
Battery: x:25
Size: xiv.04 x ix.02 x 0.61 inches
Weight: 3.iv pounds

I'll be blunt: I causeless the latest Samsung Galaxy Book wouldn't amount to much as soon equally I took information technology out of the box. The 11th Gen Intel processor piqued my interest, but the Core i5 speedily extinguished my excitement. Plus, the typical silver blueprint screamed "I'm like a MacBook, only cheaper!" My already scarce optimism was dwindling fast.

Every bit the saying goes, to presume is to make an "ass" out of "u" and "me," and I certainly felt like one later using the Galaxy Book for piece of work and entertainment. From its speedy processing power that is only bested past the M1 MacBook Air in the sub-$one,000 category to the comfy keyboard and variety of ports, Samsung surprised me with an impressive, well-adjusted laptop. Still, I accept my qualms.

Despite matching the average, the Milky way Book'due south battery life can't keep up with some major players in the laptop field, while the touchpad makes me want to spend money on a mouse just so I don't have to use information technology. What's more, for such a grand 15-inch display, Samsung didn't put much endeavour into the screen. This laptop put my get-go impressions to shame, merely does the Galaxy Book practice enough for it to be a worthwhile buy? Let's find out.

Samsung Galaxy Book toll and configurations

The Samsung Galaxy Book B2B edition is bachelor now at Samsung.com and All-time Buy, with prices starting from $899/£799, and is now available in the United states through samsung.com/business organization.

The Galaxy Book is available in two configurations, offer users the option of Wi-Fi or LTE connectivity. The model nosotros received is the Mystic Argent Wi-Fi business edition that includes an Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. At that place is also a Mystic Blue color pick available only with this configuration.

For a boost in storage and processing power, the LTE model includes an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, Intel Xe Graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This is also available in the Wi-Fi model, but you'll exist stuck with 8GB of RAM. Samsung has yet to denote the pricing for the upgraded specs, only information technology would need to be below the $1,000 mark to continue upward with the contest.

Compared to other travel-friendly notebooks, including the

HP Envy xiii

(from $849),

M1 MacBook Air

($999),

Acer Swift three

($649) and

Lenovo Yoga 7i

($649), the Galaxy Book is priced fairly, especially with the processing power it boasts.

Samsung Galaxy Book blueprint

Samsung is keeping upward with the trend Apple tree fix with its MacBooks by doing nothing to make the Galaxy Book stand out in a ocean of silver laptops. That is, apart from stamping a "Samsung" logo on the lid. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as there's a sense of quality that comes with a sleek, aluminium design. Still, it would be difficult to spot the differences between this and the Samsung Milky way Book Go.

Fortunately, the Galaxy Book cuts the thick bezels to offer more display real-estate than the Go, and the island-style keyboard with black keys and white letters is spacious and modern — the increased size and numpad is a nice addition. However, expanding the deck made the laptop a fleck less travel-friendly for those on the motility. While I savor the 15-inch screen, the Galaxy Book is big and heavy to carry around in my laptop backpack and it isn't piece of cake to whip it out on public transportation. Although, this means information technology makes for a better laptop when placed on a desk.

Speaking of, the prophylactic anxiety on the Galaxy Book are more than prominent than a lot of laptops I've reviewed, allowing it to sit sturdily on a flat surface. It also offers a 180-degree hinge for added flexibility, which is ever a squeamish touch. Other than that, this is your run-of-the-factory thin silver notebook. If yous're afterwards a more than unique blueprint, the Mystic Blue colour option volition exist right up your alley.

Measuring fourteen ten 9 x 0.61 inches and coming in at 3.4 pounds, this is a bigger and heavier notebook than others in the same toll range. This includes the HP Envy 13 (12.one 10 7.7 10 0.7 inches, two.9 pounds), Lenovo Yoga 7i (12.6 ten eight.five x 0.vii inches, 3.1 pounds), Acer Swift 3 (12.vii 10 8.half dozen x 0.67 inches, two.vii pounds) and MacBook Air (11.ix ten eight.4 10 0.vi inches, ii.8 pounds). Keep in mind, these have smaller screens.

Samsung Galaxy Book ports

The Galaxy Volume offers a wide variety of ports, something I wish other notebooks would take note of.

Along the left side are ii USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 output and a single USB-A 3.2 port.

The right side includes another USB-A 3.ii port, a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card reader. This offers enough ports to employ multiple PC peripherals, from keyboards to a mouse, or to upload photos and videos from a camera without an adapter.

Samsung Galaxy Book display

The sizable 15-inch, 1080p FHD display begs to be used to rampage-scout the latest movies that are finally streaming later on the hiatus in 2022. But sadly, the Milky way Book falls flat in the color department. The panel makes otherwise impressive scenes look irksome, but at least it offers a bright enough brandish.

When watching the

concluding trailer

for Dune (a must-sentry, past the style), the planet Arrakis didn't look so corking when the sun was low. The "Spice" twinkling while rolling over the sands looked more like mush than anything, while the deep blue optics of Zendaya's Fremen character Chani are not virtually as mesmerizing as the movie depicts them to be. Having said that, while the brandish could be better, information technology isn't a deal-breaker.

Covering only 43.vii% of the

DCI-P3 color gamut

, the Galaxy Book is shamefully worse than the already terrible console found on the Swift three (44%), and is well backside the Envy 13 (80%), Yoga 7i (fourscore%) and MacBook Air (81%). The category average surpasses fifty-fifty the more than capable machines at 84%.

As for effulgence, the Milky way Book fairs better, reaching an average of 319 nits. This is still significantly less than the category average of 390 nits, but information technology does lap the Yoga 7i (266 nits) and the Swift three (251 nits). All the same, it falls backside the Envy 13 (361 nits) and MacBook Air (386 nits).

Samsung Galaxy Book audio

I've been told to be more experimental when listening to music, so I tested the Samsung Milky way Book'south speaker by playing Doja Cat'southward "Mooo!" To my please, the chilled beats were satisfyingly pronounced, while Doja Cat serenaded me with her pleasant "mooos," which weren't drowned out by the soft guitar melodies playing in the background.

For a flake more rock n' curl, I turned upward the volume to hear the loftier pitched yodeling in "Hocus Pocus" by Focus. Despite information technology existence an old tune, I was jamming to distinct guitar riffs and brilliant drum solos thank you to the laptop's Dolby Atmos audio system. While I was impressed by the sound quality, I wish the speakers got louder, as I never needed to turn them down then I didn't disturb neighbours (non that I would, of course). Rock on, Focus.

Samsung Galaxy Volume keyboard and touchpad

Information technology's difficult to believe that a keyboard and touchpad on the aforementioned laptop could be then unlike in quality, but that is the case with the Milky way Book.

The keyboard offers a similar tactile feel as the best notebooks on the market, much similar what you lot'd find on a MacBook. Keys are satisfying to press, and despite the short travel distance, they felt punchy without making whatsoever cheap clicky sounds. On the 10FastFingers.com typing test, I reached 75 words per minute. This was improve than my 72 wpm average. Exist warned, nonetheless, equally this Galaxy Book doesn't have backlit keys, making it troublesome to type on those long nights.

When information technology comes to the touchpad, irksome, viscid and imprecise are the words that come up to heed. The 4.7 10 3.three-inch plastic touchpad feels cheap, and I heard a squeak every time I moved the cursor to close or open up a tab. It was also hard to tell the deviation between the left- and correct-click buttons, resulting in times when I wanted to speedily close a tab, only to be met with a driblet-downwards menu. It's a small annoyance that can get intolerable when you lot need to get a job washed, postal service-haste.

For those who no longer want to deal with lame touchpads, check out our

best mouse

folio.

Samsung Milky way Book performance

This is where the Samsung Galaxy Book gets to shine. The performance of the Intel Cadre i5-1135G7 proves a Core i5 should not be underestimated. In fact, it offers more than than plenty ability for the general user, which means the Core i5 is the more than favourable option since it keeps the cost downwardly over the Core i7 config. Withal, the Galaxy Book lacks in certain areas.

I put the Galaxy Book to the examination by throwing 30 Microsoft Edge tabs at it, which included two Google Docs, a couple of YouTube videos playing in the background, along with a scroll through Instagram. Information technology was a like shooting fish in a barrel for the laptop, as I witnessed no stuttering or lag when switching betwixt tabs. This is a delight for any multi-tasker who needs an assortment of tabs open to get their work washed.

Starting with Geekbench five.four in our benchmark tests, the Galaxy Book reached an impressive four,984 overall performance score. This outperforms a lot of its competition, including the

best thirteen-inch laptop

, the HP Green-eyed 13 (4,930), which sports the same processor. The Galaxy Book beat the Lenovo Yoga 7i (4,538, Core i5-1135G7) and the Acer Swift three (4,895, Ryzen 7 4700U), just couldn't come up close to the M1 MacBook Air (7,575).

During our video editing test, the Galaxy Book besides performed well as it only needed 14 minutes and 9 seconds to convert a 4K clip to 1080p resolution. This is well beneath the 15:58 category average, and blazed past the Envy 13 (17:29) and Yoga 7i (14:59). The Swift three (xi:00) and MacBook Air (9:15) were the laptops to beat, but the Milky way Book sits comfortably in third place.

When testing the Milky way Book's 256GB NVMe SSD, it couldn't keep upward by a long shot. Information technology converted a 25GB multimedia file at a rate of 162.1 megabytes per 2nd (MBps), which is atrocious when compared to the category average (622.5 MBps). The Envy 13 (415.6, 256GB SSD), Yoga 7i (311 MBps, 512GB SSD), and Swift iii (462.7 MBps, 512GB SSD) completely trampled over the Galaxy Book, which is disappointing seeing how well it performed in all other categories.

Samsung Galaxy Book graphics

The Samsung Galaxy Book's Intel Iris Xe Graphics isn't meant to play the latest AAA games like Halo Infinite, merely it can display 4K videos, load decorated web pages and fifty-fifty run photo editing software for general users. What'south more, the laptop surpasses what many others in the field.

On the 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark, the Galaxy Book scored 4,280, which goes above and beyond the Envy 13 (3,709), Yoga 7i (ii,025) and the Swift 3 (2,847). Fifty-fifty with creator laptops with discrete GPUs thrown into the category average (4,774), the Galaxy Book does a fine job.

When playing Sid Meier'due south Civilization Vi: Gathering Tempest (1080p), the Galaxy Book ran the pop turn-based strategy at a comfortable 33 frames per second. While non the standard threescore fps many look for today, this is still enough oomph to play through the game. The Galaxy Book could handle games much better than the Envy 13 (18 fps, Iris Xe), Yoga 7i (27 fps, Iris Xe) and Swift iii (eighteen fps, AMD Radeon). It was well over the 28 fps average.

Samsung Milky way Book battery life

Battery life isn't the Samsung Galaxy Book's strong suit, but it still offers over the standard 10 hours. In the

Laptop Mag bombardment test

, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, the Galaxy Book lasted an average of 10 hours and 25 minutes, beating the category average of 10:15.

The Galaxy Book trailed behind other long-lasting laptops, including the HP Envy thirteen (11:fifteen), Swift 3 (11:09), Yoga 7i (12:36) and, of course, the MacBook Air (xiv:41) fix a new standard in laptop battery life.

Samsung Galaxy Volume webcam

Hello, 720p webcam. We meet once more on all the same another laptop, and you're equally grainy as I think.

In a world where smartphones, such as the

iPhone 13

, feature excellent front end-facing cameras and upkeep tablets like the

Xiaomi Pad five

tin can support 1080p resolution, it's a shame a business-orientated laptop tin can't muster a quality shooter. More often than not, a laptop's camera is the only means for professionals to show their faces during piece of work calls. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, video conferencing has become an essential part of many people'southward lives, which makes a grainy, off-colour webcam that struggles to capture details in low light a problem.

In this motion picture I took in depression light, there is graininess in well-nigh every pixel, making it incommunicable to see that each film frame with Scrabble tiles has bold letters on them. My facial hair looks like someone pulled out a fat marker to make full in the advisable spaces, while it'southward hard to tell my eye color'south green/bluish-ish hue. To put this into perspective, the more affordable $349

Samsung Galaxy Volume Become

has the same 720p shooter.

At least there is a webcam, which is more than what a lot of laptops tin boast. Even so, since this notebook is targeted for traveling professionals, the Samsung Galaxy Volume leaves a lot to be desired. Check out our

best external webcams

folio to become something that will make your video-conferencing calls look more than professional.

Samsung Milky way Book heat

Samsung'southward Milky way Volume can handle the heat when put nether pressure, keeping overnice and absurd when running a 15-minute 1080p video. During our heat test, the underside of the laptop hitting 85.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which is well below our 95-degree comfort threshold. The touchpad remained the coolest, scoring 78.5 degrees, while the center of the keyboard reached 86 degrees. You'll find the hottest location of the laptop can be institute on the underside of the Milky way Book near the vents, which clocked in at 89.5 degrees.

Samsung Galaxy Book software and warranty

The Galaxy Volume comes with Windows 10 Pro, even though Windows 11 is out and slowly condign the new standard. There are some pre-installed apps such as Samsung'due south Quick Search and Quick Share apps, which are far more welcome than the Booking.com Partner App (Samsung Edition).

Apps like Quick Share, which lets users instantly transfer data from their Galaxy devices to the Samsung laptop, are handy for those who own other Samsung devices, like the

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7

. The Galaxy ecosystem is expanding for the better, and it comes with plenty of niche perks including quick pairing with the

Samsung Galaxy Buds ii

, SmartThings which lets users command other devices from the laptop, forth with the 2nd Screen feature that offers a multi-screen experience for those with a Galaxy Tab.

The Galaxy Book comes with a three-year limited warranty. See how Samsung fared on our

Tech Back up Showdown

and

Best and Worst Brands

special reports.

Bottom line

Samsung is getting skillful at developing laptops. That's not to say its past efforts were failures, but it hasn't quite reached the heights of beingness a leader in the market like it has with its Samsung Galaxy smartphones. However, the Samsung Milky way Book 2022 is putting the company on a path to greatness. Not only does its 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor impress by delivering fantastic overall functioning for a $750 laptop, simply its decent keyboard, port diverseness and thin blueprint make it a promising notebook for professionals.

With the ARM Exynos processor for laptops Samsung is expected to be working on, it's exciting to see how the company will make its line of Galaxy Books even better. Still, there are some cogs that need some polishing to make the machine menses. While the laptop'southward thin bezels make the well-nigh of the 15-inch brandish, the console itself is tiresome. Samsung besides needs to practice something near their terrible touchpad and webcam, especially if it's promoting the latter by stating it can put on an "impressive video presentation".

The Samsung Milky way Volume is a good laptop, especially for those with other Samsung devices. If you're looking for something extra, let me point you in the direction of the

Samsung Milky way Book Pro 360

— a laptop you lot don't want to pass upwardly. For more affordable laptops, check out the

best laptops nether $1,000

Darragh Spud is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether information technology's connecting Scar from The Lion Male monarch to two-factor authentication or turning his beloved for gadgets into a made rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes at that place's e'er a quirky spin to be made. With a Chief's degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, forth with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Fourth dimension Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Center East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.

Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-book-2021

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