At today’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, the company made good on its promise to show off the ‘most powerful Galaxy’ device yet, with two new laptops being unveiled: Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360.
These laptops combine some of the latest mobile tech on the market right now, including 11th generation Intel processors and 5G connectivity, along with impressively thin and light designs, and the kind of high-end build quality we’ve come to expect from Samsung’s flagship Galaxy smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21.
The company has also confirmed that the recent Galaxy Book laptop will be coming to the UK as well.
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All the new laptops announced by Samsung have passed rigorous military testing as well, so not only are they thin and light, but they should be able to withstand being carried around and used in various environments.
The past year has changed the way many of us work, something that Samsung acknowledged at the launch of its new Galaxy laptops, and these devices have been designed to fit into our new work lives, according to the company.
This involves ensuring that battery lives are long, and that the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable to use.
New kids on the block
The new Galaxy Book comes to the UK with 4G LTE connectivity, a weight of 1.55kg and is just 15.4mm thick with a 15.6-inch screen. It will go on sale starting at £699, which is a very competitive price, and it comes in a number of configurations. We don't currently have US and Australian prices for this laptop.
The brand-new Galaxy Book Pro is even lighter at 0.87/0.88kg depending on configuration for the 13.3-inch model, and with a depth of just 11.2mm. This will be an incredibly thin and light laptop, then – anything under 1kg is very impressive.
Prices for the 13.3-inch model start at $999.99 / £1,099 (around AU$2,000). Again, the price is impressive for what’s on offer, pitching it at around the same price as the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), and a fair bit lower than the Dell XPS 13, possibly its biggest competitor.
The Galaxy Book Pro will also come in a 15.6-inch model. This weights slightly more at 1.05kg (which is still noticeably light), and has a thickness of 11.7mm.
This will start at $1,099.99 / £1,199 (around AU$2,150).
Finally, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is a convertible laptop that weighs 1.04kg/1.1kg and is 11.5mm thick for the 13.3-inch model, and 1.39kg with a 11.9mm thickness for the 15.6-inch model.
The 13.3-inch model costs $1,199.99 / £1,199 (around AU$2,150), and the 15.6-inch model begins at $1,299.99 / £1,259 (around AU$2,200). This laptop also comes with 5G support, offering a fast, always-on internet connection, depending on your location and data plan.
The Galaxy Book Pro models also come with AMOLED displays, VESA DisplayHDR 500 support and DCI-P3 color gamut, which could lead to some of the nicest-looking screens on a laptop – we can’t wait to see what they are capable of when we get these laptops in for review. The Galaxy Book Pro series also support Dolby Atmos support as well.
Speaking of the screen, the Galaxy Book Pro laptops also have a ‘Secret Screen’ function, which can be turned on with a keyboard shortcut. This turns on a screen filter which makes it difficult to see the contents of the screen from other angles. It’s something we’ve seen in HP’s laptops, and it works pretty well – giving you peace of mind when working on sensitive documents in crowded areas.
These new laptops will go on sale starting May 14, 2021, with pre-orders launching April 28. If you order before May 13, you can get a free pair of Galaxy Buds Pro true wireless earphones.
While the Samsung Galaxy brand is one of the biggest names in smartphones, it has had more of a struggle winning people over when it comes to laptops. It’s clear that with these new devices, Samsung is hoping to repeat its smartphone success – but will it manage it? Keep an eye on TechRadar for our full reviews when we get our hands on them.
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