Samsung unveils cheaper, longer-lasting, Galaxy Book Flex α laptop ahead of CES 2020
Promises longer battery life and QLED display
Ahead of CES 2020, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Book Flex α (the ‘α’ stands for ‘alpha’, apparently), a stylishly-designed laptop that should offer a long-lasting battery and QLED display at a competitive price of $829.99 (around £630, AU$1,200).
Alanna Cotton, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Samsung Electronics America, claims that the “Galaxy Book Flex α is a stellar new variant of the Galaxy Computing line, offering many of the best design, hardware, and display features at an accessible price-point,” and is a laptop that offers the best of Samsung technology.
- These are the best laptops
- Fancy the best laptops for kids
- Our pick of the best student laptops
This includes a 13.3-inch QLED display and ultra-thin bezel that uses some of the tech Samsung uses in its acclaimed TV sets, and could offer impressively bright and vibrant image quality.
The Galaxy Book Flex α also supports Active Pen styluses, and the screen can be folded back to turn the laptop into a tablet-like device.
Battle of the battery life
Battery life is one of the most important considerations for people buying a new laptop in 2020, and Samsung is planning on making the Galaxy Book Flex α stand out from the crowd with a promised 17.5-hour battery.
For a Windows 10 laptop, that’s very impressive, and Samsung claims this means you “don’t have to build your daily schedule around outlet availability,” so hopefully no more searching for a power supply halfway through the day.
Of course, we’ll be putting those battery life claims to the test when we get in a Samsung Galaxy Book Flex α in for a full review.
Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
The Galaxy Book Flex α will also support Fast Charge, so when the battery level does get low, it shouldn’t take long to top it up.
If the Galaxy Book Flex α does achieve the battery life Samsung promises, it could give the laptop a real edge over its competitors – especially at this price.
Other specs
It seems like Samsung is keen to make an affordable laptop that still looks and feels premium, and it weighs just 1.19kg and is just 13.9mm thick with an diamond-cut aluminum frame.
Specs-wise, it’s pretty well kitted out for the price, with a 10th generation Intel Core processor, a choice of either 8GB or 12GB RAM, 256GB/512GB/1TB SSD. Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and a 720p webcam.
We’re certainly looking forward to getting some time with the Galaxy Book Flex α to see if Samsung has managed to deliver on its promises for a slim and stylish 2-in-1 laptop that’s competitively priced.
- These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now
- Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2020 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.