The age of great Samsung Windows laptops may finally start, as the company is opening pre-orders for the highly anticipated Galaxy Book S today. Samsung claims the ultraportable (which starts at $999) will last up to 23 hours on a single charge, something we can't wait to put to the test against the best laptops in our labs.
First unveiled at the Unpacked 2019 event last summer, the Galaxy Book S runs on a Snapdragon 8cx processor and a 7-nanometer chip that's supposed to enable 40% gains in CPU performance and 80% greater graphics performance. Both rates are comparative to the Galaxy Book 2, but the Book S won't get as fast as Intel's speedy U-series chips.
Aside from those neat claims, the biggest difference between this laptop and its predecessors is its slimmed down design, with thin bezels that surround its 13.3-inch, Full HD touch screen.
The Galaxy Book S includes 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of local SSD storage, and Gigabit LTE will be supported, while Windows Hello sign-in is available via its fingerprint sensor. It weighs a mere 2.1 pounds, measures 0.5 inches thin and will be sold in two colors: Earthy Gold and Mercury Gray.
Dual USB-C ports are split between both sides of the Galaxy Book S, but we don't know if they're Thunderbolt 3 yet. The laptop should also sound good, thanks to Dolby Atmos and AKG-branded audio.
Shoppers who pre-order from Samsung.com (it's supposed to go live today, but it's not up at the time of publishing) between now and February 12 will get a $100 credit to spend on the company's PCs, tablets and accessories.
As Sherri L. Smith wrote at our sister site Laptop Mag, Samsung's laptops have been on the decline for years. In 2019, it finished in dead last (9th place) in the site's Best & Worst Laptop Brands competition.
