Samsung Galaxy Book S review - A sleek laptop with mobile smarts - Android

If you ask this pundit, connected PCs are the future of the laptop market. Windows on Arm is the leading project in the space, and continues to evolve following several years of private and public development. Samsung has clearly deemed it good enough for its new Galaxy Book S, replacing last generation’s Intel CPU for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx chipset.

Samsung’s pitch promises multi-day battery life, an always-on 4G LTE connection, and a premium thin-and-light design. It’s a similar premise to Microsoft’s Surface Pro X, but with a slightly lower $999 price point and fixed keyboard. So let’s find out if Samsung cut any corners.

Samsung Galaxy Book S review: Who is it for?

Qualcomm and Samsung made it quite clear during our briefing that they envision the Galaxy Book S being used predominantly for work productivity scenarios, web browsing, social media, and watching video. In other words, we’re not looking at a product that focuses on photo or video editing, nor 3D graphic design. This strikes me as an attempt to head off criticism that was leveled at the Surface Pro X by some outlets, rather unfairly I might add.

The Samsung Galaxy Book S isn’t targeting absolute top-of-the-line laptop performance. Arm-based processors like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx in the Galaxy Book S aren’t quite at that level and they can’t run x64 Windows apps yet, either. That’s still in the pipeline for 2021. Instead, the focus is on the ability to work from anywhere, with a day or more of battery life and a constant connection to the internet. Based on my experience, this is certainly the best fit for the Galaxy Book S.

Samsung's Galaxy Book S is built with the mobile professional in mind.

On its own, the retail price of $999 might seem a little steep. That feels even more pertinent when you consider that cheaper Chromebooks can perform many of the same duties, albeit without Microsoft Office and other productivity apps. 4G LTE connectivity isn’t cheap, either, but you’re also buying a laptop with a premium design. The Samsung Galaxy Book S is clearly built with the mobile professional in mind.

Design elegance

The Samsung Galaxy Book S is light at just 960g (2.1lbs), thanks to its aluminum chassis. It’s also thin at just 11.8mm at its thickest and 6.2mm at its thinnest. The build quality is simply exceptional. You’ll find two USB-C ports, one on either side, with both supporting USB Power Delivery fast charging. A headphone jack is located on the left edge if you’re not yet on the Bluetooth train. The SIM tray is tucked on the underside, and two little microphone slits are positioned just above the keyboard.

The 13.3-inch TFT LCD display is very nice and I have no complaints about its 1,920 by 1,080 resolution at this size. Colors look great and you can leave the display brightness up quite high without having to worry about battery life. This helps a bit, as glare can be an issue on this display, though it’s nothing close to a deal-breaker.

The highly efficient nature of its processor means the Galaxy Book S doesn’t require any fans. The laptop runs completely silent and never gets warm on your lap; the Arm-based processor definitely has its upsides here.

Samsung did a very good job with the speakers, especially given how thin the Galaxy Book S is. The speakers sit below the keyboard on either side of the laptop. They’re tuned by AKG and come through crisp and clear, with plenty of volume.

There’s no Microsoft Hello face unlock feature here, which you’ll find on the Surface Pro X and other two-in-ones. Samsung opted for a fast fingerprint scanner in the power button that’s a perfectly fine alternative.

I’m suitably impressed by the hardware package Samsung put together with the Galaxy Book S. It goes a long way towards justifying the laptop’s $999 price tag on its own.

See also: Best mini laptops | 6 best Chromebooks

What is it like to use the Galaxy Book S?

If you’re a regular Windows 10 user, you’ll know what to expect from the Cortana assistant, Microsoft Store, OneDrive, and Office package the laptop ships with. Everything you need from a modern workhorse is available. Microsoft improved its Your Phone app, which allows for deeper integration with your Android handset’s calls, messages, and music.

My work takes place entirely online, so a decent web browser is a must. There’s still no native Arm version of Google C