Samsung Galaxy Book Pro: Sleek and Lightweight, But Does It Meet All Your Needs?

At the end of April 2021, Samsung launched a new laptop with an incredibly beautiful design and extremely powerful performance called the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro. So, how much does the Galaxy Book Pro cost? Is the Galaxy Book Pro configuration strong? Let's find out in the hands-on review of the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro below!

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro Design: Ultra-Slim and Fashionable

It's been a while since Samsung ventured into the laptop market, and the company made a strong comeback in early 2021 by launching three new laptop models: Galaxy Book, Galaxy Book Pro, and Galaxy Book Pro 360.

After the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro was released, reviewer Jonathan Lamont had the opportunity to experience and use this laptop for a few days. Although this is not a detailed review of the laptop, he did have some special impressions of the machine.

During his short time using the Galaxy Book Pro, Jonathan Lamont felt that the laptop had a more fashionable and distinct design compared to some other Windows laptops. However, that’s not all that’s special about this Galaxy Book.

The laptop from Samsung is quite light and impressively thin; you can easily lift it with one hand. According to Jonathan Lamont, this laptop is an excellent choice for people who frequently travel for work or leisure. Unfortunately, the hinge finish is not very good.

Despite this, the overall design of the Galaxy Book Pro still feels sturdy and solid. According to the reviewer from Mobilesyrup, this laptop could be a strong contender in his list of favorite laptops this year.

The Galaxy Book Pro is less than 12 mm thick (for the 15.6-inch version Jonathan Lamont experienced) and weighs only 1.05 kg. You can imagine how thin and light this laptop is, right?

Although this Galaxy Book is designed to be slim and lightweight, Samsung hasn’t omitted some essential ports like most other brands. It still has USB-C, USB-A, 1 HDMI port, and a MicroSD card slot, though it lacks a standard SD card slot. However, compared to other Windows laptops of similar size, this number of ports is already excellent.

When you open this laptop, you can see that Samsung hasn’t compromised on the keyboard or trackpad to avoid affecting the user experience on the Galaxy Book Pro.

For reviewer Jonathan Lamont, he felt that the laptop’s keyboard didn’t provide a very good typing experience compared to some other laptops, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either. According to him, Samsung should make the keys with a deeper travel to create a more substantial feel when typing. On the bright side, the keyboard on the Galaxy Book Pro has been improved and made more solid.

Additionally, the TouchPad on the Galaxy Book Pro is designed to be larger to give users more space to navigate and use. According to the author, the touchpad on this laptop meets basic usage needs (though there are still some minor limitations that he finds unsatisfactory).

Another attractive design feature of the Galaxy Book Pro for Jonathan Lamont is the device’s color options. The machine he experienced was Mystic Silver, with two other color options: Mystic Blue and Mystic Pink Gold.

According to Jonathan Lamont, the gray part of the machine he experienced only appeared on the front, while the rest was white (except for the screen bezel). The white color of the machine looks beautiful and sophisticated but easily gets dirty after long-term use.

Galaxy Book Pro Configuration: Excellent with Intel 11th Gen Chip

Although Jonathan Lamont hasn’t had the chance to test heavy tasks or play some games on the Galaxy Book Pro, he rates the overall performance of the device as quite good after a few days of use (the version he experienced is equipped with an Intel Core i3 chip and 8 GB of RAM).

This is understandable since this is the lowest configuration option Samsung offers. Generally, the Core i3 chip on the Galaxy Book Pro will not be able to handle some heavy tasks. You can choose a more powerful configuration version for smoother experiences when handling graphics-heavy tasks or gaming, as advised by the reviewer from Mobilesyrup.

However, the choice of configuration depends on your usage needs. A Core i3 chip may be good for those who only need to browse the web and handle light documents. However, during the author's experience with the Core i3 chip, lag still occurred (while the device was only running one web browser).

On the other hand, the Core i3 chip provides a reasonably long battery life. Intel’s new generation chips all have energy consumption optimization capabilities, and the Core i3 chip on the Galaxy Book Pro is no exception. The author shares that the Galaxy Book Pro's battery meets the work needs (with basic tasks) for a whole day (from 9 am to 5 pm).

One thing to note about the Galaxy Book Pro is its cooling fan. Sometimes you may hear quite loud noise from the fan when running heavy tasks.

The author had expected Samsung to equip the Galaxy Book Pro with a higher quality screen, but unfortunately, we only get a standard display quality on this laptop.

It’s true that Samsung can create the best display panels for smartphones. However, the Galaxy Book is only equipped with an AMOLED panel with Full HD resolution (1,080 x 1,920 pixels). It would have been better if Samsung offered higher screen resolution options for the Galaxy Book Pro.

Moreover, during his experience, Jonathan Lamont encountered some issues with the Galaxy Book Pro's screen, such as the screen being blurry when editing text. He tried to fix this by using Microsoft Office software but could not entirely resolve the issue.

You might think this issue is related to the screen resolution, but that’s not the case. The author has used many laptops with 1080p screens but has not encountered the problem seen on the Galaxy Book Pro. The issue might lie in the screen quality or the software on this Galaxy Book.

Some Limitations of the Galaxy Book Pro

During his short time using the Galaxy Book Pro, the only issue Jonathan Lamont encountered was with the fingerprint sensor and the trackpad.

When setting up a few things initially on the Galaxy Book Pro, the fingerprint sensor had some problems. During the first time when Windows 10 requested a fingerprint unlock setup, the laptop did not recognize the author’s fingerprint and refused to complete the setup. After successfully registering the fingerprint and updating some software, the author did not encounter any more issues.

Occasionally, while using the Galaxy Book Pro, the trackpad would get stuck in the position where it was last clicked and continue clicking even after the author removed his finger. Although the trackpad did not stay stuck forever, it was enough to cause some discomfort for the user. While this isn’t a major issue, it’s worth considering before purchasing the Galaxy Book Pro, as advised by the author.

Additionally, the keyboard frame’s finish is not as good as some other products. Specifically, the Galaxy Book Pro's keyboard exhibits a slight flex (when pressing a key hard, the adjacent keys also sink slightly). However, this flaw on the Galaxy Book Pro is still better than some current laptop models.

A Few Other Noteworthy Points on the Galaxy Book Pro

Unlike the Galaxy Book Pro 360 (which supports 5G connectivity after receiving certifications from carriers in Canada), the Galaxy Book Pro only supports LTE (which offers much lower speeds than true 4G). If 5G is an essential factor for you when choosing a laptop, you might want to wait for the upcoming new products in the Galaxy Book line.

Another point that caught the author’s attention is the pre-installed software on the Samsung laptop. At the launch event, the company shared that some software features like 'QuickShare' or 'SmartThings' would not be available until May. Therefore, Jonathan Lamont hasn’t had the opportunity to fully experience those software features.

The Galaxy Book Pro comes pre-installed with many software applications, which may not be welcome for some users. According to Jonathan Lamont, there were over 15 Samsung apps pre-installed on the laptop along with many other apps, most of which were unnecessary or duplicated features already supported on Windows 10.

For example, 'Quick Search' is a quick search application installed by Samsung on the laptop and looks just like the built-in search feature on Windows. However, there are some other apps that Samsung has done very well, especially the smartphone-laptop connection feature that allows syncing data, messages, pictures, and other content between the smartphone and the Galaxy Book Pro.

How Much Does the Galaxy Book Pro Cost? Is It Worth Owning?

Personally, Jonathan Lamont thinks that the Galaxy Book Pro needs more time to be perfected and become an even better laptop in the future. What Samsung has achieved on this laptop truly impresses the author. It may not be the best laptop on the market, but it still offers very interesting experiences.

For those looking for a thin, lightweight, portable laptop with stable performance, the Galaxy Book Pro is undoubtedly one of the options not to be missed in the $900 price range. So, what do you think about this laptop? Don’t forget to leave your opinions in the comment section of this article. Thank you for your interest and following.