GALAXY QUEST
Samsung’s new trio of computers is inspired by the tech giant’s successful range of smartphones, just don’t call them laptops....
THE new devices from Samsung are not laptops. They’re Galaxy Books. The insistence on the novel naming of these three new PCs from the Korean electronics giant is to emphasise a point – Samsung says it has taken inspiration from its wildly successful range of Galaxy smartphones to bring a new kind of device into the world.
They are laptops, of course – but there is enough innovation here to know we are seeing an evolution of these kinds of devices if not a new kind of device altogether.
The Galaxy Books come in three flavours – the regular entry-level Book, the Pro Book, and the Pro Book 360.
As you would expect, each adds on the features of the model a step-down, but they all share that “mobile comes to PC” DNA.
So, let’s start at the bottom – specs-wise the Galaxy Book offers a fairly straightforward 15.6in laptop with 11th-gen Intel processors.
There’s a sleek look, myriad ports, and a disappointing sense of deja vu – there doesn’t seem to be much to shout about with the entry-level Book.
There is a feature called Easy Bluetooth connection which allows simple hook-up to other Samsung devices like Galaxy Buds, or a Galaxy Tab tablet, which you can use as a second screen.
You can also run up to five apps from your Galaxy phone on the Book itself, even when it’s in another room, which is a neat feature.
The universal charger that comes with the Book is also a very good idea – it’s small and features a USB-C connection, which means you can use it to charge any and all of your Galaxy devices. One charger to rule them all.
These ‘mobile DNA’ features also make it into the Book’s two big brothers, which is where things start to get a bit more interesting.
Both the Book Pro and the Pro 360 are exceedingly thin, “thin like a phone” as Samsung says – between 11mm and 12mm thick.
They’re also light – the smaller 13.3in versions of the Pro Books weigh less than a kilo. Both also come in a 15.6in screen configuration.
Even more like a mobile, they both feature cellular connectivity, with the Pro going 4G, while 5G is available on the Pro 360.
One of the coolest new features, which I have not seen anywhere else, is that these devices can detect the kind of surface they are resting on, like a table or your lap, and monitor the ambient noise in the room, and use all this information to manage the cooling system of your device.
In other words, if you’re somewhere quiet with the device on a table, it will try to be as quiet as possible and manage performance and fan noise accordingly. If it’s noisy around you it might boost performance and sacrifice a little discretion noise-wise.
You can, of course, override the auto settings if you like.
The two Pro devices are also made with durability in mind, which makes sense given they are meant to go anywhere, like a phone.
Samsung says they’ve passed ‘military grade’ tests in terms of performing in demanding environments and surviving drop-tests intact. I’m not sure what ‘military grade’ actually means, but it sounds impressive enough.
They also sport new ‘ comfort first’ keyboards that have been redesigned after extensive research into how people type.
In addition to all these impressive new features, there are a lot of small touches that Samsung has added to make things flow a little smoother. Things like a dedicated button to toggle the webcam and mic on and off when video-calling.
And there are audio filters which mean your video-call audience should hear only you and not the crying baby or barking dog in the background.
The Pro 360 additionally features a touch-screen and S Pen support, as well a hinge that allows you to fold the keyboard all the way back so you can use the device like a tablet.
I’m not sure it all adds up to a genuinely new class of device, but taken as a whole, there’s a lot to like and a lot that will make your everyday computing that little bit more productive.
■ The Book series ranges in price from around £700 to around £1,500 and will be available to order in May. See samsung.com for more details.