Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro Review: Pro In Name Only 

Value When Reviewed

From $1,449.99

Greatest Costs At this time: Samsung Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional

Samsung’s February 2023 Galaxy Unpacked occasion was all in regards to the Ultras, with the up to date Galaxy S23 model joined by a brand-new Galaxy Ebook Extremely. 

However the latter was simply certainly one of 4 new laptops introduced by Samsung, and the opposite three, cheaper choices are more likely to be extra widespread. They embody the Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional, an everyday clamshell laptop computer accessible with both a 14in or 16in display. 

None of those are touchscreens, they usually don’t have the S Pen assist we’ve come to affiliate with Galaxy Ebook vary. And though I simply mentioned ‘cheaper’, the Ebook 3 Professional isn’t precisely low-cost. Is there sufficient right here to justify the excessive value? The brief reply to that’s no, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a superb laptop computer for on a regular basis use, so don’t cease studying simply but.

Design, construct & ports

• Slick, premium design
• Impressively skinny and lightweight
• Good port choice

Samsung has caught with the identical primary design for its laptops since relaunching them in 2020, and there’s no signal of that altering any time quickly. 

It means the Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional has a near-identical aluminium physique and understated aesthetic to its predecessor, with a silver emblem punctuating an in any other case very plain exterior.  

Some might even see it as boring, however I really like the minimalist design Samsung has gone for. It’s accessible in two colors – Graphite and Beige – and the Beige mannequin I examined actually seems the half. 

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That alternative of supplies additionally helps the Ebook 3 Professional to stay impressively light-weight for its dimension. The 14in mannequin weighs 1.17kg, whereas the 16in model is simply barely heavier at 1.56kg. It means each are very moveable, particularly with the chassis not more than 12.5mm thick. 

A skinny and lightweight laptop computer typically dangers sturdiness, however that doesn’t appear to be a difficulty right here. The mix of premium supplies and a stable hinge design means the Ebook 3 Professional feels impressively sturdy. You’ll discover the wobbly show at occasions, particularly whereas typing, however there’s no indication of it inflicting any long-term injury. 

I’m additionally very glad to see a wholesome port choice, one thing which is constant throughout each sizes. Each USB-C ports assist Thunderbolt 4, making for quick information switch and simple reference to a variety of different gadgets and equipment. They’re joined by one USB-A, one full-size HDMI, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. 

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If I’m being actually choosy, it’d have been good to have one other USB-A port – you should still want an adapter or hub – however I can’t actually complain. Many skinny and lightweight laptops eliminate the port fully. 

Keyboard, trackpad & webcam

• Stable full-size keyboard, regardless of restricted key journey
• Big trackpad, nevertheless it lacks precision
• Nice fingerprint sensor and webcam, however no face unlock

Each sizes of the Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional can comfortably accommodate a full-size keyboard, however solely the 16in mannequin features a separate quantity pad to the proper. A function like this falls into the ‘good to have’ class, however I wouldn’t have missed it if it wasn’t there. 

The keys themselves undertake a ‘chiclet’ design, that means they’ve a separated, flatter form and provide considerably much less journey than on another laptops. This feels like a foul factor, however typing on the Ebook 3 Professional is nice. Every key feels very clicky and responsive, which improved the pace and accuracy of my typing. 

Samsung provides three ranges of backlighting. On the dimmest setting it’s brilliant sufficient to comfortably use in a room that’s utterly darkish, and at 100% the sunshine continues to be seen when there’s extra ambient gentle.

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The principle criticism of the keyboard is the row of operate keys on the high. They provide all the same old fast entry to quantity adjustment, brightness controls and different key settings, however it is advisable to maintain down the Fn key on the identical time to make use of them. That is one thing that impacts all Samsung laptops, nevertheless it annoys me each time. 

Under the keyboard, you’ll discover an enormous trackpad. It extends throughout half of the width of the keyboard on the 16in mannequin, and covers virtually the whole distance between the area bar and fringe of the gadget.  

This provides the phantasm of extra management, however I discovered the other. Oddly, it lacked the precision of smaller variations, corresponding to those you’ll discover on different Galaxy Books. I typically had bother clicking a selected space of the display or highlighting particular textual content. The cursor additionally generally moved erratically.

Plus, the sheer dimension of the factor led to some unintentional clicks just because it leaves restricted area to comfortably relaxation your palms. That feels like a whole lot of criticism, nevertheless it’s not a dealbreaker. 

On the top-right of the keyboard, you’ll discover a energy button which doubles as a fingerprint sensor. It’s simple to arrange, quick and dependable – simply what you need.  

Nevertheless, that’s your solely biometric possibility for unlocking the Ebook 3 Professional. With no IR sensor, it doesn’t assist Home windows Good day face unlock.  

As an alternative, you’ll discover a single 1080p webcam above the show. It’s probably the greatest built-in sensors on any laptop computer, providing spectacular element and dealing with publicity effectively. Alongside twin studio mics, the Ebook 3 Professional is a good laptop computer for video calling. 

Display screen & audio system

• Glorious 120Hz AMOLED show
• No touchscreen or S Pen assist
• First rate quad audio system

Samsung is aware of the way to make an ideal show, and the Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional’s display is likely one of the greatest you’ll discover on any laptop computer. It delivers a wealthy, detailed and vibrant viewing expertise that you just’ll need to hold coming again to

It’s a 2880×1800 AMOLED panel on each 14in and 16in fashions, leading to a shift to the 16:10 facet ratio for the primary time. It is a good transfer for most individuals, because the taller display means that you can slot in barely extra content material. Pictures and movies in 16:9 will embody black bars above and under (letterboxing), however they nonetheless look fantastic.  

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Color accuracy can also be glorious. In line with inside testing, it covers the total sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts, plus 98% of Adobe RGB – probably the greatest outcomes we’ve seen on any laptop computer.  

That’s earlier than you even get to the refresh fee, which might be fastened at 60Hz and 120Hz or dynamically swap between the 2. The latter provides an ideal steadiness between additional fluidity and battery life, so I’d advocate it for most individuals. You received’t discover the excessive refresh fee as a lot as on a smartphone, nevertheless it nonetheless makes the whole lot really feel easy and slick.

With all that in thoughts, it ought to in all probability come as no shock that the top-of-the-line Galaxy Ebook Extremely has the very same show specs. You may’t get a lot better than this on a client laptop computer. 

Nevertheless, neither of those gadgets are touchscreens, that means there’s no S Pen assist both. Samsung makes loads of laptops which do, nevertheless it’s price being conscious of in the event you’re contemplating this particular gadget. 

By way of brightness, a check results of 405 nit is true according to Samsung’s marketed 400-nit most. It means you may get away with utilizing it exterior, simply not underneath brilliant daylight. 

Audio isn’t fairly as spectacular, however the Ebook 3 Professional can positively maintain its personal. It has quad audio system and Dolby Atmos assist, serving to it to ship crisp, room-filling sound. It’s higher suited to voice-based content material than music, although, with bass-heavy music tracks sounding barely washed out. 

Nonetheless, these audio system are fantastic for informal use corresponding to video calls. 

Specs & efficiency

• Intel Thirteenth-gen P-series CPUs
• Stable efficiency, however not for demanding workloads
• 512GB or 1TB SSDs (microSD expandable)

Regardless of the Professional title, the Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional’s efficiency specs aren’t something particular. It provides a alternative between Intel’s Core i5-1340P and Core i7-1360P, from the 2023 Raptor Lake vary. 

Whereas it’s nice to see 13^th-gen chips arrive in laptops so quickly after they had been introduced, these are solely from the P-series, reasonably than the extra succesful H-series discovered within the Galaxy Ebook Extremely. You additionally miss out on the Core i9 possibility. 

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Samsung is beneficiant in terms of RAM, although. You get 16- or 32GB of the DDR5 customary, which helps hold the whole lot working easily – even in the event you depend on Google Chrome, which tends to make use of lots. 

Efficiency is excellent consequently, with even the Core i5 mannequin excelling throughout a variety of on a regular basis duties. I primarily used it for net searching, social media, watching movies and managing recordsdata, all of which it may well deal with with none issues in anyway. 

However you’ll run into points with extra demanding workloads, the place the dearth of a discrete GPU is extra noticeable. The gadget makes use of Intel’s Iris Xe built-in graphics, which makes it unsuitable for duties corresponding to video enhancing or gaming. 

In abstract, the Ebook 3 Professional is a lot highly effective sufficient for most individuals. However it may well’t deal with the form of intensive workloads the ‘Professional’ title may recommend.  

Nevertheless, within the benchmarks under, it greater than holds its personal.

Not like some laptops, there’s loads of inside storage whichever mannequin you select. The Ebook 3 Professional begins with a 512GB SSD, however you’ll be able to improve to 1TB in the event you’d desire. If that’s not sufficient, it helps growth by way of microSD card as much as 2TB. 

By way of connectivity, the gadget options each Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1. Solely the previous is the newest customary, however you’re unlikely to overlook not being upgraded to Bluetooth 5.3. An absence of 5G (or 4G) is likely to be extra grating, although.  

Battery & Charging

• 63Wh battery on 14in, 76Wh on 16in
• Very good battery life
• 65W charging barely underwhelming

Battery capability is one thing that varies considerably between sizes of the Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional. The 14in mannequin is provided with a good 63Wh cell, however the 16in model bumps that as much as 76Wh. 

That’s because of the bigger show, though I can’t touch upon how that impacts the 14in Ebook 3 Professional. What I can say is that battery life on the 16in mannequin is actually glorious. 

It’s mirrored in our 720p video loop check, the place the Ebook 3 Professional lasted an unbelievable 18 hours. That’s probably the greatest scores we’ve ever seen, bettered solely by ARM-based gadgets. 

Video playback doesn’t essentially mirror real-world utilization, whereas 120 nits of brightness is comparatively dim. Nevertheless, turning on battery saver on the default 20% (reasonably than turning it off, as was the case for this check) will assist it final lengthy. 

However it may well comfortably final a full eight-hour workday on a single cost, even with excessive brightness and the show set to 120Hz. In the event you solely use it in your spare time, three and even 4 days are inside attain. 

The battery capability performs an enormous position right here, as does the improved energy effectivity of 13^th-gen Intel CPUs. 

Whenever you do finally run out, Samsung features a 65W charger within the field. This can be utilized to cost any Galaxy gadgets which use USB-C, however speeds on the Ebook 3 Professional are barely underwhelming.

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I recorded 33% in half-hour and 66% in 1 hour from off. That’s fantastic for most individuals, however actually not the quickest. 

Software program

• Home windows 11 Residence out of the field
• A number of pre-installed Samsung apps, however not disruptive
• Will get updates all through Home windows 11’s lifespan

The Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional ships working Home windows 11 Residence.

However in contrast to on its telephones, Samsung’s software program tweaks aren’t important until you personal different Galaxy gadgets. The person interface is equivalent to another Home windows 11 gadget, with solely a handful of additional apps pre-installed. 

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These are as follows: Circulation (for syncing between gadgets), Restoration, Account, Bluetooth Sync, Gallery, Notes, Fast Share, Second Display screen and Galaxy Ebook Expertise (fast entry to key options). Samsung additionally has its personal model of Settings, nevertheless it’s nothing like the total Home windows 11 model. 

The excellent news is that these can all be uninstalled at any time, and it’s simple to keep away from interacting with them altogether. However when you’ve got a Samsung cellphone or pill, some options shall be genuinely helpful. 

One other constructive is that each one Home windows 11 gadgets are anticipated to get updates at some point of the working system’s lifespan. Microsoft is but to substantiate how lengthy that’ll be, nevertheless it normally helps (widespread) main variations for round a decade – that will take us to 2031. 

Value & availability

The Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional isn’t Samsung’s costliest 2023 laptop computer, nevertheless it nonetheless doesn’t come low-cost.  

You’ll pay no less than $1,449.99/£1,349 for the 14in mannequin, whereas stepping as much as the 16in begins at $1,549.99/£1,449 – supplied you don’t have a tool to commerce in.

Nevertheless, Core i5 fashions aren’t accessible within the US, so the like-for-like costs are considerably increased within the UK. 

These are excessive costs for a client laptop computer. Lots of the options in our greatest laptop computer chart are both higher worth for cash or provide additional performance, however that doesn’t imply you need to rule out the Ebook 3 Professional fully. 

It’s an ideal laptop computer, only a bit overpriced, so hold your eye out for any offers and reductions. 

Verdict

The Galaxy Ebook 3 Professional isn’t as class-leading as its value could recommend. However there are lots of highlights together with a beautiful 120Hz AMOLED show (14in or 16in), a powerful number of ports and stellar battery life.  

You additionally get Samsung’s trademark premium design, plus some nice video calling options. 

Efficiency is stable too, however it may well’t deal with the demanding workloads you may affiliate with a ‘Professional’ laptop computer. With an iffy trackpad and no contact (or S Pen) assist, there are sufficient causes to hesitate earlier than shopping for one – particularly at full value. 

With the Extremely taking most of the headlines and 360 fashions providing extra performance for much less, the Ebook 3 Professional leads to a clumsy center floor. It’s a powerful laptop computer, however so are many others round this value – together with the LG Gram 16, Huawei MateBook 16s and Microsoft Floor Laptop computer 5.

Specs

• Show: 16:10 AMOLED, 14in or 16in (each 2880×1800), 120Hz
• Processor: Intel Core i5-1340P, Intel Core i7-1360P
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
• Reminiscence: 8/16/32GB
• Storage: 256/512GB/1TB SSD (expandable as much as 2TB by way of microSD)
• Ports: 2x USB-C (each Thunderbolt 4), 1x USB-A, HDMI 1.4, microSD, 3.5mm audio jack
• Digicam: 1080p front-facing
• Wi-fi: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, 5G (non-obligatory)
• Battery: 63Wh (14in), 76Wh (16in)
• Charging: 65W USB-C (included)
• Working system: Home windows 11 Residence
• Colors: Graphite, Beige
• Weight: 1.17kg (14in), 1.56kg (16in)