Why You Can Trust CNET Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, Pro Laptops Ready for Preorder, Ship Feb. 22
Preorders come with a free upgrade to 1TB of storage for a limited time.
- More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
At the start of the month, Samsung announced its most powerful Galaxy Book laptop to date, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. Just like its top Galaxy S23 Ultra phone and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet, the Ultra laptop is filled with high-end components and great features. And now it's available to preorder with a ship date of Feb. 22.
The new model steps up performance considerably from last year's Galaxy Book 2 Pro laptops (at least on paper). Current configurations include an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or RTX 4070 graphics chip paired with a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 or i9 processor, respectively.
Prices for the $1,900 Core i7 configuration start at $1,900 with 16GB of memory and a 512GB solid-state drive. The Core i9/RTX 4070 version is $2,800 with 32GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. However, if you preorder, Samsung will give you a free upgrade to a 1TB SSD, which saves you $200. You can also get up to $300 credit with a device trade-in -- phone, tablet, watch or laptop. Sadly, trading in an earlier Samsung Galaxy Book Pro only gets you $85.
Regardless of the configuration, it has a 16-inch, 16:10-ratio AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother-looking video and a resolution of 2,880x1,800 pixels.
Also available for preorder are updated versions of the Galaxy Book Pro and Pro 360 two-in-one. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro laptop comes in 14- and 16-inch sizes and have the same AMOLED display resolution and refresh rate as the Ultra. The main difference between the two are the components -- you won't find the Nvidia graphics or Core i9 processor in the Pro models. The 14-inch Pro laptop starts at $1,450 and the 16-inch model is $1,550.
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 comes in a 16-inch size only. It's the same panel that's used on the Ultra, though it's a touchscreen since this is a two-in-one. It also comes with one of Samsung's excellent full-size S Pens so you can write and draw on the screen. It starts at $1,700.
Samsung is also offering a free storage upgrade on the Pro models if you preorder. But you'll have to act fast: The promotion ends today. All the models are expected to start shipping on Feb. 22.