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How does Samsung's Galaxy Book stack up?

Is Samsung's latest Windows 10 tablet any good? We compare it to what else is out there.

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Samsung's new Galaxy Book is a Windows 10 ($141 at Amazon) tablet that comes bundled with a stylus and keyboard case. Sound familiar? That's because it's a pretty common trend these days among two-in-one tablet PCs.

The Lenovo Miix 510 and Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 (both start at $600) are comparable two-in-one tablets that also include a keyboard cover in their base price. The Samsung Galaxy Book is the latest to jump on the bandwagon and, in at least one respect, it has a slight leg up on the competition; it includes a stylus (sold separately for the Lenovo and Acer). It also has a significantly slimmer design than the rest.

Additionally, according to Samsung, it should also outlast its competition in a binge-watching marathon thanks to a 10.5-hour battery life. It comes in 10- and 12-inch models, but the bigger one is the most impressive, thanks to its better processor and razor-sharp Super AMOLED screen.

The revamped S-Pen stylus now has a rubber tip.

Josh Miller

But what about the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 ($230 at Amazon), the most popular tablet to fuse an elegantly versatile design with Windows 10 PC-like power and a thoughtful keyboard accessory? Its keyboard is infamously sold separately, so the total cost of ownership can jump past Lenovo and Acer. Note that the still-popular Surface Pro 4 is close to 18 months old, and we expect an updated Surface Pro 5 version sometime this year.

One thing the Samsung Galaxy Book doesn't have that the Lenovo and Acer do is full-size USB ports and a built-in adjustable stand (which is partly why it's so skinny). Samsung's new tablets, including both the Galaxy Book and the Android-based Galaxy Tab S3 ($650 at Walmart) are also currently lacking price and release date info.

While the Samsung Galaxy Book looks like an attractively sleek alternative to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, we won't know how good a deal it is until we know how much it costs. Considering the least expensive Surface Pro 4 model with the keyboard easily balloons the total cost beyond $900, and the fact that Samsung typically prices their devices on the high side, I wouldn't be surprised if the two end up with comparable pricing.

samsung-pre-brief-tablets-8576-001.jpg

Accessories included.

Josh Miller

Below is a chart on how the tablets compare spec-wise. We'll update with pricing information for the Samsung Galaxy Book as soon as it's announced.

Samsung Galaxy Book specs compared

Samsung Galaxy Book Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Lenovo Miix 510 Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12
Starting price TBD $799 $599 $599
Price with keyboard TBD $929 $599 $599
Display 12-inch 2,160x1,440-pixel resolution 12.3-inch 2,736x1,824-pixel resolution 12.2-inch 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution 12-inch 2,160x1,440-pixel resolution
Pixel density 216 267 186 216
Dimensions (imperial) 11.47x7.87x0.29-inches 11.50 x 7.93 x 0.33 inches 11.8x8.1x0.4-inches 11.5x7.9x.06-inches
Dimensions (metric) 291.3x199.8x7.4mm 292.10 x 201.42 x 8.4mm 300x205x9.9mm 292x200x15.2mm
Weight 1.66lbs (754g) 1.69 lbs. (766g) for Core M, 1.73 lbs. (786g) for Core i 1.98 lbs (900g) 2.76lb (1,252g)
Operating system Windows 10 Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Windows 10
Processors 3.1GHz dual-core 7th-gen Intel Core i5 Up to 6th-gen 2-core Intel Core i7 Up to 6th-gen Intel Core i5 Up to 6th-gen Intel Core i7
Graphics N/A Up to Intel Iris 540 Intel HD Graphics 520 N/A
Storage 128GB/256GB 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB 128GB/256GB 128GB/256GB/512GB
RAM 4GB/8GB 4GB / 8GB / 16GB 4GB/8GB 4GB/8GB
Battery Up to 10.5 hours playback, fast-charging Up to 9 hours video playback Up to 8 hours Up to 8 hours
Networking 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1 BLE 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports 2x USB-C, microSD up to 256GB, 1x headset jack 1x USB 3.0, 1x Mini DisplayPort, 1x SurfaceConnect (charging and docking), 1 x headset jack 1x USB-C, 1x USB 3.0, 1x headset jack 1x USB-C, MicroSD up to
Cameras 5-megapixel front, 13-megapixel back 5-megapixel front, 8-megapixel back, Windows Hello face authentication 2-megapixel front, 8-megapixel rear 2-megapixel front, 5-megapixel rear
Hinge No Freely positionable to 150-degrees Freely positionable to 170-degrees Freely positionable to 165-degrees
Touchscreen Yes Yes Yes Yes
Extras Included stylus and keyboard cover Included stylus, $129 Type Cover, $159 Type Cover with fingerprint sensor Included keyboard cover, stylus sold separately Included keyboard cover, stylus sold separately