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.
Samsung's new Galaxy Book is a Windows 10 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.
But what about the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 , 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 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.
Accessories included.
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 |