Samsung's Galaxy Book will start at $800 in the US later this year
A more affordable sibling to the Galaxy Book Pro.
Alongside the Galaxy Book Pro, Pro 360 and Odyssey, Samsung announced a fourth computer at its recent Unpacked event. The Galaxy Book doesn't come with features like an RTX GPU or AMOLED display, but makes up for it with a more affordable price tag. For around $800, you'll get a laptop with a 15.4-inch LCD display and 15.4mm thick casing that Samsung will offer in two colors: Mystic Silver and Mystic Blue.
Depending on the market, the Galaxy Book will have dramatically different internals. In developing countries, you'll see it with an Intel Celeron or Pentium Gold processor. By contrast, in more mature markets like the US and Canada, the standard will be Intel's latest 11th-generation CPUs with Iris X graphics. The same is true of memory, with the base model in some countries coming with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM. The max, no matter where you buy it, is 16GB. Storage, meanwhile, starts at 256GB with an NVMe SSD allowing you to add up to 1TB of storage to the laptop. Powering everything is a 54Wh battery, and rounding out the feature list is a 720p web camera and a fingerprint sensor built into the power button.
For connectivity, the Galaxy Book comes with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 standard. A separate LTE model will allow you to stay connected on the go. I/O is on the generous side, with Samsung outfitting the Galaxy Book with two USB-C and two USB-A ports, as well as an HDMI connection, microSD slot and 3.5mm headphone jack. You'll also find a security slot on the right side of the computer.
As for software, Samsung's latest laptop includes the company's Second Screen feature, which allows you to use a Galaxy Tab tablet as a secondary display (think: Sidecar for macOS). With Link to Windows, you can also access notifications, files and apps from your phone on the computer. Those with Samsung earbuds, such as the Galaxy Buds Pro, can also look forward to fast and easy Bluetooth pairing.
Samsung told Engadget the Galaxy Book will be available in the US in the second half of 2021, with the base model expected to cost around $800 — though that could change. Either way, it will more affordable than the $999 Galaxy Book Pro and $1,199 Pro 360.
