Why it matters to you
The Galaxy Book is Samsung’s big attempt to carve out a slice of the growing hybrid market, and it’s set to debut sooner rather than later.
In February, Samsung officially unveiled its Galaxy Book 2-in-1 PC, the first laptop in the Galaxy line. Now, the company has offered up comprehensive specs for the device, and announced that it will be available to purchase starting Friday, April 21.
The Galaxy Book will come in two different sizes: A 10.6-inch model and a 12-inch model. The larger system will be available with or without LTE functionality, and all iterations come bundled with the S Pen accessory and a keyboard.
The 10.6-inch Galaxy Book is fitted with a TFT display that’s capable of a 1920 x 1280 resolution. It features an Intel Core m3 processor, 4GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of eMMC storage. In terms of connectivity, it offers a single USB 3.1 Type-C port, as well a MicroSD port that can be used for extra storage.
Meanwhile, the 12-inch Galaxy Book is packing a super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2160 x 1440. Its processor is an Intel Core i5-7200U, and it has two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, as well as a MicroSD slot.
Things get a bit complex when it comes to the 12-inch version’s memory. The LTE model boasts 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid state drive, whereas the Wi-Fi variant can be outfitted with up to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
The 12-inch LTE Galaxy Book will be available from Verizon Wireless starting on April 21, and is priced at $1,300. Pre-orders on the 12-inch Wi-Fi model, which costs $1,130, and the 10.6-inch Wi-Fi model, which costs $630, will also open on April 21 ahead of general availability on May 21. A silver version of the hybrid will be available nationwide, with a black variant offered exclusively at Best Buy locations.
Samsung is clearly aiming the Galaxy Book at the same sector of users who have made Microsoft’s Surface line such an enormous success. However, our hands-on time with the device revealed some significant issues with its keyboard, which may make it difficult for the 2-in-1 to compete with the Surface Book.