Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Pro is trying to be a MacBook Pro — but it's not what you think (report)
The leaked images and specs for the Galaxy Book 4 Pro show do not fill us with enthusiasm.
The Tech Outlook has obtained promotional images of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Book 4 laptop fleet ahead of their launch. The images were intended for promotional use in India and include information on their Indian pricing scheme. Included with the glamour shots and pricing was a full spec breakdown for the lineup, from the Galaxy Book 4 to the Galaxy Book 4 Pro 360.
All four laptops appear to come in just two colors, the same Graphite and Beige as the Galaxy Book 3 series. While disappointing, this isn't much of a surprise. Ultrabook laptops have been pretty set in their monochrome metallic color scheme for so long we celebrated Apple for making Space Black a colorway on the MacBook Pro 16.
As Samsung is sticking to the same minimalist Ultrabook aesthetics of previous iterations, the Galaxy Book 4 line appears to see the biggest changes when it comes to chipset upgrades and neural processing power.
Tech spec breakdown
All four laptops will be Intel systems featuring integrated graphics, with the Galaxy Book 4 Pro 360 and Galaxy Book 4 Pro featuring Intel's new AI powered CPUs and Arc graphics. The Galaxy Book 4 360 and Galaxy Book 4 will be missing out on the Intel Ultra NPU, but they will still feature a Core i5 or Core i7 processor which will meet the needs of most users.
The flagship Galaxy Book 4 Pro 360 and Galaxy Book 4 Pro will feature an Intel Ultra 7 or Ultra 5 CPU, Intel Arc graphics, a built-in NPU, up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, up to 1TB SSD storage, Knox security, and a 16-inch dynamic 120Hz 2K AMOLED touch-screen display.
The mid-range Galaxy Book 4 360 will feature an Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, Intel graphics, up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 15.6-inch 60Hz FHD Super AMOLED touch-screen display. The entry-level Galaxy Book 4 will feature an Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, Intel graphics, up to 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 15.6-inch 60Hz FHD IPS display.
But why is Samsung's flagship laptop so boring?
I have spent the last several years waiting for Samsung to do something interesting with the Galaxy Book lineup. Particularly the Galaxy Book Pro, which should be a major computing flagship but has generally just been another boring monochrome Ultrabook caught in the company of a dozen or more Windows business PCs.
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Judging by the leaked images and specs breakdown, the only exciting thing about the Galaxy Book 4 Pro is its suite of AI bloatware and NPU. The Neural processor can at least boost performance.
Of course, Intel's Ultra CPUs can keep up with Apple's base M3 chips, as we found with the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo back in December. But that doesn't mean the Galaxy Book 4 Pro will actually take the Macbook Pro's ubiquitous crown as a laptop for proper Creative Professionals. Intel's Ultra CPUs may have some great performance output, but they have yet to outpace the M3 Max in our labs, which will still give Apple the edge here.
Sure, the Galaxy Book 4 Pro 360 can do the usual 2-in-1 tent thing. But is that actually a function most people want in their ultra-thin powerhouse creator laptop? Personally, I don't think so. I could be wrong, but a 2-in-1 is not the machine I think of when I think of heavy photo and video editing. So what does the Galaxy Book line have going for it? Samsung branding? All the instability of Windows 11 as an operating system?
If only the Galaxy Book 4 Pro came in hot pink, that would be something to make it stand out in the crowded Ultrabook market. Unfortunately, it seems this is not the year for Samsung to make their mark on the computing space. So the Galaxy Book 4 Pro will continue to drown in the anemic sea of lifeless business laptops.
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A former lab gremlin for Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, and Tech Radar; Madeline has escaped the labs to join Laptop Mag as a Staff Writer. With over a decade of experience writing about tech and gaming, she may actually know a thing or two. Sometimes. When she isn't writing about the latest laptops and AI software, Madeline likes to throw herself into the ocean as a PADI scuba diving instructor and underwater photography enthusiast.