Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Book S laptop

8 Aug 2019

Emma Sims

Everything you need to know about Samsung’s Galaxy Book S

Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy Book S at its Samsung Unpacked 2019 event in New York, treating us to a glimpse of the company’s next premium laptop.

And we can confirm it’s an ultraportable beauty, with its superlight body, 16:9 aspect ratio and traditional clamshell design marking a significant departure from forerunners the 2-in-1 Galaxy Book and Galaxy Book 2.

The Galaxy Book S is powered by Qualcomm’s 8cx processor – the chipmaker’s first 7-nanometer system-on-a-chip – making for “40 percent greater CPU performance, 80 percent greater graphics performance, and added memory bandwidth” compared to the Galaxy Book 2, according to Samsung.

If you’re intrigued by what Samsung’s latest laptop has to offer, read on for everything we know about the Galaxy Book S.

Samsung Galaxy Book S: Release date

The company hasn’t offered a specific release date yet, although Samsung did say that the Galaxy Book S will launch in the US market at some point in September.

As for when we’ll be able to get our hands on the Galaxy Book S across the pond is anyone’s guess – some of its forerunners have launched stateside and failed to make a commercial appearance in the UK, so we’re not holding our breath. Watch this space, though.

Samsung Galaxy Book S: Price

This is a premium product with a price tag to match. The Galaxy Book S will start at $999 in the US (equating roughly to £799), with price bumps for higher-spec models.

Baulking at the price tag? Check out our roundup of the best cheap laptops you can buy in the UK.

Samsung Galaxy Book S: Design

Samsung’s newest ultraportable does what it says on the tin: with its ultra-slim body weighing in at just 0.96kg, the Galaxy Book S can pretty much be carried anywhere, making for the ultimate in transportable tech.

The device will be offered in two colours: “Earthy Gold” or “Mercury Grey”. A modern spin on the classic metallics, these hues offer a warmer tone than some of the company’s earlier models.

Samsung Galaxy Book S: Specs

Samsung’s Galaxy Book S will come equipped with the 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx processor – the company’s first 7-nanometer system-on-a-chip – confirming the rumours that abounded before its official unveiling. This includes an Adreno 680 integrated GPU.

The ultralight device has a 13.3in touchscreen display that supports 10-point multitouch input. It also comes equipped with 8GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of SSD space (with support for a microSD of up to 1TB in size) and LTE capability with Nano SIM support. There’s also 720p HD camera for all your Skyping needs.

Samsung Galaxy Book S: Features

The big omission from the Galaxy Book S is 5G: the ultraportable is not 5G-ready, so you’ll have to wait a while longer if you want to see those lightning fast browsing speeds and zippy downloads on a Samsung laptop.

That being said, the Galaxy Book S does have plenty of features to recommend it. It offers Gigabit LTE connectivity, which adds a “virtually constant connection to the cloud,” meaning you don’t need to rely on Wi-Fi to access apps and content.

The device also boasts a fingerprint sensor built into its power button, which will work which will work in tandem with LTE connectivity to permit one-touch login.

It runs Windows 10 and, as before, is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx, something the company is adamant will imbue it with the functionality of a laptop whilst maintaining ultra-portability.

“The Snapdragon 8cx chipset ushers in a new era of always-on, always-connected devices that empower you to work, multitask and play with ease almost anywhere,” said Steve Mollenkopf, Qualcomm CEO. “We refused to compromise peak performance for battery life and instead combined the two to create a powerful device experience that offers premium mobile computing capabilities alongside a smartphone’s mobility and connectivity.”

Samsung has also waxed lyrical about the Galaxy Book S’s impressive battery life, with the laptop apparently able to withstand 23hrs of video playback on one single charge. This will, naturally, vary upon individual use.

We’ll be updating this page as and when we get more information on the Galaxy Book S, so be sure to check back in.

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