Before pre-orders and release dates were officially announced, we had a chance to get hands-on with the latest three in the Samsung Galaxy Book3 line of ultrabooks. So far, what we’ve seen has impressed us.We never thought Samsung would jump into a thin and light laptop built for gamers and creatives, so the Galaxy Book3 Ultra is here. It was the biggest surprise ever.
Previewed a 16-inch version in black. Its sleek and sexy form factor belies its surprisingly hefty weight, and you can immediately tell what specs are hidden inside. The display is also gorgeous, and it has a very high-class feeling compared to similar machines.
Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Price and Availability
The Galaxy Book3 Ultra starts at $2,199.99 / £1,849 (around A$3,190), with options to configure it to higher specs at higher prices. Pre-orders will begin on February 14th, with release scheduled for February 22nd.
This Ultrabook appears to be available in the US and UK only, at an affordable price. UK pricing is higher than US pricing, reflecting the ongoing inflation crisis in the region.
Meanwhile, TechRadar will always report when Australian or other regional pricing information is released. So stay tuned for ongoing coverage and other Samsung news and product announcements.
Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Design
| component | specification | |
|---|---|---|
| price | Starting at $2,199.99 / £1,849 (approximately AU$3,190) | |
| CPU | Up to 13th Gen Intel Core i9 (45W) | |
| graphic | Nvidia RTX 4050 or RTX 4070 graphics | |
| memory | Up to 32GB LPDDR5 | |
| depository | Up to 1TB SSD | |
| screen | 14″ and 16″ WQXGA+ (2880 x 1800p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X |
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Unlike the other two Ultrabooks we previewed, the Galaxy Book3 Ultra is significantly heavier by comparison despite its still-thin form factor. , I immediately noticed the difference. There are two colors, black and light silver, and the one I previewed is black. Despite its very generic color options, with the smoothness that indicates its high quality, its AMOLED screen is an absolute show-stopper.
The keyboard feels premium, and I really appreciate the size and responsiveness of the touchpad. The webcam is full 1080p and I found it to be a sharp image with options like HDR and auto framing to improve image quality and focus.
The port selection is pretty solid with an HDMI port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a Type-A USB port, an audio jack, and a mini SD card slot. However, it is a little disappointing that there is no Ethernet cable. Most buyers likely won’t plug his Ultrabooks in for Internet access, but having the option is important.
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Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Performance
I haven’t been able to personally test the Galaxy Book Ultra’s performance, but the specs so far are pretty impressive. It has an RTX 4070 GPU. This makes the Ultra great for gaming and creative work, but you’ll find out more when you get a chance to test it yourself.
Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Early Verdict
All in all, this was the most interesting show Samsung has offered us. You can get a versatile machine.
The price is quite high, in line with high-end gaming laptops and ultrabooks, but it’s still a bit steep for the average consumer who is more price savvy than before. But it’s still a great investment. It looks like it, and is definitely preferable to some of the other bulky behemoths we’ve seen this year.
It remains to be seen what the actual performance, sound quality, ventilation, etc. will look like, but hopefully these numbers are as impressive as anything we’ve seen so far.