The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is one of the most exciting laptops I’ve reviewed in a long time. I’m able to do gaming without even plugging it in.
Its Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics cards, gorgeous 16-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, and the most oversized trackpad I have ever seen make the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra the dream laptop. It wants to properly rival the Dell XPS’s, ZenBook Pros, and MacBook Pros.
So, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is Samsung’s fancy new top-of-the-line laptop, and it is also their first with a dedicated graphics card. It comes in 14-inch and 16-inch displays, and it has lower-power CPUs and integrated graphics. But it gets all the power, and, as you would expect, the highest price also starts at under 2200 dollars.
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Specifications
You get an RTX 4050, a 13th generation i7, 512GB of storage, and also an Intel Evo-certified laptop, which, in its base configuration, is about $250 less than a base M2 Pro MacBook Pro 16. If you do want to max this out, though, you can get a RTX 4070 or i9 processor and a terabyte of storage for around three grand.
Both CPU options, either the i7 or the i9, are 45-watt Intel 13th generation H Series chips, meaning they’re much more powerful than the usual P-Series that we get in smaller and lighter laptops. Beyond that, there is either 16 or 32GB of RAM, a fairly average-sized 76-watt-hour battery, Wi-Fi 6E, a fingerprint reader, a very impressive 1080p webcam, and also some pretty decent quad speakers.
However, there was a bit of a problem because, with the top-spec version in the UK at least, it tops out with 16GB of RAM, which with a 4070 and an i9 is deal breaker.
In the US, they have updated the store to show a 32GB version, because the worst part is that it’s soldered-on memory. You can’t get it yourself. The entry-level model with the RTX 4050, Intel i7, and 16GB of RAM is still definitely worth considering.
Now, I’ve got the top 4608 quad cores, its eight gigs of GDDR6 VRAM, and also its 60-watt TGP, which makes it kind of a mid-level model for this GPU.
And while you do get far higher frame rates in your games and performance in your applications compared to an integrated XE chip like we get in the Galaxy Book 3 Pro, as you would expect for this form factor, it doesn’t really compete with a proper gaming laptop.
In fact, even versus a last-gen RTX 3070Ti mobile GPU, this RTX 4070 has 28 quad-cores, its memory bus is only half as wide, and we also get a lot less bandwidth. So with this, we’re trading some of that raw power for much greater portability.
Design and Build
The build quality is also top-notch, We have an aluminum chassis, and there’s no flex or anything. Galaxy Book 3 Ultra a really well-made laptop and incredibly thin and light given the performance and the 16-inch screen size.
Now you can open it with one finger, which adds to that premium feel a little bit, and that is as far as the screen goes back. Although you’ll notice we do get quite a bit of screen wobble, which is not ideal.
And actually, if I just sort of put it into a comfortable viewing position and then pick it up, let’s pretend I’m on a train or a plane, there’s a bit of shaking. That screen wobble is a bit annoying, I have to say, and it does eventually start pushing the screen down as well, so a beefier hinge would have been nice to see.
Also, I’m sure Samsung is compromising for something because of the size of the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra trackpad. It is massive, and it’s very nice to use. The problem is it kind of just squashes the keyboard up a little bit.
We have tiny, tiny arrow keys, these shortened function row keys. There is room for a numpad on the side, which is nice. I would have preferred if it just made this a bit smaller but then expanded the keyboard a little bit. And also, the keys aren’t really my favorite. There’s a sort of very rubbery softness to them, which isn’t particularly satisfying. They’re perfectly fine, just not one of my favorite keyboards.
But no complaints about the size, It’s just 1.79 kilograms, which for a 16-inch laptop with these specs is very impressive. Although if portability is your top priority, then you should definitely consider its smaller 14-inch.
Ports and Connectivity
As far the ports on Galaxy Book 3 Ultra we have 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, 1x USB-A 3.2 port, a Micro SD card reader, an 3.5mm audio jack, and an HDMI 2 port. it’s just a bit frustrating given the price and its target audience, with these specs, you would really expect an HDMI 2.1 port and a full-size SD card slot, so that’s a bit of a disappointment. I guess they were just prioritizing keeping it as thin as possible.
On the inside, we have a Vapor chamber cooler, dual fans, and the PCI4 SSD is upgradable. There’s also a second SSD slot, so there’s a lot of potential for upgrading the storage, but not the RAM.
Display and Picture Quality
The Screen is a significant upgrade over the previous Galaxy books, which were always quite good. I appreciate that Samsung has provided us with AMOLED displays, but they were consistently limited to 60 hertz and a 16 by 9 aspect ratio, making them seem somewhat outdated. And we not only have a superior AMOLED panel, but it’s also 16 by 10 and 120 hertz, resulting in a much smoother experience.
Samsung claims that their new Dynamic AMOLED 2x panel is brighter, with improved HDR and more precise colors. The 3K resolution is notably sharp, falling between Quad HD Plus and 4K, striking a good balance for battery life and performance, similar to what you’d find on the MacBook Pro. However, it’s not ideal if you require native 4K viewing or editing, and it’s also extremely glossy, catching every reflection in the room.
Nevertheless, the color accuracy is outstanding; I measured 100% sRGB, 95% Adobe RGB, and 99% DCI P3, making it perfect for graphic artists, designers, and anyone working with color-sensitive tasks. The brightness is impressive exceeding Samsung’s claims. I recorded approximately 530 nits in SDR and 740 in HDR. Additionally, it meets the Display HDR 500 true black standard, and HDR content looks particularly stunning on this screen. Overall the Galaxy Book3 Ultra display is truly exceptional.
Battery
On the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra we also have a 76-watt hour battery. Speaking of battery life, I’m getting around seven to eight hours of general light use and maybe an hour and a half of gaming using the GPU without power. Keep in mind, though, that gaming potential is pretty dependent on being plugged in. On battery, Cyberpunk’s performance dropped around 45%, and I lost close to 80% of my FPS in Siege, taking it from well over 100 to just over 30 FPS. You will, of course, get the best performance plugged in.
And actually, I should mention that the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra uses just a USB-C cable. There is no big power adapter or brick that you have to plug around with you. It’s a 100-watt charging, so in 90 minutes, I believe you can go from zero to 100. And being USB-C, you can charge your phone with it as well.
Performance
But the big question is just how fast is this Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra?
Well, firing up a bit of Premiere Pro and opening my 4K project, everything was nice and fast, even with processing effects and color correction. And of course, in any 3D apps like Blender, or of course gaming, having RTX 4050 or in my case 4070 makes all the difference.
For example, in F1 22 at Quad HD, I maxed out this 120Hz panel using medium settings and I got around 80 FPS. At Ultra, of course, ray tracing does tank that figure considerably, although frame generation, Nvidia’s new frame interpolation tech which is exclusive to these new 40 series cards, definitely helped to boost the FPS in Cyberpunk, which is still a hugely demanding title.
You can actually max out the settings with tracing and still get 43 FPS at QHD plus with DLSS. Center Performance drop to high settings without RT and with the LSS, and this will manage just over 100 frames per second.
In Forza Horizon 5, I hit a solid 60 on medium to high settings and low 40s with everything cranked to the extreme. And then in my old benchmarking favorite, Rainbow Six Siege, the Samsung hit a super smooth 144fps with the LSS set to balanced.
And just as importantly, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra performed well in the Time Spy frame stability stress test, meaning that there was really hardly any GPU throttling. And so I think that vapor chamber and the dual fans are doing a really good job here.
And most of the time, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is basically silent. Really only if you’re running sustained loads or gaming do you hear that fan wear up. And you do have different fan profiles and performance profiles within the Samsung settings as well, which you can tinker with.
But compared to some of its Windows rivals, the fans, the cooling, the temps, and also the performance, particularly on battery life, are all very impressive. And as for sound quality, the quad AKG-tuned speakers get decently loud and clear, and importantly, they don’t sound tinny.
Webcam
The webcam, as I let the screen settle and stop shaking, produces 1080p video, and actually, the quality is really nice, better than other webcams I’ve tested. We are in studio lighting here, and you can see my little conception going on there.
The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is using the built-in speakers and microphones. I do quite like that we get a few extra little tools to play with. We have the eye contact mode, which is supposed to make your eyes always appear to be looking at the camera.
We’ve got background blur, and we’ve got auto-framing. It’s a lot of nice Samsung extras to improve the webcam. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra webcam or camera up here does not support Windows Hello for face unlocking. You have to rely on the fingerprint reader.
Samsung Extras
The other advantage of choosing a Samsung laptops is get additional connectivity and smart features that work with other Galaxy devices. For example, Multi-Control allows you to share your mouse and keyboard with your Galaxy S-series phone or tablet. We also get Instant Hotspot, which allows your Galaxy phone to transfer raw photos directly to the laptop automatically, and there’s Quick Share, which is essentially Samsung’s version of Apple’s Airdrop.
Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs MacBook Pro
The last question is, how does this compare to the MacBook Pro 16 with an M1 Pro, which is also in the same price range of around £2,500?
The Samsung laptop does cost about £250 more in its base configuration with 512GB storage and 16GB RAM, but with an intel i7 13th gen processor compared to the MacBook M1 Pro.
For some people, this comparison may be pointless because they prefer either MacOS or Windows 11, and that’s completely understandable.
In my experience, the MacBook Pro M1 is faster, quieter under load, and the biggest advantage is that you get the same performance whether you’re on battery or connected to power.
Additionally, the MacBook Pro has HDMI 2.1, more Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full-size SD card slot, better speakers, a better webcam, a better keyboard and trackpad, and a brighter screen with thinner bezels, although some people may not like the notch.
As for the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, it is still very impressive by Windows laptop standards, particularly in terms of performance and battery life. It stays cool and reasonably quiet, has a build quality that is up to Apple standards, and the AMOLED screen, while not as bright, wins in terms of having higher contrast and deeper blacks.
Although the MacBook’s mini LED isn’t far behind. I know these Windows vs Mac comparisons can be controversial, but frankly, I don’t care. I use the best tech available at the moment for my use cases, and for me, the clear winner is the MacBook Pro 16.
However, if you prefer Windows, want to play proper games, and not just stream them over the cloud or play Apple Arcade, or you really want the performance of the 4050 or 4070 graphics card, then the Samsung laptop is definitely worth considering.
Final Thought
So The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is a very capable thin and light semi-workstation laptop. I think there’s a lot of strong competition out there, and I do have a few issues – the screen’s a little wobbly, there’s no full-size SD, no HDMI 2.1, the keyboard isn’t my favorite, and the lack of a 32GB RAM option on the highest spec, at least for now, is just baffling to be honest.
But aside from those issues, performance is good, battery life is decent, the webcam is fantastic, and the build quality is generally really nice. The thermals are good, and I like the trackpad.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that this is a whole lot lighter than your MacBook Pro 16 or Dell XPS 17s of the world, so in terms of that pursuit of performance and portability, maybe Samsung’s cracked it. My recommendation would be to stick with the base option of the intel i7 and RTX 4050 with 16GB of RAM.
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra Review
The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra offers solid performance and features, but lacks certain essentials like HDMI 2.1 and full-size SD. Overall, it's a lightweight and M1 MacBook Pro contender.
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Specs9.5
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Design and Build8.5
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Ports7.5
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Display9
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Battery Life8
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Performance9
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Webcam8