Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra first look: Prepare for RTX 4070 power

theBit checks out the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 lineup, including the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, boasting up to RTX 4070 GPU power.

Samsung is a fierce competitor in its Galaxy S-series phones, but its Galaxy Book lineup shouldn’t be sneezed at, either. Not only do these sleek, ultraportable notebooks offer a Windows version of the ever-popular MacBook Air, but they also come packing power under their hood.

With the Galaxy Book 3 lineup announced, including a Galaxy Book 3 Pro, Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, and Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, Samsung is giving Apple a run for its money. Why? Because the Ultra model comes boasting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series GPU and a 13th Gen Intel Core processor. Talk about power.

Read on for a first look at Samsung’s latest Galaxy Book laptops, along with a list of specs.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360 impressions

Samsung put the Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360 on display, and I was immediately drawn to their size and thickness – or should I say thinness. The former comes in two models, 14-inch and 16-inch, fitted with a 3K Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. the 14-inch model is just 11.3mm thin (0.4 inches) and weighs a light 1.17kg (2.6 pounds), while the 16-inch version comes in at 12.5mm thin (0.5 inches) and weighs 1.56kg (3.4 pounds).

The weight and feel of the 14-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro were especially apparent, as I could easily see myself whipping this out of my bag with ease and getting to work. Speaking of, its keyboard is incredibly comfortable to type on, with keys springing back nicely without too much weight. However, it didn’t feel like there was much key travel, which could make for sore fingers for anyone who types thousands of words a day.

Then there’s the absolutely ginormous touchpad. That gave me more than enough space to whisk around the cursor on the screen and to use multi-point touch gestures. This looks particularly big on the 14-inch model but fits nicely with the 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Book 3 Pro delivers a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 or i5 processor, along with the usual Intel Iris Xe graphics. That’s plenty of power for daily tasks, and makes for a powerful machine for work and watching your favourite Netflix shows, thanks to the near bezel-less display. I’m a big fan of the look and feel of the laptops, and it’s always nice to see a 1080p webcam that doesn’t make you look like a pixelated potato when on work calls (take that, 720p webcams).

You can expect all the same specs on the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, but this comes with a 360-degree hinge that transforms it into a sizeable tablet (or a tent). This model comes with a 16-inch 3K Dynamic AMOLED touchscreen, measuring 12.8mm (0.5 inches) and weighing 1.71kg (3.9 pounds). There’s also a 5G model for on-the-move professionals that don’t want to rely on Wi-Fi. There’s even a handy S Pen included for good measure.

The Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360 take a lot of design cues from the Galaxy Book 2 lineup, but this time it’s packed with the latest generation of specs to boost performance. As someone who adores ultraportable laptops, Samsung’s latest notebooks impress. But not as impressive as what the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra brings to the table.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra impressions

The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is a first for Samsung, and there’s a lot to like. Most notably, the 13th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and RTX 4070 GPU it can boast. This raises the bar on what a Galaxy Book can be, as now it can be classed as a laptop for intensive workloads and for gaming.

It packs a 16-inch 3K Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This screen will be put to better use by gamers, as it will dish out smooth gameplay when putting the RTX 4070 to work.

With the power it boasts, it’s sure to come with a hefty price tag. However, there is a slightly less powerful version available, coming with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and an RTX 4050 GPU. Word on the street is it will start at £2,449 (around $4,677 NZD), meaning that’s likely to be the price of the base model. That will still put a dent in your wallet, so the RTX 4070 model is looking quite pricey.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t test the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra’s performance. However, I did get to see how it looks. It has a similar, sleek-looking chassis as its Galaxy Book 3 siblings but is understandably thicker at 16.5mm (0.64 inches) and slightly heavier at 1.79kg (3.9 pounds). It’s noticeably thicker than the Galaxy Book 3 Pro, but not by much – meaning it could match other sleek-and-thin gaming laptops on the market.

The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is the laptop I’ve been looking for from Samsung, and it’s shaping up to be an ultraportable to look out for in 2023. There’s still a lot to be desired, but I’m looking forward to some hands-on time with Samsung’s most powerful laptop yet.