Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra review: A beautiful beast of a laptop

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Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 Ultra challenges all comers in content material creation, a market Samsung hasn’t beforehand addressed with its Book3 collection. But this modern 16-inch laptop computer with its beautiful OLED display combines each a 13th-gen Intel Core CPU and a brand new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, supplying you with an entry level into the newest PC {hardware}.

There’s so much to like right here. You’re getting excellent battery life, a beautiful design, fashionable Thunderbolt 4 ports, and extra. No, the GPU isn’t what you’ll discover in a real gaming pocket book and the keyboard is a bit shallower than different productiveness laptops. You’ll be hard-pressed, nevertheless, to discover a higher pocket book PC for content material creation.

Looking for extra content material creator laptops? Check out our prime picks on our roundup of the best laptops.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: What it presents, the place it suits

Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 is considered one of a small family of new Book3 laptops that consists of the Book3 Ultra, the Book3 Pro clamshell, and the Book3 Pro 360 and Book3 360 two-in-one convertibles. (We’ve reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 separately, and sister website TechAdvisor reviewed the Book3 Pro.) The Book3 Ultra is the brand new addition to the household, sporting an Nvidia RTX GeForce 4xxx GPU inside a thicker body that makes it appropriate for content material creation and lightweight gaming. It’s a market Samsung hasn’t addressed with its earlier Galaxy Books.

Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 Ultra ships with a single 16-inch show choice, although you’ll have the selection of two efficiency configurations just like the Core i7/RTX 4050 mannequin that begins at $2,399.99, which we take a look at right here, and a Core i9/RTX 4070 model, beginning at $2,999.99. The former choice additionally presents 16GB of RAM, whereas the latter ships with 32GB. For both configuration, you possibly can select between 512GB and 1TB of SSD storage, although Samsung itself presently presents only a 1TB SSD choice.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Keep in thoughts that there’s a considerable distinction between Nvidia’s RTX 4050 cellular GPU and the RTX 4070 cellular GPU, although Nvidia didn’t go into an excessive amount of element when launching them. Nvidia’s RTX 4050 is the least highly effective of the RTX 4xxx GPU household. While the 4050 and the 4070 in any other case supply related options, Nvidia’s specifications present that they differ significantly in each reminiscence width and CUDA core depend, which can have an effect on gaming efficiency however may cut back battery life considerably. As a content material creation machine, although, the brand new capabilities of the GPU’s video encoders are simply as necessary.

Put one other approach, the Book3 Ultra isn’t a “gaming” laptop computer, however a “gaming-capable” laptop computer. Content creation and consumption is its main objective.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i7-13700H/Core i9-13900H (Core i7 as examined)
• Display: 16-inch non-touch (2,880×1800), 120Hz AMOLED 2X, 400 nits, 120% DCI-P3 colour quantity
• Memory: 16GB/32GB LPDDR5 (16GB as examined)
• Storage: 512GB/1TB SSD plus growth slot (1TB as examined)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050/4070 Laptop GPU (RTX 4050 as examined)
• Ports: 2 Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, HDMI 2.0, microSD, Headphone/Mic
• Security: Fingerprint reader
• Camera: 1080p (user-facing)
• Battery: 73.8Wh (rated) / 74.5Wh (precise)
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+), 802.11 ax 2×2, Bluetooth 5.1
• Audio: AKG Quad Speaker (two 5W woofers, two 2W tweeters), Smart Amp, Dolby Atmos
• Operating system: Windows 11
• Dimensions:  13.99 x 9.86 x 0.65in. (16.5mm)
• Weight: 3.95lbs (rated)
• Colors: Graphite
• Price:  starting at $2,399

After just lately reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, the extra weight and thickness that the Ultra presents is a little bit of a shock. Like the opposite Book3 laptops, nevertheless, the aluminum chassis attracts fingerprints readily, which present up as smudges on the black Graphite floor. The Ultra doesn’t really feel particularly thick—simply extra like a standard laptop computer than Samsung’s ultrathin Book lineup. At 14 inches large and about 4 kilos, nevertheless, the burden is noticeable.

We stated related issues in regards to the Book3 Pro 360, with the caveat that the comparatively tiny gallium nitrate (GaN) charger offset these issues. Here, the charger provides to them, sadly. You most likely have older gadgets that mix the facility transformer and the plug into the identical unit: “wall warts”. Here, there’s a sizeable energy brick (70mm x 75mm, or about three inches on a facet) with a plug on one facet of it, which might make plugging into the wall or perhaps a energy strip a little bit awkward, relying on the orientation. Samsung would possibly rethink this with its subsequent era.

The charger does accomplish one factor, although, it powers up the Book3 Ultra shortly. Samsung claims that the Book3 will cost to 55 % in 30 minutes. That’s true, offered that you simply depart the laptop computer closed and in a sleep state. When open, we recorded a cost of about 25 % throughout the identical time.

Mark Hachman / IDG

The Book3 Ultra’s lid opens up with simply the criminal of a finger, exposing the attractive AMOLED 2X display inside that fills nearly the entire accessible area; there aren’t any chunky bezels on this machine. The new AMOLED 2X OLED is a key promoting level of the Book3 lineup and it applies right here. OLEDs are merely attractive shows, with absolute jet blacks that underscore the terrific distinction ratio.

In the true world, you gained’t discover as a lot influence on day-to-day workplace work, with its multicolored photographs and lightweight backgrounds. If you favor darkish mode, nevertheless, it’s a bonus. Movies, although, are the place it actually shines. Dark scenes seem actually darkish, which provides a further layer of visible constancy to the expertise.

Samsung claims that the laptop computer produces 120 % of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, which merely interprets into brighter, extra vivid colours, in addition to being rated for VESA ClearMR and DisplayHDR TRUE BLACK 500 licensed. The Pro 360 OLED show does characteristic devoted modes for DCI-P3, AdobeRGB and sRGB, in addition to an “Auto” mode that presumably optimizes itself for the applying. Based on our colorimeter, the Book3 Ultra seems to accommodate the total vary of the colour gamuts we examined underneath.

Samsung additionally claims that the show reduces blue mild by 78 % whereas in darkish mode versus its mild mode, which we haven’t been in a position to confirm. It’s an fascinating declare, although, as a result of usually laptops cut back blue mild whereas in “light mode,” skewing the show in the direction of yellowish tinges. The Book3 Ultra does the latter, too. However, decreasing the quantity of sunshine hitting your eyeball whereas in darkish mode and reducing the quantity of blue mild definitely ought to attraction to migraine victims.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Samsung’s new AMOLED 2X presents extra than simply visible enhancements, although. Like the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, the Book3 Ultra’s show is a “dynamic” 120Hz. When wanted, the show can dial all the way down to a extra conservative 60Hz when idling, saving energy. When crucial the show can enhance its refresh charge to 120Hz, providing smoother mousing and gameplay. Normally, this helps inking, too. However, the Galaxy Book3 Ultra doesn’t ship with a touchscreen, or a pen. For that, there’s the Book3 Pro 360 as an alternative.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Chassis and ports

When we first opened up the Book3 and commenced setting it up, we seen the distinct high-pitched tones that point out coil whine, when the followers velocity as much as cool the laptop computer down. In equity, nevertheless, we haven’t heard them since. Instead, the Book3 Ultra sucks in air by way of a small matrix of holes within the backside of the chassis and pushes it out the again, although the hinge. The hiss it produces is noticeable although not overwhelming. We’d count on extra noise, although, in the event you go for the Core i9/RTX 4070 choice as an alternative.

On the left facet of the Book3 Ultra are a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can be utilized to connect with a Thunderbolt dock, together with for exterior storage or a pair of 4K shows. Failing that, the Book3 Ultra additionally presents a devoted HDMI 2.0 port, which might undertaking to a single exterior 4K monitor, as effectively. On the precise facet, Samsung features a microSD slot and a legacy USB-A port for a mouse, plus a headphone jack.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Samsung is rather less pushy than Microsoft by way of encouraging you to attach your laptop computer to Samsung’s community of apps, companies, and gadgets, however the Book3 Ultra does ask for (however doesn’t demand) a Samsung password if you arrange the system. Doing so supplies some advantages in the event you personal different Samsung gadgets, and in addition allows some particular Samsung purposes, which we’ll speak about later.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Typing expertise

Samsung’s 1.6:1 show ratio permits for a roomy keyboard, with a slim quantity pad to the right-hand facet—in the event you’re a right-handed particular person, which may simply be a comfort. As a lefty, although, the quantity pad is the equal of the WASD keys right-handers use, so any laptop computer with gaming potential earns a plus in that regard. Given that Samsung presents 16-inch choices throughout most of its Book3 line, I’d assume that any machine you purchase on this household may have the identical keyboard, and so they all must be equally usable.

As I wrote in my Book3 Pro 360 evaluate, Samsung’s chiclet keyboards at all times make me marvel in the event that they’ll really be usable, as their key journey is usually shallower than I’d like. While I’m nonetheless unsure if I’d desire them for long-term use, they’re snug sufficient. Keyboards have turn out to be shallower over time, nevertheless, as producers desire to design thinner methods with much less room for deep key journey. That’s not a pattern I endorse, however Samsung a minimum of has managed a compromise. There are three ranges of backlighting.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Samsung once more chooses to make use of a fingerprint reader, mounted inside the facility button. Pushing it when the laptop computer is off or in standby means that you can energy on and log in on the similar time. While depth cameras can log you in shortly, they will turn out to be fooled by facial hair, wrinkles, or glasses. The Book3 lineup lacks depth cameras, utilizing the fingerprint reader as an alternative.

Fingerprint readers are usually extra constant, however they will additionally turn out to be much less correct over time because the sensor turns into smudged. They’re additionally delicate to schmutz in your finger both throughout setup or authentication, because the Book3 Ultra was. Put one other approach, the fingerprint sensor labored acceptably throughout our time with the Book3, however this implies little in comparison with the long run.

All of the brand new Book3 fashions appear to share a further quirk. The gigantic touchpad on the backside of the keyboard, which measures a large 6 inches large by about 4.25 inches deep. While you possibly can faucet upon its full breadth, the higher fifth or so isn’t clickable. Even with such an unlimited enter machine, there’s nonetheless sufficient room in your palms on both facet, although the touchpad is skewed towards the left-hand facet. Taken collectively, the trackpad and keyboard are acceptable, although not excellent.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Audio

I made the error of studying TechAdvisor’s evaluate of the Book3 Pro proper earlier than penning this part and I can’t assist however agree with Anyron Copeman’s take. The Book3 lineup excels at voice playback, whether or not by way of music or the spoken phrase, and falls a bit brief in all places else. Out of the field, the Book3 Ultra and Pro 360 don’t sound all that nice, and require some tuning of the pre-installed Dolby Atmos app to reach at a suitable setting. (As far as I can inform, the Book 3 Pro 360 and the Book3 Ultra produce about the identical audio high quality.) Otherwise, the audio simply sounds a bit distorted, although the amount stage is superb.

The Book3 Ultra makes use of a pair of downward dealing with audio system with discrete 5W woofers and 2W tweeters, enough to full the room with no matter you’re taking part in again. None of the Book3 lineup supplies poor audio; it’s simply that another laptops I’ve heard do higher. Again, some tweaking will resolve most points, and there’s a headphone jack, too.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Webcam

When Intel launched its 13th-gen Core chips, the corporate stated that “select” laptops would come with a Movidius AI chip inside them to allow AI results. To date, the sign for these results has been the Windows Studio Effects suite, initially launched with the Surface Pro 9 (5G) and its Qualcomm Snapdragon Arm chip. (Arm has built-in AI features; the present 13th-gen Core chips don’t.)

The Book3 consists of the AI-powered Studio Effects suite, which incorporates an on-device duplicate of the background blurring results you’ll find in Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet. HDR results don’t do a lot. You’ll be extra impressed with the webcam’s means to robotically pan and zoom, retaining you in body. Indulge your vainness and activate Face Effects, which might subtly take away the baggage underneath your eyes from too many late nights.

Otherwise, the 1080p webcam’s on the higher finish of the spectrum of laptop computer webcams, with good colour stability however a barely delicate focus. Like the Pro 360, Samsung does use AI to assist cancel noise in video calls, nevertheless, and does so very effectively by way of a pair of studio mics.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: The Galaxy ecosystem

Samsung developed a set of its personal apps to attach its Galaxy gadgets such because the Book lineup, Tab tablets, and, after all, its Galaxy telephones. These apps complement and in some circumstances exchange the purposes that Microsoft itself supplies, like “Link to Windows” as a substitute for Phone Link. This “set bonus” could not justify shopping for a set of Samsung gadgets by themselves. If you do, nevertheless, there are advantages, as our checks of the Book3 and the newest Samsung Galaxy telephones indicated.

Remember Mouse without Borders? The helpful Microsoft app means that you can transfer a mouse between computer systems, which is a nifty trick. Samsung’s Multi Control app does the identical factor, which is a little bit weird—shifting your mouse cursor out of your laptop computer to your telephone, and interacting with images and recordsdata, even copying them or slicing and pasting—is neat, and helpful. It’s basically a return to the previous “sneakernet” of simply copying recordsdata from one machine to a different. (Yes, you possibly can robotically add them to the cloud after which re-download them, too, however there’s an immediacy to Multi Control which is extraordinarily handy.) If you personal a Galaxy Tab pill, you too can use a Tab as a second display by way of the Second Screen app, too.

In truth, a lot of the Samsung app ecosystem is all about shifting and sharing recordsdata. Quick Share can ship a file to a different Galaxy machine and Private Share can be utilized to securely encrypt and share recordsdata to different gadgets—a bit like sharing a file from the cloud with one other consumer, full with file permissions and an expiration date. One exception is Clip Studio Paint, which will get across the lack of a touchscreen and pen by permitting you to make use of a Galaxy Phone with an S Pen as an alternative. All of those apps have their very own niches.

Samsung additionally has an app known as Expert RAW Auto Share, which robotically sends images taken with a Galaxy S23 telephone to a close-by Galaxy pill. As Samsung explains, that’s helpful for enhancing RAW images with Adobe Lightroom—which Samsung supplies a two-month trial of.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Performance

Content-creation notebooks symbolize a small and evolving area of interest of PCs, someplace halfway between a standard gaming pocket book and a productiveness machine. Microsoft got down to assist create this area of interest with its Surface Laptop Studio, and extra just lately we’ve seen laptops just like the Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 3D OLED (H7604 3D OLED), with a 120Hz OLED show all of its personal. (We haven’t obtained that machine for testing but.)

Unlike a pure gaming pocket book, the significance of the Nvidia 4-series GPU is put to quite a lot of duties equivalent to gaming, 3D content material creation, photograph and video enhancing, and encoding. Content creation sometimes means video encoding, and this pocket book seizes upon two rising traits. First, new video codecs like AV1, which offer smaller file sizes (and fewer bandwidth for streaming) at the price of extra extreme {hardware} necessities. Secondly, standard encoding software program packages like OBS Studio now assist AV1, a codec that requires both an Nvidia GeForce 3-series or 4-series GPU. Encoding utilizing the extra aggressive codec on cutting-edge laptop computer {hardware} ought to save each time and disk area, each arguments in favor of shopping for this laptop computer.

Keep in thoughts, although, that you simply’re definitely not going to see the surprisingly excessive battery life when utilizing the Book3 Ultra for content material creation, versus the video playback take a look at that we use to measure battery life, or content material consumption. It’s at this level that you simply’ll see the Book3 echo a number of the issues gaming notebooks have—they’re nice when linked to their energy wire, however their longevity can endure when on battery and underneath load.

Incidentally, the Book3 Ultra is among the few that we noticed that didn’t endure from thermal throttling, a minimum of by way of 3D efficiency. (Throttling can happen when the laptop computer slows down its CPU or GPU to take care of thermal limits, decreasing efficiency for the sake of stability.) Performance dropped 11 % when our CPU benchmark was looped for 10 straight minutes. However, after we looped the 3DMark benchmark for 20 straight runs, it handed the take a look at, delivering 99.6 % of the body charge that it did at first.

Anecdotally, the Book3 Ultra felt laggy when loading purposes. But after checking the switch charges, we modified our tune. Random reads and writes aren’t too shabby, however the sequential learn and write speeds are excellent.

Mark Hachman / IDG

We’ve in contrast the $2,399 Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra to its stablemate, the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, which we spotlight in orange. We examine the Book3 Ultra to the mainstream $1,799 Surface Laptop 5 (15-inch) and Microsoft’s $2,699 content-creation laptop computer, the Surface Laptop Studio. To that we add the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14, a $1,449 mainstream OLED laptop computer. Our primary focus, although, is looking for out comparably-sized laptops with discrete graphics. Those embody the $1,765 Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X and the $1,599 Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED, one other content-creation machine.

We spherical out our testing by including three “traditional” gaming laptops, all of which might doubtlessly exchange the Book3 Ultra. The $1,049 MSI Katana GF66 12UD, the $3,825 Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, a dual-screen laptop computer geared toward each content material creation and gaming, and the MSI Titan GT 77 HX 13V, priced at a “you could buy two Book3’s for this” $5,299.

We use 4 checks to measure efficiency: UL’s PCMark10 and 3DMark; Cinebench R15, and Handbrake.

PCMark10 is a wonderful metric of on a regular basis efficiency, utilizing precise apps that measure the whole lot from workplace work, photograph and video enhancing to CAD work. Normally, we count on a laptop computer to carry out effectively right here, however there’s nonetheless room for separation from the pack. The “H”-class processor and discrete GPU assist obtain this.

Mark Hachman / IDG

We use the Cinebench R15 benchmark as a metric for a fast burst of CPU efficiency, stressing all of its cores and threads. With six dual-threaded efficiency cores and eight single-threaded effectivity cores, the twenty threads chew by way of our take a look at in a matter of moments. (We additionally take a look at utilizing the extra refined R20 benchmark, with the concept we’ll finally transition to that metric.)

Mark Hachman / IDG

Handbrake measures CPU efficiency as effectively, although over a chronic time frame. We use the open-source app to transcode a film right into a format that could possibly be utilized by a pill. This real-world take a look at demonstrates how effectively a laptop computer can carry out underneath extended load. Since it accomplishes its job in simply minutes, it additionally demonstrates the sensible functions of the app, too.

Mark Hachman / IDG

We use the 3DMark Time Spy take a look at to measure 3D efficiency with an eye fixed towards gaming, because the video-encoding capabilities aren’t put to the take a look at. There’s a major hole between the GeForce RTX 4050 and the rest of the GeForce RTX 4-series GPUs… although even the bottom rung on this ladder is excessive up.

Mark Hachman / IDG

We additionally examined two video games, Forza Horizon 4 and Troy: A Total War Saga, to measure recreation efficiency. The Book3 excelled on the default decision and Ultra settings. It rendered 70 frames per second in Forza, a terrific efficiency. In the Total War battle simulator, the laptop computer rendered nearly 40 fps at Ultra settings as effectively.

An actual energy of the Book3 Ultra, nevertheless, is delivering terrific battery life and incredible efficiency. Yes, a few of that may be felt in your again as you lug in regards to the Book3’s 4 kilos or so. Still, we regularly don’t see all-day efficiency in a laptop computer.

Keep in thoughts, although, that our video take a look at solely actually measures how lengthy the laptop computer can hold the show lit and CPU lively; looping a 4K video doesn’t actually push the laptop computer laborious, if in any respect. Our checks present that it lasts 786 minutes, or simply over 13 hours—that’s a full day’s work after which some. Looping a 3D benchmark again and again is an efficient measure of how lengthy you’ll be capable of play or do strenuous work on the laptop computer’s battery earlier than it expires; there, the laptop computer solely lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes.

That could sound like an enormous distinction, but it surely’s fairly typical for a gaming pocket book and, underneath load, the H-series CPU and RTX 4xxx GPU basically act like a gaming laptop computer.

Mark Hachman / IDG

During the benchmark loop, although, the laptop computer shut off the fan about 50 loops in, dropping the body charge from about 30 frames per second to 10 fps or so—then all the way down to 3 fps a bit later. That was wholly surprising. We requested Samsung for remark, however they hadn’t but responded after a number of days.

Still, there’s fairly a discrepancy between 13.1 hours of battery life whereas looping a video and slightly below two hours whereas taking part in a recreation. Plan accordingly!

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra: Should you purchase it?

With extra selection by way of show, processor, GPU, and options than maybe ever earlier than, it’s troublesome to match the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra to the rest presently available on the market. The Book3 Ultra holds its personal by way of efficiency in opposition to the whole lot however the MSI Katana, a price range gaming laptop computer that’s comparable on paper however little else.

Samsung compares effectively in efficiency, with little or no competitors in battery life—a minimum of when it comes again to taking part in again video. And video appears to be like nice, too, on the Book3 Ultra’s OLED display. The worth definitely leans closely towards the premium tier, although not too far out of attain for what the Book3 Ultra presents.

Based on what we all know of the upcoming Asus Vivobook Pro 16X 3D OLED and final yr’s VivoBook Pro 16X OLED, we’d say the upcoming Asus Vivobook guarantees the stiffest problem to the Book3 Ultra. But it hasn’t arrived but. Right now, the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra is the content-creation pocket book to beat—and for the second, nothing does.