Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Absolutely incredible battery life
- Solid GPU and graphics efficiency
- Gorgeous OLED display screen that can be utilized outdoor
- Great audio
- AI-powered Core Ultra inside
Cons
- Chargers preserve getting greater
- Still not an incredible keyboard
Our Verdict
Samsung’s premium laptop computer nonetheless delivers an all-around nice expertise, now with even higher battery life and an AI-powered processor.
Price When Reviewed
$2999.99
Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra
$2399.99
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$2999.99
Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Ultra delivers on the promise that its predecessor first made: a shocking display screen, beautiful audio, and a discrete GPU that may very well be used for content material creation and gaming alike. But this followup simply lasts and lasts, refusing to energy down after a full day’s value of enjoying again video.
Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 is the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Book3, one of many first “content creation” laptops. Not fairly a gaming PC, however a bit chunkier than a standard thin-and-light, this class of laptops characteristic luxurious OLED shows, wealthy audio, and a discrete GPU. It’s the flagship of Samsung’s pocket book line, and presents much more connectivity choices in case you purchase into the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem.
These aren’t low-cost PCs, particularly in case you go for the higher-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU contained in the $2,999 mannequin that Samsung despatched us for assessment. But apart for the middling keyboard, there’s not quite a bit to this pocket book PC that holds it again.
Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: What’s new
Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Ultra is its premium mannequin. It additionally presents the bottom $1,449 Galaxy Book 4 Pro clamshell, plus the $1,099 Galaxy Book4 Pro 360, and the $1,899 Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 convertible. The Book4 Ultra is an Intel Evo Edition laptop computer, the model that denotes that it acquired particular testing from Intel engineers. It’s additionally now secured by Knox, Samsung’s safety know-how.
Samsung presents the 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra in two variations: a $2,399 model that features a Core Ultra 7 and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050; and a $2,999 premium possibility with a Core Ultra 9 and a GeForce RTX 4070 inside. The cheaper mannequin additionally consists of 16GB of reminiscence and a 1TB SSD, whereas the higher-end mannequin bumps the reminiscence to 32GB. Samsung offered us a assessment unit within the costlier configuration.
What’s new? Two issues: the extra superior Core Ultra processor choices, making them AI PCs and the addition of an built-in touchscreen. Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 Ultra didn’t provide a touchscreen in any respect, although it did embrace 32GB reminiscence choices in addition to the 2 GeForce RTX 4050 and 4070 GPUs. Samsung doesn’t embrace an S Pen, nonetheless.
Smaller enhancements additionally seem. Last 12 months’s mannequin additionally supplied a 512GB SSD because the default, with the 1TB providing because the premium possibility; now it’s customary. The HDMI port has been upgraded to HDMI 2.1, which might connect with a 4K show at 120Hz versus the 60Hz of HDMI 2.0. Bluetooth has been barely upgraded to Bluetooth 5.3.
Samsung additionally beefed up the show with what it calls a Vision Booster, tweaking the colour and distinction to regulate for several types of lighting. It additionally expanded the Book4’s inside cooling answer by 11 %, theoretically rising efficiency however including to its weight. Skip forward to our efficiency checks for that.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Otherwise, the Galaxy Book4 seems to be largely the identical as final 12 months’s mannequin, with the identical, ports, keyboard, and trackpad — effectively, nearly. Like many new laptops, it now features a Copilot key to launch Microsoft’s built-in AI app.
On Samsung’s site, Samsung presents trade-in presents in addition to financing. At press time, Samsung supplied a bundle that offered a top-rated T7 Shield external SSD, at 2TB, without spending a dime.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Specifications
- Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H/ Core Ultra 9 185H (Core Ultra 9 as examined)
- Display: 16-inch contact (2,880×1800), 120Hz AMOLED 2X, 120 % DCI-P3 colour quantity
- Memory: 16GB/32GB LPDDR5x (32GB as examined)
- Storage: 1TB SSD PCIe Gen 4
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050/4070 cellular GPU (RTX 4070 as examined)
- Ports: 2 Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, HDMI 2.1, microSD, Headphone/Mic
- Security: Fingerprint reader
- Camera: 1080p (user-facing)
- Battery: 76Wh (rated)
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+), 802.11 ax 2×2, Bluetooth 5.3
- Audio: AKG Quad Speaker (two 5W woofers, two 2W tweeters), Smart Amp, Dolby Atmos
- Operating system: Windows 11 Home
- Dimensions: 13.99 x 9.86 x 0.65in. (16.5mm)
- Weight: 4.1lbs (rated)
- Colors: Moonstone Gray
- Price: starting at $2,399.99 ($2,999.99 as examined)
Two issues struck me as I unboxed the Galaxy Book4 Ultra: how gentle(?!) it felt, although at 4.1 kilos; and the chunkier, slightly awkward charger that Samsung ships with it.
More and extra laptop computer makers are turning to so-called GaN chargers, which remove the ability “brick” by effectively, squishing it right into a smaller type issue. But in case you don’t personal an influence strip with perpendicular plugs, overlook it. It suits fairly properly right into a wall socket, nonetheless. My Galaxy Book3 Ultra assessment requested Samsung to spend a little bit of time really shrinking the charger; as a substitute of listening, Samsung ignored me and went into the solely other way. Oh effectively.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
The charger maintains the Book3’s quick-charging prowess, nonetheless. It’s rated to provide 55 % of a cost in 30 minutes; I examined it as soon as at supplying 61 % cost in 33 minutes. The battery life, as we talk about afterward, is incredible, and a full 24 hours of battery life is nearly nearby.
Also, in case your coronary heart fluttered with pleasure over a completely new colour scheme, cool down. The “Graphite” of the Book3 Ultra and the “Moonstone Gray” of the Book4 are virtually the an identical darkish grey, with the identical premium aluminum end. That’s to not diminish Samsung’s design in any respect; the black keyboard accents the chassis fairly properly.
The Galaxy Book4 Ultra squeezes an improved cooling answer into the very same dimensions of the Galaxy Book3 Ultra. At 0.65 inches, the Ultra design is a tad chunkier than the Book’s Ultra 360 designs. Air is sucked by way of a grill beneath the laptop computer and pushed outward by way of the hinges. At default settings, the fan actually doesn’t activate a lot in any respect, maybe because of the Core Ultra’s power-sipping structure. Even throughout benchmarks, I used to be shocked by the low fan velocity. In all, it’s a typically silent laptop computer, with an unobtrusive fan underneath load.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Samsung makes use of the usual Windows 11 setup course of, asking you so as to add your fingerprint to Windows Hello. That fingerprint reader is hidden inside the energy button. As with different Samsung laptops, working the battery down too far could imply that it’s a must to cost it for a couple of minutes earlier than it would really boot. Samsung’s notebooks additionally require you to carry down the ability key for an indeterminate period of time earlier than the laptop computer boots, which all the time provides me a bit of tension.
There have been some Windows stability points, nonetheless. During the preliminary setup the Windows 11 Settings menu locked up and crashed. I replace the laptop computer first by way of Windows 11’s Settings, then the Microsoft Store, after which by way of any utility software program that ships with the laptop computer — to course of BIOS/firmware updates, touchpad drivers and the like. While updating the Book4 Ultra by way of Settings, the laptop computer stopped speaking wirelessly after which Settings crashed. Rebooting appeared to unravel the issue, nonetheless, and I seen no additional points.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
The laptop computer locked up once more once I tried to play again a file we use in our battery rundown take a look at. This time I acquired a “file system error” and the laptop computer turned unresponsive. Again, rebooting appeared to unravel the issue.
Samsung’s ports stay nearly the identical: two Thunderbolt 4 ports to the left, plus an upgraded HDMI 2.1 port that helps an 120Hz 4K show. The legacy USB-A port to the fitting facet of the chassis is a pleasant contact.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Display
Samsung was one of many first distributors to incorporate OLED screens, and the Book4 Ultra’s beautiful “AMOLED 2X” OLED display screen and excessive decision continues to be a promoting level, even when it’s not fairly 4K. If you’re used to tapping an on-screen management, as I’m, the transition from a non-touch to a touchscreen will probably be a blended bag: a stable enchancment when it comes to comfort, however a possible smudge magnet. And with the show’s inky blacks fading into the pure blackness of the show, you’ll be detest to mess that up.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Samsung nonetheless presents a 120Hz dynamic refresh fee, which means that you just’ll see elevated smoothness as you progress a mouse cursor across the display screen. Although Samsung might theoretically embrace an S Pen for drawing capabilities, it doesn’t. Since the display screen solely reclines to the conventional 30-35 levels or so off of the horizontal, it could be tough to ink anyway.
The Book4 Ultra presents a number of show modes, from a default Auto mode, to an AMOLED Profile mode, plus devoted modes for AdobeRGB, P3, and sRGB. There are adaptive colour choices, HDR+ to regulate for HDR viewing and a “Vision Booster” to regulate colour and lighting in brilliant situations.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
I sampled the colour gamut of each the Auto and AMOLED Profile mode utilizing our colorimeter, however the outcomes have been the identical, percentage-wise.
I’m not satisfied that Vision Booster actually does something, as toggling it on and off whereas exterior didn’t actually have a noticeable impact. But the 390 nits of most brightness the laptop computer places out, complemented by the OLED display screen’s infinite distinction and probably Samsung’s algorithms — all that mixes to make the Book4 viable to work outdoor. I used it over a late lunch (1:30 PM) on a brilliant, sunny California spring day and internet searching and typing have been a bit of uncomfortable, however probably not.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Working exterior often cuts battery life by a bunch, because the pocket book must put out a ton of sunshine to beat the solar. But with such a prolonged battery life, you may wish to strive it.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Keyboard
I dislike Samsung Galaxy Book keyboards, however I can’t deny they’re purposeful. The key journey is poor, and the keys backside out rapidly, even with or barely beneath the keyboard tray. Yet I can sort with the keyboard simply as rapidly as with different laptops. (I sometimes write most if not all of a laptop computer assessment on the laptop computer itself.)
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Mark Hachman / IDG
The Galaxy Book4 Ultra keyboard is actually unchanged from the prior era. Samsung supplies a full-sized keyboard with a slim quantity pad to the fitting, shrinking the Enter key and barely rearranging the related operations keys to get all of it to suit. As a left-handed gamer, I exploit the quantity pad because the equal of the WASD keys, they usually’re a bit of cramped for my style. Placing the + key to the highest implies that I’ve to consciously take into consideration its orientation for a bit, too.
The Book4 Ultra’s operate keys nonetheless pop up small explanations on the display screen itself, which is useful. There are 4 ranges of backlighting — once more, spelled out on the display screen — and you may regulate the velocity of the laptop computer by way of the operate keys, too. Note that this adjusts the velocity by way of the Samsung Settings app, slightly than the Windows 11 efficiency slider.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Ultra trackpad is as monumental as ever, in all probability method greater than it must be however definitely massive, snug and responsive.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Audio and webcam
Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Ultra sounds superb, interval. Separate, highly effective woofers and tweeters sound nice by default, boosted by Samsung subsidiary and Harman firm AKG. Somewhat paradoxically, the Dolby Atmos audio enhancement that Samsung additionally consists of doesn’t enhance the expertise by that a lot, because it does on different laptops. (Dolby Atmos is toggled off by default, and may be turned on by way of the Samsung Settings app.)
Again, each the native and default audio sound superb up and down the audio vary. Turning on Dolby Atmos noticeably will increase the amount, and generates a bit richer all-around sound. But the Book4’s audio system can fill a room, and these are audio system that you just’ll get pleasure from listening to. Plopping the Book4 immediately beneath my pc monitor basically makes Samsung’s laptop computer a sound bar, a feat I’ve solely seen with Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio lineup.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Samsung’s noise-cancelling mics are okay. I examined them by enjoying a rock ballad on my cellphone, set off to at least one facet. Samsung’s algorithms have been attention-grabbing: first locking on the tune, then on a slim, compressed model of my voice as I began talking, after which a extra pure seize. But it then refused to report the tune in any respect, because it ought to.
Samsung’s webcam captures photos and video in 1080p, which seems to be a bit of behind the instances as rivals quietly transfer to 1200p and even larger. Like different Intel Core Ultra-based laptops, the Galaxy Book4 Ultra consists of Windows Studio Effects, which makes use of the Core Ultra processor’s NPU to use AI filtering to the webcam: panning and zooming, making use of a blur impact to the background, and utilizing a method to make it appear like you’re trying on the webcam always.
I used to be a bit of shocked to see a 1080p webcam getting used for Windows Studio Effects’ pan and zoom options, as some webcams simply “trim” the additional pixels to create the panning impact. It’s not clear whether or not the Book4 does. But it does an excellent job monitoring your face and making use of the gaze impact. It simply will get a bit aggressive on the background blur.
Otherwise, the webcam did a fairly first rate job of capturing my face. Here’s a consultant picture of the Galaxy Book5’s webcam.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Samsung’s connective software program
Most shoppers establish with the Apple ecosystem, the Google ecosystem, or the Windows ecosystem. Samsung has all the time insisted that its Galaxy ecosystem is a viable different, and it has the Galaxy Book laptop computer lineup, the Tab tablets, Galaxy S-series telephones, the Galaxy Watch, and even a spread of home equipment that may all join to one another, in a fashion of talking.
Within the Book4 Ultra, the first utility software program is Samsung Settings, which can be utilized to regulate the show, activate Dolby Atmos audio enhancements, and even what you may name “dumb laptop tricks” like robotically booting if you elevate the lid. It’s a quite simple however extraordinarily purposeful app. It additionally enhances Samsung Update, which is inexplicably poky (can we do away with the loading wheel icon?) however serves as a entrance door to some driver updates.
Samsung needs you to log in utilizing your Samsung account, so you possibly can take part in issues like backing up information utilizing the Samsung Cloud Assistant app. Load up the Galaxy Book Experience app, and you’ve got entry to Samsung’s model of widespread apps (its personal Screen Recorder, for instance). Samsung’s Smart Switch helps you switch information from an outdated PC to the brand new Book4 Ultra. And, in case you’ve owned a Samsung Galaxy cellphone, you’ll see PC-based variations of apps like Gallery, for seeing your photographs.
There’s nothing new right here, in comparison with prior generations of Books. And most Samsung apps reproduce devoted Windows apps. But there are nonetheless methods to spice up productiveness by way of connectivity apps like Second Screen and Flow, which we explored in detail in a separate story. These use gadgets just like the Galaxy S23 and S24 telephones, the Galaxy Tab, and extra, to facilitate sharing and collaboration.
There nonetheless are over fifteen Samsung utilities alone, plus apps like Intel Unison and Microsoft’s Windows apps. The bigger SSDs imply that these apps don’t take up an entire lot of house, comparatively. But only some are actually helpful.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Performance
Aside from the startup glitches famous above, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra was typically snappy, responsive, and secure — however you’d anticipate that of a contemporary premium laptop computer with 32GB of reminiscence and a GeForce RTX GPU.
Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Ultra straddles creator-class workloads and true gamer capabilities, and a few of it will depend on the mannequin that you just purchase.
Nvidia tends to order the RTX 4050 and 4060 for lower-end, creator-class laptops; the RTX 4070, 4080, and 4090 are typically thought of extra applicable for gaming, in addition to artistic work. While the 4050 and the 4070 in any other case provide comparable 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, and probably battery life, too. Some of that’s offset by Intel’s Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) structure, which consumes far much less energy than in prior generations.
Put one other method, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra isn’t a “gaming” laptop computer, however a “gaming-capable” laptop computer. Content creation and consumption is its major goal. (That’s to not say that you may’t deal with a gaming laptop as your primary laptop, as we’ve argued just lately.)
For that cause, I’m evaluating the $2,999 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra to a few different creator-class laptops: the $1,899 14-inch Lenovo Slim Pro 9, the $3,299 14-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, and the $3,399 16-inch Dell XPS 16 9640. I’ve additionally included the $2,399 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra for a gen-over-gen comparability, highlighted in yellow. (At press time, the Book3 was on sale for $1,436 at Amazon.) Finally, I’ve included two gaming notebooks, the $4,299 16-inch Razer Blade 16 (2024) and the $1,849 16-inch Alienware m16 R2, simply to see how shut the Book4 can hit.
We take a look at laptops utilizing a mix of artificial and sensible benchmarks.
PCMark 10 is kind of helpful as an total measure of efficiency, because it’s a benchmark suite of the whole lot from app startup instances, internet searching, videoconferencing, CAD instruments, and extra. We typically anticipate PCMark 10 scores to be effectively in line if not surpass the competitors.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Anyone who needs to know if a laptop computer just like the Book4 Ultra is an effective on a regular basis laptop computer often can reply the query partway utilizing PCMark. And it’s the better of the content-creation laptops. (Razer’s laptop computer didn’t run this benchmark, for some cause.)
Next we push the laptop computer’s CPU to its limits with Cinebench R20, which asks the processor to render a scene utilizing all accessible cores and threads. Given the architectural similarities of the 13th-gen and 14th-gen Core HX processors (and never the Core Ultra “Meteor Lake”) this take a look at is all the time attention-grabbing. The outcomes are beneath.
In an identical take a look at, I ran the extra superior Cinebench R23 take a look at, which presents a “stress test” to see if the system throttles itself over a interval of ten minutes. “Throttling” refers back to the self-regulation of the laptop computer’s efficiency to keep away from overheating, and it’s an indicator whether or not or not efficiency will dip over extended use.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Though Samsung boasted that its cooling answer has been expanded by about 11 %, the laptop computer reported a rating of 16,031 on a single run of the Cinebench R23 take a look at and 14,547 after the stress take a look at loops had accomplished. That’s a 10 % dip in efficiency. That’s the identical efficiency dip that the last-gen Book3 reported, too.
Handbrake supplies an identical take a look at. This open-source app transcodes video, and we take a typical video file after which transcode it, shrinking it to a format that may be performed again on a laptop computer or pill. It’s not solely a doubtlessly sensible take a look at however one which calls for a considerable time frame. Over the years, nonetheless, this take a look at’s execution time has shrunk from over an hour to about twenty minutes or much less, indicative of accelerating efficiency. And that’s utilizing the unoptimized 0.99/1.02 benchmark, too.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Again, although, Dell’s XPS tops the entire content-creation/creator-class laptops.
As we talked about above, the Galaxy Book4 Ultra straddles the road between a content-creation machine and a gaming PC. Here, we will run a few checks, checking to see how effectively it performs on a generic 3DMark (Time Spy) benchmark, in addition to how effectively it performs in precise video games.
The outcomes appear to make sense. The Book4 Ultra has a extra highly effective GPU than Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2, however it has a much bigger display screen and extra pixels to push. That typically interprets to much less efficiency. Dell’s XPS leads the pack right here, however it’s shut.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
Our battery-life take a look at performs proper to Intel’s strengths. Intel separated video decoding onto its separate block inside the Meteor Lake structure, which implies that the laptop computer can shut off different, extra battery-intensive capabilities when enjoying again video. That’s the inspiration of our battery take a look at, the place we simulate a time out at a seminar, convention or class, or a transpacific flight with your individual prerecorded video leisure.
And it’s right here the place the Book4 Ultra soars.
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Mark Hachman / IDG
This new Core Ultra structure plus the OLED display screen interprets into completely incredible battery lifetime of 18 hours and 54 minutes for the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Gaming and AI efficiency
We often take a look at our gaming laptops on two video games: 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider and 2019’s Metro: Exodus. Because the Galaxy Book4 Ultra isn’t fairly a gaming PC, I wished to check the idea by working the in-game benchmarks in each of the video games. In each, we use a primary 1080p decision. We take a look at Shadow at its Highest picture high quality setting, and use the same Extreme settings in Metro. We flip off the optionally available RTX ray-tracing setting, nonetheless, to maximise efficiency and guarantee compatibility with earlier take a look at runs.
In Metro, the Alienware m16 recorded a mean of 50 frames per second, whereas the Razer Blade 16 (2024) produced 76 frames per second. Gamers are inclined to desire not less than 60 frames per second, so the Galaxy Book4 Ultra’s rating of 33 fps doesn’t lower it. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a much less graphics-intensive recreation, the Book4 Ultra did higher, 93 frames per second. But the Alienware topped it at 144 frames per second, and Razer’s Blade hit 148 frames per second.
The Galaxy Book4 Ultra permits you to play some video games, and considerably trendy ones at that. But it isn’t fairly a gaming laptop computer.
AI testing isn’t commonplace, however benchmarking is bettering to the purpose that we’re seeing significant outcomes. UL (the developer of the PCMark checks) has two Procyon benchmark checks that are related: a extra artificial benchmark that evaluates the processor’s capabilities in processing a number of pc imaginative and prescient algorithms. Unfortunately, it could possibly solely take a look at both the NPU, CPU, or GPU.
Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 is a sublime, but environment friendly creator-class laptop computer that’s as nice to make use of throughout the workday as it’s after hours.
Over time, we’ve pulled collectively some early Procyon scores: in our have a look at the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite platform, for instance, I examined the Galaxy Book3 Ultra and it recorded a rating of 169. The Book4 Ultra, with its AI NPU, data a rating of 509 — about 3 times higher. But the Snapdragon’s NPU scores 1771, Qualcomm says — so pretty far behind.
You’ll in all probability discover extra use in a brand new Procyon take a look at which really generates AI artwork, based mostly upon a hard and fast mannequin that’s repeatable throughout laptops. (This take a look at makes use of the GPU.) AI artwork is deterministic, so it’s not good; nonetheless, this take a look at generates sixteen 512×512 photos utilizing Stable Diffusion 1.5. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra did so in 127 seconds (about eight seconds/picture), producing a Procyon rating of 785.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra: Should you purchase it?
Our barrage of checks concludes that, sure, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is a superb content-creation laptop computer, simply perhaps not as quick because the costlier Dell XPS. But there’s quite a bit to love right here: the Book4 presents a beautiful OLED display screen, — which, to be truthful, extra opponents are providing — the keyboard is serviceable, and the webcam will probably be simply nice for many functions. The audio and noise cancelling are on the high of the heap, nonetheless. Combine the wealthy display screen and the Book4’s highly effective audio and that is positively a multimedia PC you’ll get pleasure from utilizing.
The absolute promoting level, as you’ve in all probability concluded, battery life is completely top-notch. This is the laptop computer I’d deliver on a flight to Asia. Is this fairly a gaming laptop computer? No, it’s not, however Samsung doesn’t promote it as such. Instead, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 is the luxurious coupe that your fingers will wish to drive.