Samsung Galaxy Book Review: Windows 10 Hybrid Hubris

Passable performance 

With an Intel Core m3 7Y30 dual core, four thread processor running up to 1.61Ghz paired with 4GB of RAM, the 10.6in Galaxy Book is not going to be portable powerhouse.

Benchmarks for the processor in Cinebench R15 throw up an average score of 230, while Geekbench 3 single core performance hit 2646 with the multi-core score hitting 5256. These scores are about on par for a Core m3 chip, but are some way behind the Core i5 compute power provided by the Surface Pro I had in to review recently.

In real-world use the 10.6in Galaxy Book performs well with everyday office tasks such word processing and web browsing, but start to push the tablet further with more browser tabs and more tasks and the limits of the 4GB or RAM and the m3 processor starts to show. 

Zipping through Windows 10 is smooth enough but not particularly slick when compared once again to hybrids with more RAM and the Intel’s Core i5 or i7 processors. I would also argue that for general productivity and to future-proof the device, a hybrid with at least a Core i5 is needed.

As such, the larger Galaxy Book with its punchier processor configurations presents a better longer term option, though the hikes in price for performance get steep, starting from from around £650 for the entry-level Galaxy Book and topping out at £1,269 for a top spec model equipped with a Core i5. 

Battery life is slated around the 10 hour mark, but with the display brightness turned up, the Galaxy Book 10.6 can quite achieve that but you’ll get around a working day’s use before needing to dig out the charger. Fast charging is on offer through the USB-C port, however I found that the device didn’t really charge much when in use, which has the potential to be very irritating in daily use. 

One of the nicer aspects of the Galaxy Book 10.6’s lightweight processors is that it uses Intel’s latest Kaby Lake architecture which improves energy efficiency and allows the Galaxy Book to avoid needing to use a fan, though it does get quite warm under consistent use, but nothing to worry about. 

Final thoughts

Samsung had to bring its A game to hit the hybrid high notes with the Galaxy Book, and unfortunately I think it has fallen short.  

In isolation the Galaxy Book is a decent hybrid device, even if it has a few compromises; the best bet for business work and productivity would be the larger 12in model with 8GB of RAM and a Core i5 processor. 

But in comparison with clutch of strong Windows 10 hybrid devices in the market, the Galaxy Book even  in its most powerful configuration is a little lacking. And in higher spec configurations the price hikes are quite steep but the quality of the hybrid doesn’t quite justify the cost. 

Even if I take the Galaxy Book as just a tablet with a keyboard thrown in for good measure, I still don’t think it can compete with the likes of the iPad and Samsung’s Tab range of Android tablets. Not only is Windows 10 unable to provide the same slick tablet experience as iOS and Android, but the weight and design of the Galaxy Book means it falls short of being  a premium tablet. 

All this is a little disappointing; I’m a big fan of Samsung electronics, which I have often found to be well designed and offer excellent performance and features for their price points. As such, I really hoped the Galaxy Book would impress me; unfortunately that was not the case. 

I’m confident that a second generation Galaxy Book could iron out the kinks in the first-generation, and a with a second bite at the cheery Samsung could come up trumps with its hybrid. 

But for the time being, if you want the best Windows 10 hybrid, then the Surface Pro is still the top device for the job. 

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