Out-Apple-ing the MacBook? Samsung’s €2,000 Galaxy Book 4 Pro

When it comes to Samsung and Apple, it seems that there is always a competition between the two. The iPhone versus the Galaxy S series. The Apple Watch versus the Galaxy Watch. Apple has even got into the mixed-reality computing sector with the Vision Pro, whereas Samsung stuck to virtual reality with the lower-priced Galaxy Gear headset.

Samsung, meanwhile, has been trying its hand at computing, with the Galaxy Book range of laptops. The Galaxy Book 4 Pro is the latest addition to the line-up, a laptop that pitches itself as power and portability in one sleek package.

And it certainly looks good. With the metal casing and slim design, it feels more like an Apple device than a Windows PC. In fact, with the wedge-type design, it feels almost like Samsung is trying to out-Apple the MacBook, now that the MacBook Air has ditched the much loved original design. The Samsung logo etched into the case is the impeccably designed cherry on top.

Open up that packaging and you will find a dynamic Amoled display, 16 inches in this case but also available in 14-inch screens. That gives you a lot of screen space to work with, regardless of whether your talents lie in video creation and image editing or creating a few presentations for the office meeting.

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And it is touchscreen too, something that Apple has yet to experiment with.

Although the volume can get sufficiently loud, the sound lacks depth out of the box, and there is a bit of distortion at the higher end of the volume range

Where exactly does the Book 4 Pro aim itself? At the person who wants everything. The Book 4 Pro has enough power to carry it through as an executive device, while also turning its hand to gaming. It covers off artificial intelligence with the CoPilot functions built in.

Powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 3.8Ghz chip, it zips through most tasks, ably backed up by 16GB of RAM, which is enough for most standard tasks and a few more besides. It is certified as Intel Evo, which means it meets the chipmaker’s standards for power an efficiency.

The Book 4 Pro doesn’t scrimp on ports either. On the left hand size, you get a full size HDMI and two USB C ports; on the right, a microSD card slot, standard USB-A port and a headphone jack. You have options, although one of those USB-C ports will be taken up by the charger when you need to top up the power.

The touch-sensitive trackpad is large, which in some ways makes it easier to use. However, I found that it was a little on the sensitive side, so too often I was triggering menus I didn’t intend or minimising windows accidentally. Tweak it to your liking and you will get on much better with it.

The keyboard is spacious, which is a good thing in one way but can also make it harder for those of us will smaller hands to type on the device. It is wide enough to include the full number pad, though, and Samsung has also built in a fingerprint reader to the power button.

The webcam is high quality, with little noise and clear images even in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Laptop makers have finally got the message that in the world of hybrid working, video quality matters.

The speakers are less impressive. Although the volume can get sufficiently loud, the sound lacks depth out of the box, and there is a bit of distortion at the higher end of the volume range.

Good

The display is fantastic, with the Amoled technology really shining here. The colours are deep and vivid, the contrast is excellent, and the screen does just as well with text and documents as it does with fast-moving action.

The device itself can take on almost any task you can throw at it, including a bit of AI. The CoPiulot technology is still early days, and most people will have little use for it, but expect that to change in the near future.

Bad

The touchpad can take a bit of getting used to. It seems overly sensitive out of the box, with a lot of accidental presses. The size of the device can also take a bit of getting used to, especially when stretching to type on the keyboard.

For the price – about €2,000 – I would have expected the S Pen stylus to be included too.

Everything else

Battery life is more than a full day of work – Samsung puts it at 21 hours of video use, but it will ultimately depend on your own requirements. Regardless, you can charge up fully – and quickly, with the included fast charge feature – and leave the cable at home without having your laptop die on you halfway through the work day.

The device charges off USB-C, so you will have plenty of options for replacement cables if you get stuck without your regular charger, although the included power adaptor is reasonably compact and more like a tablet charger than a laptop one.

This version of the Book 4 came with Windows 11 Home preloaded, although an executive level machine would probably be better off with the Pro version of Microsoft’s software included.

Verdict

Sleek and powerful, although it could up its game in one or two areas.