Samsung Galaxy Book S Laptop with Snapdragon 8cx: Pre-Order at $999 from Today
by Anton Shilov on January 30, 2020 12:05 PM EST
Update 1/30/2020: The Samsung Galaxy Book S with Snapdragon 8cx is now available for pre-order, starting at $999. The device is set to be available from February 13th.
Samsung has introduced its new always-connected PC based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform and featuring Microsoft’s Windows 10 OS. This time around the company went with the Snapdragon 8cx SoC, a clamshell form-factor, and a 13.3-inch display, emphasizing that its Arm-powered computers compete against mainstream x86-based laptops in terms of performance and capabilities. Like other Snapdragon-based Windows machines, Samsung is aiming for long battery lifetimes here, with the new Galaxy Book S rated to work for up to 23 hours on a single charge.
The Samsung Galaxy Book S is equipped with a 13.3-inch Full-HD LCD featuring a 10-point multi touch system and a 16:9 aspect ratio. By contrast, last year’s Galaxy Book2 used a 12-inch Super AMOLED display featuring a 2160×1440 resolution and a 3:2 aspect ratio. Unlike last year’s mobile PC, the new one is a laptop, not a convertible, so it cannot be used as a tablet. Considering that we are talking about an aluminum machine with a 13.3-inch display that weighs 0.96 kilograms, the clamshell form-factor makes more sense for mainstream users. Furthermore, the overall construction looks very solid.
The new Galaxy Book S laptop is expected to be considerably faster than its predecessor as it is based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx processor with eight general purpose cores (four Cortex-A76 and four Cortex-A55-class cores), a 10 MB L3 cache, the Adreno 680 GPU, and an eight-channel LPDDR4X-4266 memory controller. The SoC is accompanied by 8 GB of RAM as well as 256 GB or 512 GB of NAND flash storage (expandable with a microSD card).
When it comes to wireless connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Book S includes Snapdragon X20 LTE modem (Cat 18, 5CA, 4x4 MIMO, depending on the market and operator), 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0. The PC’s wired connectivity department is limited to USB Type-C that is used for data and charging, a microSD card slot, yet we do not know whether it has a 3.5-mm audio connector.
As far as imaging and multimedia capabilities are concerned, the Galaxy Book S has a 720p webcam, a built-in microphone as well as Dolby Atmos-badged stereo speakers co-designed with AKG. The laptop also has a Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint reader.
Apart from performance, one of the key improvements of the Galaxy Book S compared to its predecessor is its longer battery life. The PC comes with a 42 Wh battery that enables it to work for up to 23 hours (based on tests conducted by Samsung), up from 20 hours for last year's device.
| Specifications of the Galaxy Book S | ||
| General Specifications | ||
| Display | 13.3-inch, 1920×1080 165 PPI |
|
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 4 x Kryo 495 Gold at 2.84 GHz 4 x Kryo 495 Silver at 1.8 GHz 10 MB L3 |
|
| Graphics | Adreno 680 GB | |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR4X | |
| Storage | 256 - 512 GB | |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac Wi-Fi | |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | |
| WWAN | Qualcomm X20 Gigabit LTE Cat 18, 5CA, 4x4 MIMO, up to 1.2 Gbps DL, up to 150 Mbps UL |
|
| USB | 3.0 | ? × Type-C |
| Webcam | 720P | |
| Other I/O | Microphone, stereo speakers, trackpad, MicroSD card reader, etc. | |
| Battery | 42 Wh | |
| Battery Life | 23 hours | |
| Dimensions | Width | 305.2 mm |
| Height | 203.2 mm | |
| Thickness | 6.2 - 11.8 mm | |
| Weight | 960 grams | |
| Price | $999 | |
Related Reading:
- Samsung Unveils Galaxy Book2: 12-Inch, Snapdragon 850 with X20 LTE, 20 Hrs
- Hands-On with Industry’s First 5G Laptop: A Lenovo with Qualcomm’s 8cx SoC and X55 Modem
- Qualcomm Tech Summit, Day 3: Snapdragon 8cx, the New ACPC SoC
- Spotted: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Wafer on 7nm
- Lenovo Announces Yoga C630: The First Windows on Snapdragon 850
- Huawei Readies Windows 10 Laptop Based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 850
Source: Samsung
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voicequal - Thursday, January 30, 2020 - link
+1Korguz - Thursday, January 30, 2020 - link
yea right hsrewart...with chrome os.. it would be doa...
PeachNCream - Friday, January 31, 2020 - link
I'm sure HStewart's personal bias toward Intel is a motivating factor in the desire to keep Windows off ARM-based hardware.Samus - Sunday, February 2, 2020 - link
Yeah because I've been waiting to spend $1000 on a laptop with the performance of a Celeron CPU...nico_mach - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
I'm sure you don't want it at $1k, but considering the old m3 MacBook was >$1k and ipads are in similar territory, I think the price is actually decent. For something so thin and portable, why not $1k? What is it missing from the mostly dual core $1k+ ultrabooks?You can't get something this thin for $600, for certain. You don't have to care about thin, of course, but some people do.
nico_mach - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
And not to fanboy this, I won't actually buy this, but the LTE usually costs extra too. It's not what I would spend money on, but this is the most compelling Windows on ARM book so far - I am assuming that the performance and compatibility will be there, though. Reviews to come, I suppose.bigvlada - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
"What is it missing from the mostly dual core $1k+ ultrabooks?"The ability to use 32-bit x86 software without the software emulator. The ability to use 64-bit software outside of Windows Store. M2 slot.
vanilla_gorilla - Thursday, January 30, 2020 - link
In other words: absolutely nothing their target demographic cares about.HStewart - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Yes this was a major disappointment from Samsung announcements yesterday, The only thing I can figured out is that Microsoft wants to get rid of legacy applications on Windows so bad. But then again possible Qualcomm could be paying Microsoft to create the version OS Also why has there never been a Microsoft Surface on it and version of OS on ARM chip besides Qualcomm.Personally I think the better option for Qualcomm CPU would be Chromebook and certainly not at thiese pricess.
domboy - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
If that were true, then why would they build an x86 translation layer, plus release the SDK to allow win32 apps to be compiled for ARM? Windows 10 ARM isn't locked the store like RT was. But I totally agree with you about the missing ARM-based Surface. Microsoft needs a flagship device, so to speak, and that's what I'm waiting for. I've heard rumors they are actually working on one finally.