Galaxy Book S: Price, release date, specs and design

The Galaxy Book S has officially launched, with anyone in the UK now able to buy the incredibly lightweight laptop. However, Samsung has just announced a new model with an Intel Lakefield chip to make your buying decision that little bit more complicated. 

The current Galaxy Book S is powered by a Qualcomm processor that uses ARM architecture. This means you get a low-powered yet reasonable performance in an incredibly thin and portable design. However, there’s a big catch with ARM, as it doesn’t support all of the same software as a standard Windows 10 laptop. 

The upcoming Intel Lakefield processor apparently addresses these problems, fixing compatibility issues while still retaining that ultrabook form. There is a caveat here too though, as the Intel chip lacks the LTE support that comes with the Qualcomm model.

That means neither laptop feels the complete package, with Samsung suggesting the Qualcomm model is best for connectivity, and Intel alternative is best for compatibility. 

For more information on Galaxy Book S, keep reading on and stay at Trusted Reviews for our upcoming review. 

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Galaxy Book S release date – When will it launch?

The Galaxy Book S is available in the UK right now, although only in the Qualcomm flavour. 

Samsung has confirmed the model with an Intel Lakefield processor will start shipping in late June, so it may be worth waiting until then before you make a purchase. 

Galaxy Book S price – How much will it cost?

The Galaxy Book S costs £999. Samsung has confirmed the Intel Lakefield model will have the exact same price, so you don’t need to worry about cost when deciding between the two. 

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Galaxy Book S specs – How powerful is the new Samsung laptop?

The standout spec of the Samsung Galaxy Book S is the processor. It’s currently available with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx processor – a decision that has profound implications on how you use the device as well its design.

Such a chip allows the laptop to be thinner than what you’d traditionally find with the likes of Dell, Apple and Lenovo. It also allows for 4G LTE connectivity when equipped with a supporting nano-Sim card. 

To make things a tad more complicated, Samsung will soon be offering a variation of the Galaxy Book S laptop with an Intel Lakefield processor, becoming the very first device to the chip. Lakefield offers a lot of the same benefits of the 8cx, although it reportedly boasts better compatibility with Windows 10 software and support for WiFi 6. It, unfortunately, lacks LTE support. 

It’s currently unclear whether the Intel chip will offer a boosted performance, although we don’t expect there to be massive differences. Deciding between the two will likely come down to compatibility vs connectivity. 

Here are the specs:

Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx	Intel Core Lakefield
Display	13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen	13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen
RAM	8GB	8GB
Storage	256GB	512GB
Connectivity	4G LTE (Nano-Sim)	WiFi 6
Battery	Up to 25-hour video playback	Up to 17-hour video playback
Operating System	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home
Dimensions	305 x 203 x 11.8 mm	305 x 203 x 11.8 mm
Weight	961g	950g

As you can see, the Qualcomm and Intel models of Samunsg’s ultrabook differ more than just what CPU it’s using. The Intel iteration sees double the storage (we’re not quite sure why this is the case, but we’re not complaining) and is 11 grams lighter. 

However, it’s not all good news for the Lakefield laptop, as Samsung claims its battery life is 8 hours shorter than the Qualcomm counterpart. That said, a 17-hour video playback time is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. We’ll test the battery results ourselves for the review, as companies tend to over-egg the figures for real-world use. 

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Galaxy Book S design – What does the new Samsung laptop look like?

Like the Surface Pro X, and Lenovo Yoga C630 before it, this ARM-sporting laptop is super thin and lightweight. The images of the Galaxy Book S show off a remarkably thin design at just 11.8mm at its thickest point.

While being extremely thin, you can expect it to feel premium too, with an anodised aluminium body. Much like the Surface Pro X, Samsung’s laptop looks like a machine for business and productivity users who are looking to show off.

You get a choice of two colours: Mercury Grey and Earthy Gold (really not sure about that second name). Both colours go for a conservative and understated look, unlike the much more in your face Galaxy Chromebook.

Despite being so slim, Samsung has still managed to fit in various ports, including 2x USB Type-C, a MicroSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sadly not Thunderbolt or USB-A ports here. 

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