Samsung has returned to the Windows tablet fold with another device that takes a stab at the Surface paradigm.
The Samsung Galaxy Book is targeting productive types with an "extreme focus" on design, featuring an all-new S-Pen and unique inking features.
We're on the ground at Mobile World Congress 2017, and were able to get a quick look at the Galaxy Book. Here's what we learned so far.
Hands on with the Galaxy Book
Galaxy Book
Samsung's Galaxy Book will be familiar to 2-in-1 aficionados, featuring a detachable keyboard cover and the company's signature "Galaxy" design identity.
The Galaxy Book will come in two variants, one at 10-inches and the other at 12-inches. Both tablets are remarkably thin, clocking in at 7.4mm apiece. The 12-inch version sports a super AMOLED display, weighing in at 745g, while the 10-inch will feature a TFT-based display, weighing in at 645g.
The svelteness of the Galaxy Book range owes to the latest i5 Core U Kaby Lake fanless Intel processors. We don't have the full range of details on the Galaxy Books' internals just yet, but they will also come with expandable MicroSD storage, fast charging batteries, 13-megapixel cameras and LTE Cat-6 connected modems. Unlike the Surface Pro range, the Galaxy Book will also ship with its backlit keyboard cover in the box, which comes in black and white options.
Galaxy Book S-Pen
The Galaxy Book revolves around productivity focussed by the Samsung S-Pen, which the company hopes will set the standard for inking. The S-Pen features 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity with a 0.7mm rubber tip, that is designed to mimic the feel of writing on paper. The S-Pen will also work with other Galaxy-based tablets and phones, should you want to invest more broadly in Samsung's ecosystem.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the S-Pen is its unique software features. In conjunction with Microsoft and Adobe, Samsung's S-Pen will offer a tilting experience, which the company at least says will be exclusive to its devices.
Samsung's Galaxy Book will also come with their take on the Windows Ink Workspace, giving you quick access to note taking, screen capturing, sketching, and so on. Additionally, the S-Pen will allow you to create animated gifs, annotate screenshots, and documents.
Samsung Flow
Samsung Flow will be the Galaxy Book's gateway to the wider Galaxy ecosystem. Using a Samsung Galaxy phone, you will be able to receive notifications, including third-party apps like WhatsApp. If you're familiar with Pushbullet, the concept is similar.
Samsung Flow will work via Bluetooth connectivity, and the company was keen to stress that not all apps would be compatible, but the company will no doubt work to bring more into the fold.
Samsung Surface?
There seems to be no end of Surface-like devices emerging from every major PC player in the market at this point, but the inking features on the Galaxy Book do sound as though it will give it an edge. Regardless, lending the "Galaxy" brand to Windows 10 should be a boost for the ecosystem, but it remains to be seen if it'll have any real impact.
Stay tuned to Windows Central for a more in-depth analysis as soon as we can.
What's your take? Hit the comments.
Reader comments
Samsung reveals the Surface-like Galaxy Book, running Windows 10
ahh thought it would be more like the surface book not surface pro.
Looks like an iPad pro maybe?
No, looks like a Galaxy TabPro S. Not a big phone tablet SMH.
Looks like an iPad Pro if Apple would Have got it right
Or if Samsung had. That single position stand in 2017 is dumb as hell.
Um Apple didn't have keyboard case accessories of their own before Samsung
Too bad they decided to use the crappy ipad style stand instead of a real kickstand. Guess it improves lap comfort but you can't do much with it on your lap because the screen will keep moving around. I'm sure there's a market for it somewhere, though, it being a Samsung and all. Just wish they would have followed the surface model a little more closely for their first 2-in-1. Also what's the deal with this "tilting experience"? You can't write sideways with a normal ballpoint pen, and the standard Surface Pen works fine tilted sideways a bit. Are they referring to some kind of shading feature?
They had the TabPro S last year which was basically the same arrangement.
My bad Richard I forgot that the Tab Pro S had the iPad cover too, or that is was a legit 2-in-1 for that matter. Guess I better do my research better next time ;)
Yes, it's for shading and also for using paint brush tools and the like, charcoal effects, all that sort of stuff. Things actual artists might care about.
Am a designer and can see the appeal of this 2 in 1 as something that would replace my laptop for more mobility but this wont be replacing my wacom tablet for work anytime soon just because it has some tilt feature.
Very nice Surface like tablet. Waiting for full specification and price.
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Yeah, the price will make or break it, especially considering the also-recently-announced HP x2 checks a lot of boxes, comes with the pen and keyboard, and hits a pretty good price.Â
soo many companies out there & not one has made anything like surface book !!Â
most 2 in 1 are more like surface pro 4 !! :(Â
Surface Pro 4 way better than this, forget about the upcoming SP5..... This is more of an iPad Pro competitor than a Surface competitor..... Coz as we all know, the Surface is in a league of its own !
Well, the fanless i5, OLED screen, and USB-C fast charging are all pretty big upgrades.
GSM Arena says that the 12" model is a Core I5 *with* a fan by the way. The 10" model is Core M3 and fanless.
We might have wrong info there then, will amend asap
Sorry, but given the spec list and feature set this is clearly in the same league as the surface pro.
Also has LTE.
They pretty much have this device already on the market under a different name.
Yep, TabPro S.
Is that the foldable back ( don't know its name sorry) .. Resembling kick stand ?
Yeah
If all u ever wanted was an iPad Pro running full Windows 10, u got it
Wake up. Samsung already has the Galaxy TabPro S. A year ago.
Stupid 'I just know ipads' people..
They all lack apps! Appeal to the win32 crowd. How will these stand up to ARM based win32 emulation machines coming soon?
So really a small update of the current Galaxy TabPro S.
(I have one and love it)
And a namechange. From TabPro S to Book.
Since it's fanless battery life to weight ought to be pretty good. It's a bit of a shame they didn't make a Galaxy Sx/Notex series of windows phone which the pen could then toe into productwise. Imagine having the one pen do dual function on a Galaxy grade phone and then over to a tablet when you needed more screen real estate. Also have to say a 12" amoled is likely to be a stunner. Might be a tough comparison against the SP4 despite many of you saying the SP4 wins. Biometrics will help sell the form a lot too as you will find less reasons to "need" a keyboard for content consumption. This is a good first step and I suspect build quality will be quite Samsung elegant. Be nice to see them in MS stores. I am pretty sure they will compare very well against others and be a heavily favored device.
Anyone know if this thing is water resistant (IP67)?
Samsung Flow is UWP?
10" upgrade for my s3?! I wouldn't mind it a bit smaller though like 8.5-9
Also have a TabPro S. I like it a lot. Love the Amoled. I was also hoping for something like the Surface Book. At least the i5 is a nice upgrade from the m3.....I assume.
Microsoft create, others copy...Tablets, 2 in ones, mixed reality, just saw the Gartner grid for Analytics, Microsoft leading again :) Â
The missing piece (and a crucial one) is mobile, however as we have all seen in regards to Tablets, timing is everything, right now is not the time. Â Samsung are great...at copying, in this space. Â Personally i doubt it will sell that well.
Microsoft's entire strategy for PC hardware is to have the others copy. It's clear by their pricing and limited Production quantity.
No Windows Hello support? If it will be supported only through Samsung phones that's a big minus for me.
This area of Windows makes me happy in the hard times of Windows Mobile. :) Surface has really shaped up things in 2-in-1 category. And the PCs as well have become amazingly beautiful in past 2-3 years. :)
I concur.... Surface Pro changed the game!
I wonder if this could be used at least for video eidting and 3D. Is this gonna cost 1k$?
Differentiation? Unique to their own devices.
I've been considering a Surface or a similar device for awhile. I like the Galaxy Book and am interested in the price.
These devices appear to be the second generation of the Galaxy Tab ProS from last year. I think the Galaxy Book is a much better name.
I really don't like the lack of Windows Hello support, though. There should be something there without needing a Samsung phone. This will likely cost close to or more than $1,000 and such a device should showcase Windows Hello, IMO.
I don't know why a company would build their take on the Windows Ink workspace when it's already there, built in to Windows.
Nice tablets. Samsung Flow looks interesting.
Will this thing cost a kidney?!
Hope they sell well. MS set out to invent a new category and oems are following. Good integration between phone and tablet, something MS hasn't perfected w W10M.
Looks nice except I have trouble trusting Samsung for follow up after the sale.
Giggity. Just show me the price.
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This basically fixes the major compromises of the Tab Pro S that made it nothing more than merely the Windows version of Crapple's inferior and overpriced macbooks:
- Stupidly restricted to only 1 port and couldn't expand its memory via SD/MicroSD like them donglebooks, not any more :)
- Limited to merely Core M performance, not any more :)
- Didn't have a built-in active digitizer display, had to rely on some laggy bluetooth pen that's sold separately, not any more :)
Now just need the price tag to compare with the Surface Pro line. If it's reasonable, it'll make another great surface-inspired option for consumers, which I wouldn't hesitate in recommending to others even if it's not for me.
sweet! I like the LTE connectivity and the 10" screen though I wish it too were amoled. I'm even more excited to see what Microsoft has to offer now.Â
Samsung Flow is apparently coming to other PCs after the Windows Creators' Update
That'll be really awesome, as I'm very interested in their Note line after the Note 7, but this Galaxy Book is just not as suitable as the Surface Pro for me...