Because it could be so much better, as the Ultra, in the very same line-up, shows?
Sure, nice that we get some sloppy afterthought that has some nice features. It’s better than nothing but it just goes to show that Samsung are really after a different market.
For a 16" device, no dGPU and a poor port selection aren’t great. All that space and they can’t even put a full sized card reader in it, nor put another USB A port on it. Nor a silo for a stylus. All have no excuse on such a big device. If it were 14", then it would be somewhat more understandable.
The lack of dGPU might be because of heat. When the screen is folded flat, it might possibly obstruct some vents or heating releasing surface that might be necessary to keep the dGPU running, and could potentially damage the screen.
dGPU-carrying Wacom EMR devices like the Acer Concept D7 was designed in a way that there are several positions you can use the pen screen without folding it flat, and even when folded flat, it’s on top of the keyboard, not the bottom of the laptop where heat sinks are usually positioned.
Still I find it misleading to call the top spec Ultra laptop without S-pen a “Galaxy Book”, could have named it " Samsung Notebook Ultra" or something.
Hey, look at this, Lisa did an on-location piece that include a discussion of the Laptop/Convertible announcement. Not a ton of detail, but apparently the RTX4070 is limited to 60W. There’s a portion of sped up video (??) near the end, so take your dramamine before watching.
I feel the Ultra should have touch at least as a luxury device but still pretty cool they managed to put a rtx 4070 in this fairly compact body (probably restricted by the heat but still nice). The Pro 360 is more my jam though, as SteveB already said its very feature rich (even microsd card and jack, rejoice!).
The main thing I am missing from the lineup is a more lightweight 2-1 version.
We are just a fringe niche (does that make us irrelevant?) and the bucks aren’t there. I always hoped that HP would continue with that beautiful leather folio in an 11-12" size - another dead end. I think we are going to be stuck between a jack of all trades (SP8/SP9) size device, or TWO devices - conventional laptop plus a tablet.
I actually like the non-pro version of the Book3 360 model, 2.56lbs and 13.3" is pretty great. And a respectable battery at 61Wh. But… 1080p Amoled vs. 1800p (3k) of the 16" Pro model, and I’m not loving that one port is TB4 and one is USB-C.
Why does this feel like comparing my dad’s toolbox to mine - he had EVERY wrench from 1/4" to 2" in 1/8th inch increments - all I wanted was a good Crescent wrench…
I am coming to the same conclusion. My Go2 is nearing the end of its useful life as I am finding that I need more power to keep up with the tasks my device is being asked to handle routinely. One example is my inability to work with graphics or large documents while zooming. A 10" I5 fanless device would be ideal. But, there are none on the Horizon. So, a 10" WOA, if there ever is one, or the Pro 5g are my only options. A laptop is just such a step back IMO and the syncing nightmares inherent in laptop and tablet use is unacceptable.
Now I am curious whether small (~12-14 inch) or big (~15-17 inch) 2-1 premium laptops make more profit. I had the feeling the smaller 2-1 devices were better represented the last few years and the 15-17" segment was dwindling, until perhaps the 16" rage. Maybe Samsung does not want to compete directly with the Spectre 13.5", XPS 13 2-1 and Surface Pro 9 etc?
As a side note I remember that of the previous gen Samsung 2-1 laptops the 15" performed much better than the 13" one.
This is SPOT ON and I’ve been facing this conclusion for a couple of weeks now. My SP8, with keyboard and pen, is a 2lb 10oz is a very good jack of all trades, and above all else, there is nothing it can’t do. By that I mean: (1) EVERYTHING I have is stored all in one place on its 1TB drive; (2) all my software is full versions, full featured, and full power (looking at you MS - can’t say same for MacOS, iOS, Android versions); (3) I can take notes with little effort; (4) I have LTE built in (5g would be a lot better); and (5) battery life is really pretty good - I’d say 6-7 hours consistently. Nothing to sync within or across platforms for that matter. I don’t even fire up the iPad Pro 11 much anymore (that may be an understatement - I used the iPP11 twice last week).
Also, from my time with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Duo Uno, I have come to realize that “tablet mode” on these devices, while amazing, really give me nothing the SP8 and Chrome don’t deliver. It’s a niche solution for those times where I have “real work” I have to do but don’t have my SP8, which s just poor planning on my part.
So I think I have actually been using my unicorn for nearly a year, albeit a little pudgy. Since my family life ties me to iMessage, FaceTime, Photos, etc., the real solution is to go with an iPhone 14 Pro Max or more likely move up to the iPhone 15 Ultra this fall for my family connection, and quit worrying about interconnecting a smartphone, tablet, and laptop.
Maybe someday Apple deign to grace me with a jaw dropping folding iPhone 18 to give me an iPad Mini in my pocket…or maybe not.
While I too greatly prefer the surface pro/kickstand design they used on the Galaxy Book 2, The Yoga Style 2-in-1 seems to be the most prevalent, mainly because its the only 2-in-1 form that doesn’t impede Clamshell Laptop Mode which is still the bread and butter of the PC market. The fact that Samsung has settled and retained this format since 10th gen intel must mean they are getting better returns on investment because of the form factor.
And since they already produce a slew of Android Tablets, I’d imagine offering a premium Windows Tablet might take some of the thunder away from that market. And especially since Samsung likes to ptich the Tab series as companion devices to the Galaxy Books, keeping them different form factors would make more sense. Like baring the niche interests like us, who would want a companion tablet to another Tablet?
