The highest of Samsung’s new 2023 laptop computer line is the Galaxy E book 3 Extremely: a powerhouse 16in machine aiming squarely at Apple’s 16in MacBook Professional for creatives and players.
A laptop computer referred to as Extremely clearly doesn’t come low-cost, costing from £2,449 ($2,200), which is about the identical worth as Home windows 11 rivals from Dell and Razer however barely cheaper than Apple’s prime machines.
The Extremely seems to be similar to Samsung’s different minimalist Galaxy E book laptops from the previous couple of years, solely greater, in distinction to continuously garish gaming PCs. It’s surprisingly skinny and light-weight for a 16in laptop computer, weighing 1.78kg, which isn’t dramatically heavier than a lot smaller machines and far lighter than many of the competitors.
The star of the present is the merely gorgeous 16in 3K OLED show with a 120Hz refresh price. It is likely one of the finest shows I’ve seen, with inky blacks, wonderful distinction and correct colors that virtually burst out of the display. Its peak brightness of about 500nits for HDR content material is comfortably crushed by the searing brightness of the LCD-based MacBook Professional however consistent with OLED opponents and positively vivid sufficient to look nice.
Under the display is an enormous and good keyboard, with a strong typing expertise and a fingerprint reader within the energy button. Avid gamers might want extra suggestions however for writing it was wonderful. It has an honest however not class-leading 1080p webcam with numerous tips equivalent to auto-panning and blur results on the prime of the display. The mics are superb, and the set of 4 audio system is fairly immersive for a laptop computer.
Specs
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Display screen: 16in 3K AMOLED 2880 x 1800 (120Hz; 201 PPI)
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Processor: Intel Core i7-13700H or i9-13900H (thirteenth gen)
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Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX4050 (6GB) or 4070 (8GB) laptop computer GPU
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RAM: 16 or 32GB
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Storage: 512GB or 1TB
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Working system: Home windows 11 Residence
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Digital camera: 1080P
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Connectivity: wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4, headphones, microSD, HDMI2.0
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Dimensions: 355.4 x 250.4 x 16.5mm
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Weight: 1.79kg
Two-stage energy
The Extremely is accessible in a small alternative of configurations that fluctuate by nation, together with fashions with an Intel Core i7-13700H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX4050 graphics card, or a Core i9-13900H and RTX4070 on the prime finish as examined. Be aware, a mannequin with 32GB of RAM or higher shouldn’t be accessible within the UK, which can be a deal killer for some.
As you’ll count on for the {hardware}, the Extremely is an especially highly effective machine, preserving tempo with Apple’s prime laptop computer and gaming rigs throughout a spread of exams. It is ready to produce excessive body charges in a wide range of demanding video games at 1080p decision with excessive graphics settings, which look implausible on the fantastic display. The bottom of the laptop computer will get fairly sizzling, nonetheless, so I’d not use it gaming on a lap. It additionally handles advanced picture and video enhancing, transcoding and different demanding duties with aplomb for inventive purposes.
However its most energy is simply accessible when it’s plugged in and set to excessive efficiency mode. That’s typical of the form of PC {hardware} it has inside however isn’t the case for Apple’s competitor.
Even at full tilt, the followers within the Extremely handle to keep away from being overly noisy in contrast with some hairdryer-like laptops. In additional mundane day-to-day productiveness work, it runs primarily silently, which is most appreciated.
Battery life for productiveness is pretty common, lasting about seven hours on a balanced workload of searching, video calls and writing, which isn’t fairly sufficient for a piece day. It holds up higher in contrast with the competitors below intense masses, lasting simply shy of three hours when pushed. A full cost takes about 75 minutes utilizing the included 100W energy adaptor.
Sustainability
Samsung doesn’t present an anticipated lifespan for the battery but it surely ought to final in extra of 500 full-charge cycles with not less than 80% of its unique capability.
The laptop computer is typically repairable priced on a case-by-case foundation however not upgradeable. The laptop computer comprises recycled plastic in its casing. Samsung affords trade-in and recycling schemes for some previous gadgets. The corporate publishes annual sustainability reviews however not impression assessments for particular person merchandise.
Home windows 11 + Samsung
The Extremely runs Home windows 11 out of the field however comes pre-installed with a wide variety of Samsung apps and instruments. Typically, it ran easily and with out difficulty. I eliminated the free trial of McAfee and several other different undesirable apps.
You could by no means use most of the 22 included Samsung apps and may safely uninstall them. However some, equivalent to the fast settings device, are very helpful, permitting you to alter system settings, efficiency modes, display modes and different bits shortly and painlessly.
About half of them are designed to hyperlink up with and sync content material throughout different Samsung gadgets, which is useful when you occur to even have a fashionable Galaxy telephone or any of the corporate’s equipment equivalent to earbuds. For instance, you’ll be able to management a Samsung telephone utilizing the keyboard and mouse on the laptop computer.
A few of the different instruments, such because the Intel connectivity efficiency suite, offer you a lot higher management over the {hardware} throughout the laptop computer, which is welcome given this can be a power-user machine.
Value
The Samsung Galaxy E book 3 Extremely begins at £2,449 ($2199.99) with an Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. The Core i9 model with GeForce RTX 4070 prices £3,049.
For comparability, the equal Razer Blade 16 begins at £2,699, the Dell XPS 15 at £3,099, the Alienware m16 at £2,149, and the Apple 16in MacBook Professional at £2,699.
Verdict
The Galaxy E book 3 Extremely is the primary Samsung laptop computer to essentially compete on a degree with arch-rival Apple’s huge MacBook Professional, delivering the uncooked energy, high quality construct and gorgeous display required by creatives and players alike.
It’s a totally spectacular machine, providing the power to seamlessly swap between easy productiveness work, severe photograph and video enhancing, after which carry out as a correct gaming rig on the finish of the day, all with out trying misplaced. There are few machines that handle that fairly so efficiently, and in such a lightweight and compact physique for a 16in laptop computer.
The big trackpad is nice, and the keyboard is admittedly good for writing, however players would possibly need a bit extra suggestions. It is vitally costly, even when competitively priced for any such machine. It might do with longer productiveness battery life.
For these on the lookout for a Home windows various to a 16in MacBook Professional for inventive work or a extra refined gaming PC they’ll lug to the workplace when wanted, the Galaxy E book 3 Extremely is correct up there with the most effective accessible.
Professionals: gorgeous 16in OLED display, highly effective alternative of prime Intel and Nvidia chips, huge trackpad, good keyboard for writing, refined design, good audio system and mics, first rate webcam, compact and light-weight for a workstation.
Cons: costly, no 32GB RAM choice within the UK, solely HDMI2.0, max efficiency solely accessible when plugged in, productiveness battery life is a bit quick, design could be too businesslike for a gaming laptop computer.
