The Samsung Galaxy Book Flex is Samsung’s latest effort to stand out in a sector in which it had little success i.e. Windows PCs. However, this 2-in-1 laptop provides a combination of excellent performance and some unique specs, to generally good results.
From its brilliant screen which is 15 inches to its powerful performance and stunning colour, the Galaxy Book Flex surely is the finest 2-in-1 laptops one can purchase, one that puts Samsung back into the PC domain.. Moreover, its clever Qi-charging touchpad provides a sort of innovative feature and we would like to see other manufacturers adopt it.
With its new laptop, Samsung is giving you daily computing capability in a gadget that stands out best in terms of its form and visual refinement. Its 2-in-1 physical aspect. You can also use it as a tablet and the bundled pen adds to the attraction.
We also appreciate the Galaxy Book Flex’s excellent endurance and good performance, however, there is something to consider with this laptop. The keyboard, specifically, takes some time to get used to because of the fingerprint reader that appears to be wrongly placed and keys that are narrow.
In this review, we will demonstrate how Samsung Galaxy Book Flex is one of the best options for you.
Specifications
| Price: 1,399 US dollars |
| Processor: 10th Generation Intel Core i7 (Ice Lake) |
| Storage Capacity: 512 GB SSD |
| RAM: 12 GB |
| Display: 1920 X 1080 pixels, 15.6” QLED |
| Size: 14 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches |
| Weight: 3.4 lbs |
| Ports: headphone jack, 1x USB-C MicroSD reader, 2x Thunderbolt |
Design and Screen Review
This is truly a fantastic-looking laptop. You can choose to go for the Silver color or the Royal blue but you need to keep in mind that Flex can be relatively expensive. However, you can see the value for money when it comes to such a fine design. It gives you the feel of a premium machine having a clean slim aluminum body with sharp lines. The quality of the build is also very good with a robust and solid hinge under its screen.
The 13.3-inch QLED display, which can be flipped over and used as a tablet, has a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. It’s bright and crisp, and we had no qualms – whether viewing movies or editing photos, it’s a joy to look at. Except for the bottom, the bezels are thin and nice, and the laptop has a 720p webcam, a headphone jack of 3.5mm, one USB-C connector, Ports of Thunderbolt 3, and a slot for a microSD memory card.
As a tablet, the gadget is rather large (with the keyboard still attached), but this is acceptable for short usage — for example, if you want to lay the device flat and do some digital drawing. The S Pen pen fits snugly within the shell and is intuitive and responsive to use, even though we’re not certain that anybody who isn’t a digital artist would find many legitimate applications for it. The laptop is ideal for viewing streaming video, and the AKG stereo speakers provide enough clarity and range even at higher levels.
We found the typing experience to be very pleasant as well, with the keys being soft and quiet to operate – we could easily see using this laptop to push through a few essays or reports. The trackpad is also impressive, with generous proportions and a premium feel. Additionally, we like the addition of a fingerprint sensor on the right side of the keyboard for easier logins, albeit its placement is a little odd.
Features and Performance Review
Galaxy Book Flex is being offered in two sizes: 13.3 inch and 15.6 inch. If you happen to choose the less expensive smaller version of the laptop you will be getting a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU with 512 GB of SSD and 8GB of RAM, which is surely not a stunning spec but a respectable one.
The included Intel Iris Plus graphics are adequate, and the machine breezes through activities like online surfing, email, picture editing, and movie viewing – but don’t expect to do any fast 4K editing or playing big games on this. For the majority of users, performance will be more than acceptable and will remain so for many years.
The 2 in 1 factor is one the major reasons for you to choose it over the other available options. Another reason for you might be the elegant S Pen Stylus which works whenever you tap on the screen and hover the pen above the screen. It can be used for anything from making digital sketches to selecting options from the menu. Another bonus that comes with it as the touchpad of Flex doubles up to serve as a wireless charging pad for your gadgets and phone. If you believe you would love to use these features then the Galaxy Book Flex will be great to go for.
The battery fell from 100% to 80% after two hours of video streaming, with a bright display, implying that you’ll get approximately ten streaming hours in total, so you can certainly improve on that if necessary. In general, the 10-hour limit seems to be reasonable, which means you should be able to spend a whole day without a mains power adapter while using the Galaxy Book Flex.
Flex’s Camera and Audio Review
We listened to the “Rebellion Lies” by The Arcade Fire on this machine and noticed how well it filled the medium-sized room with accurate and clear crisp strings of violin and vocals. Similar audio quality was experienced while listening to “Cherchez La Ghost” by Ghostface Killah.
It has a 0.9 megapixel camera which is enough for zooms, however, it is quite grainy for real video capture. Unfortunately, this is the standard for computers and should come as no disappointment or surprise. I’m eagerly awaiting a business to defy the trend and include a real camera in a laptop, however, for now, we suggest looking for the finest external webcams for your usage.
Galaxy Book Flex Heat Review
The Galaxy Book Flex maintains a cool temperature under duress. After 15 minutes of streaming HD video on Samsung’s laptop, our heat gun detected temperatures below our 95 degree comfort level. Its bottom (the laptop’s hottest area) reached temperatures of 84 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit near the exhaust vent, but the touchpad (74 degrees) and keyboard (82 degrees) were cooler.
Flex’s Touchpad, Touch Screen and Keyboard Review
The Samsung Galaxy Book Flex’s keys aren’t the main issue; the layout is. Using Flex’s shallow keys (which are comparable to the retired Butterfly MacBook Pro’s problematic keyboard, we typed 65 wpm with an accuracy rate of 80% on the typing test.
That’s a far way from my averages of 80 words per minute and 93 percent accuracy, but I’m not blaming the keys. Flex’s fingerprint scanner, which is located just under the return key and therefore it takes up half of the area normally reserved for the right Shift key, is to blame. Due to that half of a Shift key, I produced a lot more mistakes than usual.
As Apple did not need to redesign the keyboard with the Butterfly switch, Flex’s manufacturer did not need to split the Shift key in half to accommodate the fingerprint reader. To be sure, this new position makes it very simple to locate the fingerprint reader. However, it would have been just as convenient to use at the upper right corner, near the Asterisk button, similar to how the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Flex has it.
The Galaxy Book Flex has a 4.7 x 3.1-inch touchpad that provides smooth and quick navigation. Chrome quickly detected my two-finger scrolling and three-finger movements with the frosted-red rectangle. However, we wish this touchpad shouldn’t have been so broad, since I kept right-clicking it by mistake. However, it seems to be a very simple adjustment with time.
The 15.6 inches touch screen of the Galaxy Book Flex detected my swipes and taps quickly and precisely when I navigated through the Start menu and accessed the Action Center. Google Docs’ page scrolling also worked well.
Price and Verdict
There are hardly any complaints against this wonderful laptop by Samsung. You sure can get comparable specs for less money, however, you won’t be getting the extras like the 2 in 1 form and the S pen. The resolution of the screen could have been higher since people generally expect a 16:10 ratio for reading documents and websites. It is a minor complaint against Samsung Galaxy Book Flex, however, even at 13.3 inches, it doesn’t make a notable difference.
Interestingly, the US version of this laptop is available with a greater specification, including an i7 CPU and a RAM of 12GB, as compared to the UK version. This laptop has everything you could want in a laptop: superb build quality, a beautiful appearance, fast performance, a brilliant screen, and even a few helpful features that distinguish the Galaxy Book Flex from the competition.
If you’re considering purchasing this laptop, we suggest determining if you’ll really utilise the folding format, the stylus, or the wireless charging trackpad – since you may be able to find a better deal elsewhere. Surely, if you don’t require the full functionality of Windows and conventional desktop apps, one of the finest Chromebooks may be a better fit.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex is an impressive device, from style to performance to portability. Samsung hasn’t been entirely dedicated to laptops in recent years, even after producing some great models, but if this is a harbinger of things to come, we’re excited.
