Samsung - Galaxy 13.3" 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Chromebook - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Mercury Gray

When Samsung throws the “Galaxy” name on a product, you can bet your behind that it’s going to be premium. And this is what we have here, a premium Chromebook with an exceptional design to stand out from the other offerings. It just looks amazing and oozes premium. And that battery life! Oh wait... An Achilles’ heel is known as a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall. The battery life on this unit is surprisingly short, and I fear this will be the main factor on whether or not someone decides on this Chromebook. It’s tough considering all the wonderful things this Chromebook has to offer. For this price, you would HOPE that it would go the 8+ hours that is advertised on the Samsung website. When 100% charged, ChromeOS is reporting a 5 hour 55 minute battery life remaining; this is with brightness set at 30%, Wifi on, Bluetooth off and me typing this review on Chrome browser. If you’re looking to power through an entire day with this, it probably won’t happen and you’ll have to juice up in between. Speaking of juicing up, it took a little over 2 hours to get a full charge. There is a whole lot to love about this Chromebook. The machining is top notch and it just feels premium in your hands. It is so thin and light. The 4K AMOLED touchscreen is such a viewing pleasure at 70%+ brightness and touch inputs (fingers or stylus) are registered without a hitch. The keyboard is remarkably easy to use. The hinges are surprisingly sturdy and hold the display at your desired viewing angle/tilt. Although there aren’t any fans for cooling, I really like that I can set this thing down most anywhere without worrying about airflow. It does get a little hot at the passive vents, but it doesn’t bother me really. Even the stereo speakers surprised me with how loud they can get. The front facing and keyboard cameras are so-so; it’s hard to not be critical of them when your cell phone takes far more superior photos. As far as performance, it is ahead of its class. Running many Chrome tabs didn’t degrade the performance of the hardware. Bravo to Samsung for designing such a beautiful Galaxy product. So as a consumer, you’re faced with a decision based on your current needs; do you absolutely require 8-12 hours of battery life between charges?? If so, this probably isn’t the Chromebook for you. Or maybe you’re at your home/office, with an available wall socket?? Maybe you’re going to keep it plugged in full time?? It’s what works best for your situation and your wallet. My opinion? At this price point, it had better be running 8+ hours between charges. Sadly, it doesn’t. I think there are a lot more choices at this price point, with longer run times, possibly on another OS. It’s truly a shame because I really, really, really love this thing. Maybe the Galaxy Chromebook’s design will make up for it’s shorter battery life for those who are still on the fence. It’s a fantastic build of a machine, and I’ll probably use it regularly. For that reason, I'll give it a slight edge of a recommendation. Just know what you’re getting yourself into. Pros: Very attractive design Premium, premium, premium quality 4K AMOLED Display Ultra thin and light 10th Gen Intel i5 256GB NVME Keyboard is actually easy to use considering its shallow design 4K touchscreen display Built-in stylus Can fold into tablet/stand, but honestly I wouldn’t use it in tent form Cons: Battery life is no good, and can be a deal breaker The front(1MP) and keyboard(8MP) cameras leave a lot to be desired

From the moment you open the box, this Galaxy Chromebook just strikes you as one of the most beautiful laptop devices outside of the realm of some Apple devices. Aside from its beauty and striking metallic red color, this device is extremely thin measuring only 0.39" and super light weight at only 2.29lbs. The workmanship is unbelievable as well, perfectly honed aluminum chassis, very pleasant keyboard to type on, even though it's very flat and not that much key travel, but there is no room for that in such a thin package. The touchpad works great, is smooth and has a good click to it if you decide "touch or tap-clicking" is not for you. Also built-in to the keyboard, right above the backspace key is a very user friendly fingerprint reader that works quite well, I registered multiple fingers so I can also use it form different angles. On the upper left-side of the keyboard there is a camera built-in as well, that allows you to take photos or videos when the Chromebook is in 360 tablet mode. Moving up to the main feature - the beautiful 13.3" 4K AMOLED display which is just a marvel to look at, in any lighting conditions. The colors are vivid, the brightness and contrast are amazing and the touchscreen functionality works as well as any high-end smart phone or tablet, whether you're in laptop mode or tablet mode. The screen is super thin and sturdy with the same polished aluminum sides as the base unit. The screen also works really well with the included stylus, which is another nice-touch that only other high-end laptops or Galaxy Note smart phones come with. In terms of performance, given the specs that rival full-fledged laptops, this Chromebook can run anything you throw at it. I've had at least a dozen Chrome tabs open, while watching a show on Netflix and it could easily run twice as much. It does get a bit warm when you put it through its paces, but not even closely as hot as a Core i7 4K laptop I use on a daily basis. Speaking of watching shows and videos, the sound is plenty loud, clear and well defined, firing out both sides thru the stereo speakers built-in to the palm rest base. Even though I've only used it for about a week, this has become my favorite device, and will definitely be the device I take on travel. I was able to install many of the popular streaming apps from the Google Play store, such as Netflix, Prime Videos, Photos, Music, HBO, Showtime, ATT WatchTV, Tablo, just to name a few. Now, there seems to be a lot people complaining about battery life. Personally, I was quite impressed by it. It fully charged in just over an hour, while I was using it. I've used it on and off for a couple of days at the default 50% screen brightness on a single charge, granted I have it setup to go to sleep when not in-use. It does preserve battery life quite well while in sleep-mode. I would say I got about 6.5 hours worth of actual use, out of which about 2 hours were watching Netflix and Prime videos, the rest were web browsing. I bet if you crank up the brightness all the way and watch a long movie with the sound all the way up, you'll get less than 4-hours of battery time, but that would be true for any other device out there, and nothing out there is as stunning and as thin as this Galaxy Chromebook is, so just plug it back in to recharge and enjoy! As for Cons, other than shorter than expected battery life (by some), the cameras are subpar, especially if you're used to cameras found in smart phones. As far as I can tell, Samsung doesn't even list the specs of the cameras. Also, the price is quite high for a Chromebook, but you definitely get what you pay for, considering the beautiful aluminum super light/thin packaging and stunning 4K AMOLED display.

I used this device primarily for work at home/on the go purposes and it has really helped with my workflow. After a small learning curve it has at times almost been an extension of myself. I never really have to stop and wonder how to do things. This device doesn't get in the way of what I need to do. In fact I'm using the device to write this review. Boot up/start time is fast. From off to work ready in mere seconds. This is by far the fastest of all my electronic devices to boot up (smart TVs and phones included). I was able to turn it on and be on a Hangouts video meeting in less than 10 seconds. Even faster if you unlock it with the fingerprint sensor rather than your password. Keep in mind that I didn't download an extensive amount of Apps from the Google Play Store, everything I needed was already on the device. Everything ran smooth and quick with no lag. I frequently do work on other Apps while on video conference calls and everything was responsive. Sometimes it depends on how optimized a certain App is for a particular device but everything I tried ran smooth. I let my young nephew render and edit small animated clips using GoAnimate on this device and he didn't run into any issues. Ergonomics are fine. The metallic finish is nice but I was concerned it would be a bit too slippery while on the go but that wasn't the case. I was able to hold it just fine in any configuration with a normal grip. The keyboard is responsive and doesn't inhibit my natural typing form. It's very light to compared to my work issued Chromebook, very easy to pack and unpack while on the go. The screen is sharp and my 4k streams were clean. There isn't any noticeable glare in any lighting condition and the same goes for the brightness. Touchscreen detection was spot on and fast. I didn't have to wait for my touches to register when working at at my normal work rate. My only issue is that the cameras on this device could be better. the camera doesn't capture things well in indoor light. video looks a bit too dark if your area isn't lit too well. Bright office lights and outside video comes in clear but at home without some natural light coming in, my video was the darkest one in the meeting. It not a deal breaker but seeing as everything else on this device works very well I was left a bit disappointed with the picture quality. Battery life was fine. I entered about an hour long video meeting while running other things in the background and it went from 100% to 64% at about mid brightness. Pretty good for a 4k screen. It charges fast with the included charger. I never leave it over night. About roughly 1-2 hours for me to get back up to 100% I was left with a very good impression. It's very easy to use in any mode. Not only does it's light weight make it easy to take and use anywhere, tablet mode makes it easy to use while I'm walking as well. The only thing that I had was the camera quality but it was usable. Overall this device is intuitive and helped my work flow very much.

I will preface this review with the fact that this is my first chrome book. My ecosystem is google but i have never owned a chromebook up until now. I will also mention this review is not about the OS (Chrome OS) but about the device itself. Samsung hit the mark with the style and design of this chromebook. They packed so much into such a small package. I really have been putting this chromebook to the test. When I say “the test '' keep in mind that I am new to what I can and can't do with a chromebook but I am doing my best to make it my daily personal driver. So far, it has been quite useful. The size and portability as well as form factor (tablet mode) has made this a very versatile machine for me. Pros: -The ultra thin, premium aluminum design makes this chromebook light and portable. I pick it up and take it pretty much everywhere I go. Not to mention it's absolutely gorgeous. -The screen is absolutely amazing. It is crisp, clear, 4k and absolutely stunning. I frequently watch movies and youtube clips on it and really enjoy the beauty of the screen. I believe this is one of the best features of this chromebook. -The pen is a great addition to this chromebook. I use it to doodle and draw when I get bored and I have come up with some very interesting drawings. It is a very versatile pen and has allowed me to create some pretty cool drawings. -This chromebook is lightning fast. I really appreciate a fast system that I can grab, open, and be immediately able to do what I need to do. I know this chromebook is expensive at the current price point, but I also know that systems these days are demanding and need the specifications if you want FAST, IMMEDIATE results. -The keyboard and trackpad are both amazing. I have no issues typing on the keyboard or using the trackpad, although I did have to invert the scrolling to be comfortable, but the feedback, spacing, and response of the trackpad are on point. The keyboard is said to be backlit, but I have yet to see it light up. Although I don't think I have really used this in complete darkness. -The fingerprint reader is a wonderful addition to this laptop. Makes security and logging in easy and simple. It's also in a pretty convenient place at the top right corner of the keyboard. -USB type C is also a wonderful addition. I have a Pixel phone so i typically always have a type c cable around. Type C is actually a very sought after feature on systems these days so Samsung definitely deserves kudos for providing 2 type c ports on this unit. Cons: -The sub-par battery life with this chromebook is no secret. That being said, there are premium specs with an amazing screen included in this chromebook. I feel like with that, you can't expect the most amazing battery life. I don't deduct much for the battery life because it charges rather quickly and like i said i always have a type c cable around somewhere. I also think that with the screen, performance and small form factor, you would expect a sacrifice in battery life. -The bottom of the screen has approximately a half inch black space which i don't understand. The screen is not that big to begin with, why would it not be edge to edge? It seems like a waste of half an inch of screen across the bottom. -The charger is quite large. I did not expect it to be as large as it is but it is very large and not very long. I would have expected a longer cable with such a large charger. -I feel like the price point is a bit high for this chromebook given the fact that it runs ChromeOS which isn’t very hardware demanding. I think Samsung added some features to try to meet the price point, like the two webcams. I also think the hardware may be a bit overkill for the OS. That being said, I don't know if ChromeOS has anything upcoming that would be more demanding from a hardware perspective. I would recommend this chromebook to users who desire a high quality, high performance experience specifically with a chromebook.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is probably the best Chromebook you will find in the world (in terms of specs), but after having used it for a while, I have to ask… does it NEED to be? The Galaxy Chromebook is a beautiful machine. Mine is a metallic red aluminum body that is solidly built, yet weighs less than 2 ½ pounds, and is less than half an inch thick. It has a 13.3” 4K AMOLED screen that has been rated as one of (or the) best laptop screens out there at this time. For such a thin and light machine, it offers two USB-C ports for peripherals or charging, a micro SD slot for storage expansion, and even a stylus that slides into the body that allows you to write or draw on screen, take screen shots, and more. The keyboard is very thin but does offer some tactile feedback when using, and the large trackpad is solid and responsive. With a 10th generation i5 processor, 8 gigs of RAM, and a 256 gig solid drive, you’re not going to want for power – you don’t really NEED that much for Chrome OS to be honest, but it’s there. There is no optical drive (it’s simply too thin to include one). Speakers are above average – I’d heard better but these are far from bad, and most will not see a need to add auxiliary speakers when using the Chromebook for normal activities. I’m finding the Galaxy Chromebook to be speedy and nice to work on overall, but once again, this is a Chromebook. People who use Chromebooks tend to use them for a specific list of things. Watching content, taking notes, basic office apps, and some Android apps. The AMOLED screen is super detailed, bright, and colorful, but do you REALLY need 4K on a 13.3” screen? Yes, it looks great, but it DESTROYS the battery life. I have to wonder given the quality of the panel, if Samsung could have toned this down to a 2K screen, or maybe even a high quality AMOLED 1080p screen? It would still look fantastic, and add a lot of time to the battery, which by the way, at best, lasted me around 4 ½ hours max when using the settings at what I consider normal. Yeah – the battery life as others have said, is really bad, and that wonderful screen is to blame. The charging brick is quite large, but you can expect to have to carry it around with you as you’ll need it. A fingerprint reader at the upper-right of the keyboard offers log-in options, and along with a very sub-standard 1 megapixel web cam on the screen, there is also an 8 megapixel camera on the body itself at the upper-left end of the keyboard. While the quality of that camera is much better than the web cam (which is dark, grainy, and just UGH), you will only use the secondary camera when folding the screen back into “tent” mode and holding up the Chromebook in front of you. Samsung thinks perhaps student might use this feature to take pics of class boards, etc., but in all honesty, those students will be using their cell phones for that. So in my opinion, that secondary camera is an unneeded feature that just adds to the price. So, my verdict? It’s beautiful, nice to use, and yes, probably the best Chromebook (in many but not all ways) on the market. But… it’s far too expensive, and is fluffed with features that I think most people don’t really need, that just inflate the price too much. My suggestion to Samsung would be this: Ditch the 4K display for a 1080p AMOLED or at most, a 2K version, to improve battery life. Improve the quality of the standard web cam (a lot) and do away with the secondary camera on the keyboard area. Then drop the price by about $300.00. My opinion and rating, would be much higher then. As it stands now, I feel many Chrome OS users can find machines for half this price that will do everything they want and make them happy.

I have had this chromebook for about a week. It is simple and energy efficient. Thin and lightweight. The best laptop I have had in my lifetime. Very thin makes it easy to do school work anywhere. The sound is very clear to understand class lectures and would be good for those that enjoy music or a YouTuber. I'm a big fan of samsung. The computer can smart connect if you have a Samsung smartphone. This helps a lot.

l love this chromebook its really great for work and also to see movies and vídeos!

Yes it's beautiful, yes it's thin, yes the screen is gorgeous and yes the battery will only last about 4 hours. I can live with the less than stellar battery life for the trade-off of the beautiful display. What I can't live with is that NONE of the media streaming apps support 4K playback. Yes, that's right Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, Movies Anywhere, Google Play Movies do not support 4K playback on this device. That's simply ridiculous. All your owned 4K movies play in glorious 480p, that's right 480p. There is no point in having this pixel-packed display that's battery hungry and only get 480p. Yes, you can watch YouTube clips in 4K but that's not good enough. I don't need a 4K AMOLED screen for emails and web browsing, I want it for the best possible media experience. I even emailed Vudu and they have no plans to support this device either. A major blunder if you ask me!