- Sponsored by Blinkist: big ideas in small packages.
Did you know the first Mac I ever bought
was a MacBook Air?
It's true; bought it like a decade ago.
It's still one of my favorite computers.
Why am I talking about MacBooks
on a video about a Windows Laptop?
Well, to make this point.
If you what you want is a super portable notebook
with powerful features,
you don't always need to look for the Apple logo.
(upbeat music)
If you're not familiar with the term
"always connected PC",
basically they're supposed to bring
the best parts of your smartphone to your laptop.
That means waking up instantly,
delivering better battery life,
and of course, always staying connected to the internet.
Now, the road to a solid ACPC hasn't been a smooth one.
Two years ago, my initial experience
with an affordable Asus model
was rough enough to sour me on the platform
for a whole generation.
A few months back, my time with Microsoft Surface Pro X
was much better, but I still found it a little slower
than a conventional Windows laptop,
and thanks to its smaller battery,
it also died a lot sooner than it should've.
Well, I've been using the Galaxy Book S for two weeks,
and great news;
one of the things that's made it so much more enjoyable
will also do the same for other ACPCs.
But before we get to that, though,
let's talk about this hardware.
In the intro, I compared this to Apple's new MacBook Air,
but the Galaxy Book S is actually 25% lighter,
and it's 26% thinner with the same size display.
Now, that screen is lower in resolution,
which you definitely do notice.
It's probably the second biggest bummer of this device.
But it's also a touchscreen,
so maybe we'll call it a draw.
And all that portability does exact a penalty.
Its lightweight construction means it fails
the one-handed opening test,
and here's the biggest bummer;
the shallow base means these keys don't have
much of a place to go when you press them.
As a result, the keyboard feels mushy,
and a further frustration is the wimpy backlight.
It's so dim that, at first,
I thought Samsung didn't even install one.
Are those compromises livable
given the portability you get in exchange?
Tell em', Harry Kim.
- Yes!
(explosions)
- Speakers are pretty intense.
I haven't been this enamored of a lightweight,
low-profile laptop since my first LG Gram
a couple years ago.
And the Gram didn't give me the always-on
4G connection this one does.
My review device came with a Verizon sim
alongside the micro SD slot,
and even though I say it on every ACPC video,
I don't care, I'll say it again.
Not having to worry about finding a connection
is a freedom that just never gets old.
I don't need to ask the barista what the wifi password is,
or make sure my phone is plugged into a battery pack
so I don't kill it with mobile hotspot.
I just open my laptop and I'm already connected.
Yes, it costs extra every month,
and yes, it's the quintessential first-world problem,
but for the target customer
of the busy business person
with a lot of bread in the expense account,
not a lot of time to mess around, it's perfect.
Because those same business folks are bound
to bludgeon their batteries.
Part of the promise of the always connected PC
is that it lasts a long time.
That's a big reason the heart of this thing
is based on the Qualcomm's smartphone processor designs.
It doesn't need fans,
and thanks in part to the fact that
there's a modem built right into it,
it's much more power efficient than your typical CPU.
Qualcomm used to site a crazy 20 hours of battery life,
but in reality, I've averaged about
seven and a half hours per charge.
That's mixed usage at home on wifi,
and out and about on 4G
and an average of 40% brightness because
this panel is so bright,
I honestly don't usually need more than that.
Contrast that with the six hours I topped out at
on the Surface Pro X,
and consider that I was able to space that usage out
over a few days,
so overnight, I was losing about 10% in standby,
and it's pretty good.
Even if it's not up to the eight hours
I squeezed out of Google's Pixelbook Go.
Windows Central got even better endurance
during their review,
and has a bunch of battery benchmarks, too.
I'll link you to that in the description.
While you're down there, please subscribe
to the Mr. Mobile as well.
Now, viewers, I do listen to you.
Everyone dogged me for using Chrome
during my Surface Pro X review,
so for my time with the Galaxy Book S,
I used Microsoft Edge exclusively,
and you know what?
It was pretty impressive.
That's because the new version of Microsoft Edge
is built to run on machines like this.
See, there's a huge architectural difference
between the arm processors that power
an always connected PC,
and the more traditional X86 Silicon.
Thanks to that, and just some raw capability differences,
hardcore games or photo and video editing,
all that is right out.
If you need that, do not buy this machine;
it's not for you.
Also, many Windows programs either won't run,
or will only run in emulation,
which means generally they're slower
and more power intensive.
I spent my first few days with this computer
running those older apps and just hating it,
until Daniel Rubino showed me the way.
Not to get all Forbes-y about it,
but that one neat trick that saved me
after a quick word from my sponsor.
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and thanks to Blinkist for sponsoring this video.
- Now, the best way to tell you about web apps
is just to show you.
This is the old emulated EverNote program for Windows,
and this is the web app.
This is the Amazon Kindle program for Windows,
and this is the web app.
It's not just that the web apps look better;
they run incredibly well.
That's a cat.
I learned about these because
I was complaining to Rubino over Slack
about my keystrokes always lagging behind
when I use an ACPC.
Well, in the 30 seconds it took him to teach me
how to turn a webpage into a web app in Edge,
he changed everything about my relationship
with this computer,
at least the software side of it.
For my needs, which, on a machine like this,
are almost entirely online, web apps are great.
Seriously, the only downsides I've run into
are that I need to re-login to some apps every day,
and of course they don't work so well
when you're not connected,
but it's an always connected PC,
so you know, you get it.
In fact, I like web apps so much
that I've thought about revisiting older ACPCs
to give them another shot.
But honestly, the Galaxy Book S is so good
that I don't feel any desire to, say,
rush back to the Surface Pro X.
While Samsung's keyboard is pretty bad, like I said,
at least it's included with the price.
Microsoft charges between $140 and $270 extra
if you want a keyboard.
The Galaxy Book S is on sale now for $999.
Again, graphics or gaming-oriented users
should not buy it.
And even mobile run and gunners should still
cross shop the cheaper Pixelbook Go from Google.
But if what you need is an ultra portable,
always connected Windows machine for the road,
the Galaxy Book S delivers the best combination
of battery life, performance, and portability
that I've seen.
Folks, this review is produced following two weeks
with a Galaxy Book S review sample
provided by Samsung.
Mr. Mobile does not produce paid reviews,
nor do I give the subjects of those reviews
any editorial input or copy approval rights.
What that means is Samsung is seeing this
for the first time right alongside you.
Again, please subscribe to the channel on YouTube
if you'd like to see more videos
that put the viewer first.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
and stay mobile, my friends.