What’s the problem?
Samsung’s latest Copilot+ PC, the Galaxy Book 4 Edge, launches this summer and is already seeing its first big discounts. Best Buy$300 discount The 16-inch version costs $1,149.and $350 off The 14-inch version costs just $999.
Why is this deal recommended by ZDNET?
We recently went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge and praised its snappy, high-performance. The new Snapdragon X Elite chip is as power-efficient as it is performant, giving this laptop impressive battery life. Plus, the PC’s AMOLED display makes it an attractive device for creators.
ZDNET Key Takeaways
- of Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge It’s on sale now for $1,149. Regular pricing for the configuration I tested (16-inch display and 1TB of storage) starts at $1,749.
- It’s one of the most impressive Copilot+ PCs to hit the market this year, with a stunning display, long battery life and boundary-pushing performance.
- It’s expensive, has some design quirks, and will reach its full potential in the Samsung ecosystem.
Samsung has secured a seat at the table with the big players. Galaxy Book 4 EdgePowered by the new Snapdragon X Elite processor, the Copilot+ PC is truly a statement machine. This laptop feels as good as it looks, and it has the features consumers care about most: a brilliant display, a thin and light form factor, and a long-lasting battery.
I recently had a chance to try out the Edge, using it as my primary driver for commuting and remote work for a week, and I absolutely love it. This device is amazing: it’s light, has lightning-fast performance, a great battery, a beautiful display, and surprisingly good speakers.
I also put Panasonic’s super rugged Toughbook to the test and it didn’t even blink.
Of all the new Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs released this year, this laptop has one of the clearest use cases, and it really shines when paired with other Samsung products, especially Galaxy smartphones, where Samsung’s Plugin app (which Apple is still developing) allows remote control from the laptop, along with a host of other features.
However, to get the most out of the Galaxy Book 4 Edge, there are a few things you need to meet, which we’ll cover in more detail shortly, but first let’s take a look at the specs.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Edge is its thin and light form factor: It weighs just 3.4 pounds, yet feels solid with minimal screen shake compared to other ultraportable 16-inch laptops.
And one of the best travel tablets I’ve tested isn’t made by Lenovo or Apple.
What an amazing screen! The 16″ AMOLED 2x (2800 x 1800) display has a beautiful 3K resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate for a super smooth visual. It’s also bright enough, at 400 nits for standard content and up to 500 nits for HDR video. Plus, the display has some very impressive anti-glare technology that reduces light considerably.
Earlier this year, my colleague Kelly Wang reviewed this machine’s predecessor, the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra, which was powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 or 9 chip, and was similarly impressed with its OLED display. Samsung has upped the ante by giving the Edge an AMOLED display, which is both more power-efficient and has better resolution (but costs more).
We also got to see the future of AI firsthand at Qualcomm HQ, and Copilot+ PC was just the beginning.
The display is also touchscreen, but it doesn’t come with a stylus and can’t be folded flat or turned into a tablet, but some useful uses of touch include pinch-to-zoom and scroll, two features we’re all familiar with on smartphones.
As for the rest of the physical form factor, the Edge’s keyboard feels good — it’s tactile, the keys have satisfying travel, and I like the full-size format with the number pad on the right side.
But the Edge’s trackpad is just huge. Like the Book 4 Ultra, it has a trackpad the size of a football field, which some people will love, but for others, it might be more hassle than it’s worth.
During testing, the trackpad produced quite a few mistypes depending on typing style and wrist position, but the number of mistypes decreased as I got used to it. I don’t love it, but the trackpad itself is well optimized, so it’s not a huge deal.
Review: Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: This Windows flagship rivals the MacBook Pro
When we reviewed the previous Edge model earlier this year, we noted that the trackpad wasn’t the laptop’s strong suit — it was sometimes too sensitive and sometimes too insensitive. Samsung seems to have optimized the technology in the Edge, and we didn’t notice any noticeable issues with responsiveness this time around.
Not only does the Galaxy Book 4 Edge come equipped with the new Snapdragon X Elite processor, it’s the most powerful version of it: a 3.8GHz, 12-core processor with dual-core boost that’s only available on the 1TB configuration of the Edge, which is a strong move from Samsung.
After benchmarking the processor, GeekBenchThe single-core score was 2953 and the multi-core score was 15672. These are impressive numbers that put the Galaxy Book 4 Edge at the top of the Copilot+ PCs and even beat the numbers of some MacBooks, but the Apple Silicon still scores higher in single-core performance and the GPU.
Also, I’ve tested dozens of 2-in-1 laptops, and this one excels in every way.
The onboard Qualcomm Adreno GPU can’t go head-to-head with Apple’s M3 integrated graphics, but when combined with the Snapdragon’s NPU and super-fast CPU, it’s a force to be reckoned with. Video editing in DaVinci Resolve on the Galaxy Book 4 Edge was smooth, especially for AI-related tasks, and we expect performance in this area to continue to improve.
The machine was also quiet and cool while performing such heavy tasks, producing very little noticeable heat and virtually no noise (despite the fact that it does have a fan).
Benchmark numbers are technical metrics that aren’t necessarily useful to the average consumer, but they’re important in proving that the Snapdragon X Elite chip is a true competitor to Apple’s Silicon processors. What we’re seeing is a consumer machine you can buy today beating a MacBook Pro in real time, not in a controlled demo environment. And that’s it. Here it is.
Another big feature that sets the Galaxy Book 4 Edge apart is its use of universal flash storage (eUFS) rather than a solid-state drive (SSD). eUFS is a type of storage technology used in smartphones, so it’s reasonable to expect Samsung to incorporate the technology into its laptop line, but this comes with some caveats.
First off, the storage on this laptop is a solid unit that cannot be changed or upgraded in any way – it’s built right into the machine, so if you’re considering buying an Edge, we highly recommend going for the 1TB configuration as what you choose at purchase is what you’ll have for the rest of the laptop’s lifecycle.
We also tested the 17-inch LG Gram Pro, which is the best big-screen, lightweight laptop you can buy.
Secondly, the 3.8GHz processor only comes in the 1TB configuration of the Edge, and the 1TB version only comes in 16-inch, so with this laptop the difference between the 14-inch and 16-inch versions isn’t just a matter of screen size.
You should only consider buying this laptop if you’re prepared to buy the 16-inch, 1TB storage version. Any other configuration is just too pricey. In that sense, the 16-inch version is priced at $1,750, which isn’t cheap, but it’s still below the $2,000 price limit that the average consumer considers “practical.”
Plus, this Lenovo laptop is ultra-portable, lasts all day, and has superpowers like MagSafe.
Finally, the Edge’s battery is downright impressive. I recently tested HP’s Omnibook X 14, another Copilot+ PC with a Snapdragon X Elite processor, and noticed its excellent battery performance. The Galaxy Book 4 Edge is even better, given its huge AMOLED display and more powerful processor.
In our standard ZDNET benchmark test, streaming a 4K YouTube livestream over Wi-Fi at 50% brightness, we got over 13 hours of playback time, which is well above what’s considered “good” for a laptop and more than enough for a few days of standard work. Even better, when the laptop is idle, there’s only a negligible decrease in battery life.
ZDNET BUYING ADVICE
of Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is a powerful laptop that’s well worth the price if you’re willing to buy the 16-inch, 1TB version with the top-of-the-line Snapdragon processor. If you have a Samsung smartphone and appreciate the integration this laptop brings to Samsung’s device ecosystem, the deal is even more appealing.
If neither of those apply to you, the Galaxy Book 4 Edge is a phenomenal choice for its sheer star power and performance alone. However, if you’re on the fence about the price but still want a Copilot+ PC, consider the Microsoft Surface Pro or the Asus Vivobook S15, both of which are Snapdragon laptops with OLED displays that are available for fairly cheap.
When does this deal end?
While sales may sell out or expire at any time, ZDNET is committed to finding, sharing and updating the best product sales to help you get the best savings. Our team of experts checks regularly to ensure the sales we share are still valid and available. We’re sorry if you missed this sale, but don’t worry, we’re always finding new opportunities to save and sharing them with you on ZDNET.com.
