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The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge makes the jump to ARM. This laptop demonstrates the capabilities of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipset in Windows. Only the battery is
The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge makes the jump to ARM. This laptop demonstrates the capabilities of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipset in Windows. Only the battery is not a hit, although that could be a plus point.
2024 is already Qualcomm’s year in the PC industry. Under pressure from Microsoft’s marketing machine, all major manufacturers are teaming up with Qualcomm to launch their own “Copilot+ PC”. We recently took a closer look at models from Lenovo, HP and Microsoft itself, and now it’s Samsung’s turn to release the Copilot port with the Galaxy Book 4 Edge.
We had a lot of fun with the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Pro (with Intel Core Ultra 7). Now Samsung has opted for a similar formula, but with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite X chip on board to earn the Copilot+ label. You’ll have to decide for yourself what that label is worth to you. What is undeniable: this device is a very capable work laptop.
Some key specifications of our test model:
The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge comes in two sizes: 14-inch and 16-inch. We started with the 16-inch version. A 16-inch laptop is rarely light, but thanks to the thin chassis, Samsung manages to keep the overall weight at a respectable 1.5kg, so the device isn’t a heavy burden to lug around. Plus, the 14-inch model is significantly lighter than many of its competitors, weighing 1.16kg.
The screen is a joy to look at. The image specifications are identical on both models, with a high resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels. The 16-inch version is not the pixel bomb like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Gen 9, but the image is razor-sharp. The refresh rate of 120 Hz is also impressive for a business laptop. The brightness is not very high, measured at 387 nits: this is an indoor laptop.
The laptop is equipped with a 2 MP webcam. 2 MP is still on the low side these days. For example, HP has been equipping its business models with a 5 MP webcam for some time now. The quality is decent, but the image looks dark when there is little natural light in the room. In combination with a Samsung smartphone, you can use your phone’s camera as a webcam, but this trick only works with a Samsung smartphone.
Samsung is very generous when it comes to ports. We count a port for USB 3 A, 2x USB 4 C, 1x HDMI, 1x microSD and a port for an audio jack. All the necessary ports are there. Samsung also offers an additional USB-C to USB-A dongle. No foils with the chargers: The included 65 W charger simply uses the USB-C ports.
The keyboard is another strength of this device, and not just because you have a full keyboard at your disposal. The number pad is included, which is a rarity even in large laptops. The keys are soft, have a short travel and provide a very pleasant typing feel.
We had a less fluid interaction with the oversized touchpad. Not to the extent that we wanted to reach for an external mouse, but it often took multiple clicks to get the touchpad to do what we wanted.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is the brand’s first notebook with an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite X chip (X1E-80-100). In addition to a CPU, the chipset also consists of a built-in Adreno GPU and, of course, a Hexagon NPU. We have previously carried out a comprehensive analysis of the Snapdragon Elite processors compared to their counterparts from Intel and AMD.
If we look at benchmarks that measure the pure computing power of the CPU, such as Cinebench, we see the result of our previous comparisons confirmed. The Qualcomm devices from Samsung and the competition leave the Galaxy Book Pro 360 with Intel Core Ultra 7 far behind.
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x gets a little more out of the processor, but the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Pro stands out for its consistency. After a short boost to 3.42 GHz, the processor stays at a very stable clock speed of 2.4 GHz. The device also has very efficient cooling. Even when the processor is under heavy load, you can hardly hear the device blowing, which means it maintains its high performance for longer.
The mutual relationships between the copilot devices shift depending on which benchmark you are running. In the Geekbench benchmark, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge stands out as a true champion. With the Galaxy Book Pro 360, the difference becomes significantly smaller.
This line is effortlessly continued in simulations of Microsoft 365 applications. The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is also among the elite of the Copilot+ category and offers perhaps the best overall performance we’ve ever measured in a laptop.
The benchmarks above don’t take one factor into account: emulation. One requirement for top performance is hardware tailored to Windows, but software must also be tailored to the hardware. Software code is still often written based on the dominant x86 architecture that Intel and AMD use, meaning compatibility with ARM may be more limited.
In this case, a piece of software has to go through an emulator to run on an ARM laptop. This emulation takes some of the raw processing power away from the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. We see this clearly in older benchmarks tailored for x86. Suddenly the roles are reversed and the Intel Core Ultra 7 proves to be the most powerful chip.
This is neither Samsung nor Qualcomm’s fault. It’s up to Microsoft to convince developers to adopt the ARM architecture. Microsoft has mishandled the ARM experience on Windows for years and now that a new generation of powerful laptops has hit the market, it needs to make a sprint. But a full-fledged ecosystem doesn’t happen in a day.
We don’t want to overstate the issue either: most software applications work fine on the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge. However, keep in mind that an application or driver may not yet run optimally. As Qualcomm becomes more prominent in the PC industry, this will improve, but for now it is still in Intel’s lion’s den.
We also notice that Samsung has opted for eUFS storage rather than a classic SSD. The storage used is common in the manufacturer’s premium smartphones, but is anything but standard in laptops. In terms of performance, eUFS is less of a disadvantage than a decent PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. We can see this very clearly in the write speed benchmarks, but we don’t really feel it in the performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 can call itself a Copilot+ PC, complete with the obligatory key on the keyboard. The AI features on the Samsung Galaxy Book 360 are no different from those you’ll find on the other Copilot PCs already launched. It’s fun to tinker around in Paint with Cocreator or liven up a meeting with colleagues with a bizarre webcam filter, but many don’t offer these features. We’re waiting for the first application that justifies the flashy marketing and the importance of an NPU.
Still, it doesn’t stop Samsung from pushing the AI button all the way. It also has its own suite of AI features for mobile devices under the name Galaxy AI. It would be a shame if the owner of the Galaxy Book 4 Edge didn’t know about Galaxy AI’s existence, Samsung thought. If you happen to have a Samsung phone with Galaxy AI lying around (there aren’t many), you can do so with the Telephone connectionfunction on your PC.
Back to the aspects where the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite already shows proven added value. The Copilot+ PCs have excellent battery life and can last almost an entire workday on a single charge. Unfortunately, Samsung misses the mark a bit here. The battery life is significantly shorter than other ARM laptops. It’s best to always take a charger with you when you go away for a workday.
However, it is unlikely that the battery capacity (62 Wh) is the problem. The battery is much more spacious than in Microsoft devices, which last significantly longer. There is still a clear difference to the Galaxy Book Pro 360, which gives up the ghost more quickly despite having a 76 Wh battery.
The added value of the ARM chip is still visible, but Samsung cannot play this trump card with the Galaxy Book 4 Edge. The large 16-inch screen is a possible excuse: the other ARM devices in the graphic are 14-inch models.
Charging is a respectable 65W and Samsung is kind enough to include a compact charger in the box. Fast charging is not a specialty of the company and we are not surprised that it takes longer than average for Samsung laptops. After just under an hour, the Galaxy Book 4 Edge is back to fifty percent and charging to eighty percent takes 101 minutes. That’s a bit faster than the Galaxy Book 4 Pro 360, where you have to wait almost two hours to get to eighty percent.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is once again a great calling card for Qualcomm. This device combines performance with elegance. If we look beyond the Copilot hype and the sporadic growth problems of the Windows ARM ecosystem, we see a business notebook that is unrivaled in terms of performance. The only pity is the battery: Samsung does not make sufficient use of the potential of ARM here.
The whole Copilot thing is still in its infancy and Samsung can’t hide it. The laptops that carry the label are all impressive, but that’s not because of Copilot’s forced presence. If there’s been a revolution in the PC market, it’s that after years of coolness, the chemistry between Windows and ARM is back. Sparks flew with the Galaxy Book 4 Edge, but now the newfound love has yet to last.
Tested configuration: Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge, Qualcomm Snapdragon 2,880 x 1,800 Pixel AMOLED touchscreen (glossy), Windows 11 Home
The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is available from 1,487 euros plus VAT. Warranty period: Standard consumer warranty of 2 years upon delivery.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
