Thursday, June 03, 2021
Samsung has a brand-new entry-level laptop starting at $349 coming this summer featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2. A more powerful 5G version is due later this year as well.
What you need to know
- Samsung just announced the Galaxy Book Go and Galaxy Book Go 5G.
- Both are Windows on ARM devices featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 and Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G.
- The Galaxy Book Go features a 14-inch full HD display, plenty of ports, and is only 3lbs.
- The Galaxy Book Go will be available in June starting at $349 (Wi-Fi-only).
- Details, pricing, and final specs of the Galaxy Book Go 5G will be made available later this summer.
The promise of more affordable Windows on ARM PCs just took a giant leap as Samsung has just announced its Galaxy Book Go featuring the brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2. The 14-inch budget-friendly laptop will be available later this summer with optional LTE, but it is the $349 starting price has us excited.
In addition to the Galaxy Book Go announcement, a more powerful version of the laptop with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 with 5G is coming later this year.
| Category | Galaxy Book Go/5G |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home or Pro |
| Display | 14-inch TFT Full HD (1920 x 1080) non-touch |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen |
| Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno |
| Memory | 4 or 8GB LPDDR4x |
| Storage | 64GB or 128GB eUFS |
| Expandable Storage | microSD |
| Camera | 720p HD Digital Mic |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5 AC 4G LTE (optional |
| Ports | 2x USB Type-C 1x USB 2.0 Headphone/Mic Nano Security slot nano SIM |
| Audio | 2x Dolby Atmos |
| Battery | 42.3WHr |
| Power | 25W USB Type-C Fast Charger |
| Dimensions | 323.9 x 224.8 x 14.9 mm |
| Weight | 1.38 kg (3.04lbs) |
| Colors | Silver |
The regular Galaxy Book Go with the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 weighs around 3lbs (1.38kg) and comes in an all-silver finish. To hit that starting price of $349, some premium features were reduced. For instance, the display is only thin-film-transistor (TFT) instead of a higher-end in-plane switching (IPS) one with better viewing angles. (Although, it is a similar display Samsung used in its well-received Galaxy Book S, also running ARM).
Likewise, storage is limited to size (64GB or 128GB) and is eUFS instead of faster PCIe and RAM is either 4 or 8GB (at least it's zippy LPDDR4x). That entry price is also for the Wi-Fi-only model, making sense as not everyone will need 4G LTE. Wi-Fi is also the older type of 802.11 ac (Wi-Fi 5), though it is totally fine for most at this price.
But there are some surprising features like Dolby Atmos speakers, plenty of excellent ports including two Type-C and microSD, Type-A, a decent size battery, and all of Samsung's hardware expertise and software enhancements.
Performance of the 7c Gen 2 is currently unknown, though as we noted during its announcement last month:
… Qualcomm notes Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 "is up to ten percent faster system performance over most competing platforms," referring to Intel's budget line of processors like the dual-core Celeron N4020, quad-core Pentium Silver N5030 as well as MediaTek's octa-core ARM-based MT8183 used in Android-based tablets. Additionally, Qualcomm boasts about it getting "up to 2 times the battery life of most competing platforms."
We do not know yet the price of the Galaxy Book Go 5G with the higher-end Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, nor its complete spec list (yet), but it is going to be priced higher with a faster processor, Wi-Fi 6, and probably some other perks. It will have the same all-silver finish, likely the same port layout, and overall a similar design, but presumably some beefier components.
Both versions of the laptop feature access to Samsung's full ecosystem of software and hardware, something that was made evident recently in our recent Galaxy Book Pro x360 review. That includes Link to Windows, Second Screen (use a Samsung tablet as a wireless display), Galaxy Book Smart Switch, Quick Share, SmartThings Dashboard, SmartThings Find, and Easy Bluetooth Connection that effortlessly pairs your Galaxy Buds for deeper integration.
The Qualcomm and Samsung news follows a string of recent announcements including a new Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows, and an ARM-optimized Zoom app for video calls, both set to arrive this summer. There is also now ARM-support for Adobe Photoshop and World of Warcraft, with Windows 10 x64 emulation due later this year.
Look for the Samsung Galaxy Book Go with and without LTE to hit store shelves sometime in June with that starting price of $349. Details, pricing, and full specs for the Galaxy Book Go 5G will be announced later this summer.
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