From the time once you first take Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely ($2,399.99 as examined) out of the field for the primary time, it may well look like you’re having a little bit of déjà vu. It’s nearly as if Samsung is presenting its finest MacBook Professional imitation with its general styling and keyboard; it principally pulls off the feat.
As we’ve come to count on from Samsung’s Galaxy Guide household, the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely incorporates a premium aluminum unibody chassis and a vibrant AMOLED show. The corporate even features a large glass touchpad that may make even MacBook Professional customers jealous.
Past the handsome chassis, Samsung contains the newest Thirteenth-generation Intel Raptor Lake processors (our evaluation unit has a Core i7-13700H) and Nvidia’s entry-level GeForce RTX 4050 discrete GPU. Though Samsung is advertising and marketing this extra as a productiveness system, it’s able to mild gaming in your downtime. The Galaxy Guide 3 Designed to compete with the finest ultrabooks, the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely ticks all the fitting bins relating to options and value, together with stable battery life, robust efficiency and typing expertise.
Design of the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
The Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely seems to be extremely like a 16-inch MacBook Professional. Not solely did Samsung handle to almost match the MacBook Professional’s area grey colour (Samsung calls it “graphite”), however even the keyboard’s feel and appear match.
The MacBook Professional phantasm is damaged primarily by two issues: first are the obnoxious stickers on the keyboard deck (Vitality Star, Intel Evo, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, and GeForce RTX, although you do discover these on many PCs). The second notable distinction is that Samsung managed to squeeze in a quantity pad, which Apple has been reluctant to do with its 16-inch MacBook Professional.
The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely features a good assortment of ports to deal with your peripheral wants. The best-hand aspect of the laptop computer is residence to a microSD slot, a USB 3.2 Kind-A port and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. The left-hand aspect options two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.0 port. The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely fees through USB-C, and Samsung features a 100-watt energy adapter within the field with a removable USB-C cable. Nevertheless, the draw back is shedding a Thunderbolt 4 port when charging.
The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely measures 13.99 x 9.86 x 0.65 inches and weighs 3.95 kilos. That compares to 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches and 4.8 kilos for the 16-inch MacBook Professional. On the PC aspect, the Dell XPS 15 (9520) measures 13.56 x 9.06 x 0.73 inches and weighs 4.31 kilos. Final 12 months’s Gigabyte Aero 16 is the heaviest at 5.07 kilos, with dimensions of 14.02 x 9.78 x 0.88 inches.
Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely Specs
CPU | Intel Core i7-13700H |
Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (6GB GDDR6, 2,370 MHz Increase Clock, 115 W Max Graphics Energy) |
Reminiscence | 16GB LPDDR5-5200 |
Storage | 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
Show | 16-inch, 2880 x 1800, 120 Hz, 16:10 AMOLED |
Networking | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1 |
Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Kind-A, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm combo audio jack, microSD |
Digital camera | 1080p |
Battery | 76 WHr |
Energy Adapter | 240 W |
Working System | Home windows 11 Residence |
Dimensions (WxDxH) | 13.99 x 9.86 x 0.65 (353.06 x 250.44 x 16.51mm) |
Weight | 3.95 kilos (1.71 kg) |
Worth (as configured) | $2,399.99 |
Productiveness Efficiency on the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
Our Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely evaluation unit got here geared up with an Intel Core i7-13700H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely pulled up the rear within the Geekbench 5 single-core check. Geekbench is a CPU-heavy benchmark, and I used to be shocked to see the brand new Raptor Lake-based Core i7-13700H fall behind the Alder Lake-based Core i7-12700H within the Dell XPS 15. Nevertheless, the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely turned the tables within the multi-core benchmark, snagging second place with a rating of 12,212 behind the 16-inch MacBook Professional (15,173).
Our file switch check entails copying 25GB of check recordsdata, and the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely rapidly jumped to the entrance of the road with a switch fee of two,075.85 MBps. That simply surpassed the next-fastest Gigabyte Aero 16 (1,806.3 MBps) and left the XPS 15 nicely behind (1,637.72 MBps).
We use Handbrake to have laptops transcode 4K video to 1080p, and the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely completed in second, with a time of 5 minutes and 26 seconds. The M2 Max-equipped 16-inch MacBook Professional crushed all challengers at three minutes and 59 seconds.
We check Cinebench R23 over 20 consecutive runs for our stress check, and the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely began with a rating of 15,206.21. The scores started to erode from there and leveled off at 12,600 earlier than rising to round 13,800 in the course of the remaining three runs. The efficiency cores averaged 3,041 MHz, whereas the effectivity cores clocked in at 2,435 MHz in the course of the stress check. The CPU temperature measured a median of 85.59 levels Celsius (186.06 levels Fahrenheit).
The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely also can deal with some mild gaming obligation with its GeForce RTX 4050. The laptop computer managed 54.33 fps at 1080p in Shadow of the Tomb Raider (24 fps at 1880p) in comparison with 78 fps and 26 fps, respectively, for the Gigabyte Aero 16 with its GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.
Show on the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
The Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely makes use of a 16-inch AMOLED 120 Hz non-touch show with skinny bezels alongside the perimeters and prime. As with most OLED panels, this display screen has a shiny end that could be a reflection magnet. Nevertheless, that cup end additionally contributes to sharper pictures throughout.
Like many latest productivity-focused laptops, the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely’s 2880 x 1880 decision works out to a 16:10 facet ratio. There may be loads of display screen actual property right here for content material creation or information entry (amongst different duties). Nevertheless, this decision can’t compete with the Dell XPS 15 (3456 x 2160), Gigabyte Aero 16 (3840 x 2400), or 16-inch MacBook Professional (3,456 x 2,234). We must also observe that Samsung doesn’t supply a higher-resolution panel as an possibility.
The AMOLED panel that Samsung makes use of with the Galaxy Guide 3 was vibrant sufficient (279 nits) in my residence workplace surroundings with plentiful overhead lighting. Nevertheless, it may well’t get as vibrant because the Aero 16 (321 nits) or the 16-inch MacBook Professional (421 nits) with its mini-LED panel.
The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely coated 86.2 p.c of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and 122 p.c of sRGB in our testing. Each figures put the laptop computer on the head of the category, sharing prime honors with the XPS 15.
Though the reflections on the show have been ever-present, my mind may block them out as I watched Ford V Ferrari, significantly in the course of the thrilling sequence on the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The movie is notable for its quick visuals, however the orange and pale blue livery of Ken Miles’ Ford GT40 virtually leaped off the AMOLED show at first of the race.
The colours grew to become extra muted because the race progressed, and the automobile’s physique picked up filth and dirt from the monitor. Nevertheless, irrespective of how good the GT40 regarded, nothing in comparison with how nicely the rival Ferrari 330 P4 regarded in Rosso Corsa (Racing Pink, in Italian) on the French race monitor.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
As somebody who makes use of a 14-inch MacBook Professional each day, I used to be at residence with the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely’s keyboard. It had comparable, agency and near-silent key presses.. Given the productivity-minded aspirations of the laptop computer, Samsung opted for conventional white backlighting as a substitute of the typically garish RGBs discovered on gaming laptops in the same value bracket.
I favored the “inverted T” format of the arrow keys and was delighted that Samsung included a quantity pad. Though a few of my colleagues scoff at together with quantity pads on laptops, feeling they’ll compromise on the consolation/positioning of the extra oft-used keys, I prefer it for data-entry functions. Samsung additionally put a fingerprint rear on the prime proper nook of the keyboard. Apparently, the registration course of and GUI to your finger look remarkably much like Apple’s course of for Contact ID.
I exploit keyhero.com as my go-to for testing keyboards, and I hit 75 phrases per minute with 90.61 p.c accuracy with the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely’s keyboard.
As for the touchpad, it’s one of many largest I’ve used, measuring almost six inches throughout and 4.25 inches in peak. Not like the solid-state touchpad on MacBooks, the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely’s touchpad bodily strikes when it “clicks,” and I discovered its general really feel to be among the many finest in a Home windows laptop computer.
Audio on the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
The Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely is supplied with 4 AKG-tuned audio system (5W), with one at every nook. In comparison with most laptops, the audio system right here truly sound wealthy and full.
I reached all the way in which again to my highschool music playlist and queued up Sheryl Crow’s “Residence” for the primary time in over 20 years. The folksy ballad shines with Crow’s heat vocals, the underlying drum beats, and country-vibin’ electrical guitar licks. Surprisingly, the bass was higher than anticipated from a comparatively skinny and light-weight laptop computer. I subsequent lulled myself to a state of calm and internal peace with William Orbit’s cowl of “Adagio for Strings,” which I cranked to 100%, distortion-free.
Even with the amount maxed, no uncomfortable vibrations slinked by the chassis, as we seen in our Dell XPS 15 evaluation.
Upgradeability of the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
The Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely’s internals are accessed by first eradicating the 4 rubber ft on the underside of the laptop computer. A fingernail slipped underneath every foot is sufficient to pry them off. With the ft eliminated, simply 4 Philips screws (and a few light prying) are standing between you and lifting off the underside cowl.
With the duvet off, you’ll discover that the Samsung-branded SSD (1TB 980 Professional) is detachable. There’s additionally a second M.2 slot to the fitting, must you select to develop your storage sooner or later. The battery can be replaceable after eradicating a couple of half-dozen screws. Nevertheless, the upgrades finish there. The RAM is soldered onto the motherboard, as is the Intel AX211 Wi-Fi 6E card.
Battery Life on the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
In comparison with different Home windows 11 laptops on this check group, the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely did nicely on our battery check. Our battery check entails operating OpenGL exams whereas looking the online and streaming video over Wi-Fi.
The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely got here in third place general at 9 hours and three minutes, or 40 minutes in need of the second-place Dell XPS 15. Nevertheless, the 16-inch MacBook Professional, with its power-sipping M2 Max processor, doubled the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely’s runtime, lasting 18 hours and 56 minutes. Apple M1 and M2 laptops are really outliers relating to performance-per-watt, and it’s powerful for Home windows laptops to compete.
Warmth on the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
We measure the warmth output on these laptops whereas operating our Cinebench R23 stress check.
We measured 31.39 levels Celsius (88.5 levels Fahrenheit) on the middle of the keyboard between the G and H keys. We then switched our consideration to the outsized trackpad, the place warmth measurements fell to 26 C (78.8 F). The most popular a part of the laptop computer was measured on its underside, in direction of the rear middle the place the exhaust vents are positioned. Right here, we recorded a temperature of 37.38 C (99.3 F).
Webcam on the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
Not like many laptops on this phase, Samsung outfits the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely with a 1080p webcam. This webcam is a particular improve in comparison with the remainder of the sector. Nevertheless, for individuals who need the best possible high quality for his or her work-from-home Google Meet/Zoom classes, you may all the time go for among the best webcams.
The digital camera captures loads of element, though the colours are saturated a tad an excessive amount of, which I’ve seen very often with Samsung digital camera {hardware}. However general, there’s quite a bit to love right here. Video noise could be very low, solely ramping up in dimly lit situations. The webcam picked up my mild stubble and made me conscious about the rising variety of wrinkles on this 40+ year-old face.
Software program and Guarantee on the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely
Samsung likes to cram as a lot of its personal software program into the {hardware} it makes, be it smartphones, tablets or laptops. The Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely isn’t any exception.
I counted not less than 15 Samsung apps put in by default on the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely, together with the SmartThings IoT units app and the unloved Bixby digital assistant. Lots of the apps are for syncing along with your Samsung Galaxy smartphone, together with Samsung Gallery, Samsung Notes and Samsung Move.
Among the apps are helpful, like Samsung Restoration, which lets you manufacturing unit reset your gadget, handle backups, create a manufacturing unit state disk or create a disk copy. It’s extra feature-filled than what’s obtainable as customary with Home windows 11. Nevertheless, the usefulness of the overwhelming majority of the included bloat will rely upon if you happen to personal one other Samsung gadget. If you happen to don’t, many of the Samsung apps simply duplicate performance already obtainable in Home windows.
Along with the Samsung software program overload, the same old additions are included with every Home windows 11 set up, like shortcuts for Adobe Inventive Categorical, TikTok and Spotify.
Samsung ships the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely with a one-year guarantee.
Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely Configurations
Our Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely evaluation unit got here configured with an Intel Core i7-13700H processor, 16GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 1TB SSD and 16-inch 2880 x 1800 AMOLED show. It carries a value of $2,399 direct from Samsung (opens in new tab).
There’s just one different Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely configuration, which bumps the processor to a Core i9-13900H and the GPU to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070. You’ll additionally get 32GB of RAM, though the SSD capability stays 1TB. This configuration will set you again $2,999.
Backside Line
Samsung did a satisfactory job (stylistically) with the Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely in making a duplicate of the 16-inch MacBook Professional that as a substitute runs Home windows 11. Samsung features a Thirteenth-generation Intel Core i7 processor and an entry-level GeForce RTX 4050 that’s greater than able to dealing with day-to-day productiveness duties, and its storage efficiency is second to none. Battery life was additionally commendable amongst its Home windows 11-based friends.
The AMOLED show is vibrant, though we want that Samsung would supply a higher-resolution panel, not less than as an possibility. Even if you happen to fork over $2,999 for the flagship configuration, you’re nonetheless restricted to 2880 x 1800.
The obvious competitor to the $2,399 Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely could be the 16-inch MacBook Professional, which begins at $2,499. The MacBook Professional solely comes with 512GB of storage as customary at that value, and you may’t improve it after buy (in contrast to the Samsung). Nevertheless, the MacBook Professional can have comparable efficiency and double the battery life. On the PC aspect, the Dell XPS 15 (9520) is an effective different, providing the next decision OLED show on the identical $2,399 value level.
Nonetheless, for these prioritizing stable construct high quality with good general efficiency, the Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Extremely is a superb entry.
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