The Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro ($1,449 to start) has everything I expect from the company’s laptops. This includes an ultraportable design, a gorgeous OLED display and an excellent keyboard. This notebook packs the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 “Lunar Lake” chip, which gives it plenty of performance for everyday work. As a Copilot+ PC, it can also access all the AI features of the best Windows 11 laptops. It's also $100 less than the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4.
Like the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge, this notebook’s standout feature is the 16-inch (2880 x 1800) OLED display. This display delivers vibrant image quality, making movies and shows look stunning. It also gets decently bright with both SDR and HDR content, further ensuring you can see even the smallest details in videos and websites.
The lightweight and thin design makes this an excellent travel partner you might forget is in your backpack. Not only is it easy to carry around, it’s also stylish thanks to its dark gray color and all-around minimalist aesthetic. Best of all, it has a decent amount of ports, including a USB-A port for legacy devices.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 chip inside the Galaxy Book 5 Pro packs enough power for watching videos, browsing the web and getting work done. That said, laptops like the HP OmniBook X and Dell XPS 13 with Snapdragon X Elite deliver better performance and overall battery life. The Galaxy Book 5 Pro’s AI capabilities work well enough for translating videos or generating images in Microsoft Paint, but I wouldn’t call this a selling point for most people.
Though Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite have better performance and energy efficiency, Lunar Lake laptops like the Galaxy Book 5 Pro have greater compatibility with apps and programs than Qualcomm’s notebook chips. Toss in the beautiful OLED display and portability, and the Galaxy Book 5 Pro is one of the best laptops around. Find out more in my full review.
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A Lunar Lake-powered Samsung laptop built for handling AI tasks.
- Who is it for? This laptop is for those who want a dependable ultraportable laptop for everyday work and media viewing/listening.
- How much does it cost? The 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro starts at $1,449 on Samsung’s website. The 14-inch version starts at $1,349.
- What do we like? The lightweight design, roomy keyboard, generous port selection and strong Lunar Lake performance.
- What don’t we like? The less-than-advertised battery life and abundance of Samsung apps.
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro review: Specs
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro review: The ups
The Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro is a great laptop thanks to its lightweight minimalist design, vivid OLED display, strong Lunar Lake performance and roomy keyboard.
Lightweight design
Samsung makes some of the thinnest laptops, and the Galaxy Book 5 Pro is no exception. At 13.9 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches and 3.4 pounds, it’s easy to carry to your favorite cafe or from one room to another. Despite its thinness, the sturdy, smooth aluminum chassis and lid don’t bend or flex easily.
Thin laptops don’t typically have many ports, but you get a decent number here. On the left side, there are a pair of USB-C ports and an HDMI port, along with a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, and a lone USB-A port. As always, I applaud Samsung for keeping at least one USB-A port for those of us who use legacy devices.
Vivid OLED display
When you’re done with work, you can enjoy viewing your favorite videos on the Galaxy Book 5 Pro’s gorgeous 16-inch OLED display. The sharp 2,880 x 1,800 resolution lets you see even the smallest details, while the up to 120Hz refresh rate keeps it all running buttery smooth. The inky blacks and blistering whites the OLED tech produces make everything look incredible.
I fired up an OLED test video on YouTube and was floored by the vibrant colors and deep contrasts. As you can see in the photo above, the gecko’s orange, white and green scales pop off the screen. The deep black background also helps the colors stand out. This photo doesn’t do the display justice. It’s truly a marvel to behold when watching your favorite videos.
Our lab tests corroborate my anecdotal experience. Like the Galaxy Book 4 Edge which also has a 16-inch OLED display, the Galaxy Book 5 Pro can get very bright when displaying both SDR and HDR videos. Color reproduction (sRGB and DCI-P3) fall in line with the laptops we’re comparing Samsung’s device to, though color accuracy (Delta-E) isn’t on par. But overall, I’m pleased by the display’s quality.
The touchscreen works as well on this laptop as on the best tablets. Tapping and dragging feel intuitive on the smooth screen. While I don’t often use the touchscreen, it’s a good feature for those who might find it easier or more intuitive.
Strong Lunar Lake performance
Intel talked a big game when it first announced its Lunar Lake processor. While laptops (like the Dell XPS 13) featuring this chip don’t disappoint on the performance front, they don’t exactly outpace the competition.
The Galaxy Book 5 Pro is powerful enough to handle my daily workload, which typically consists of over 30 open Chrome tabs with the occasional YouTube video running in the background. Opening up additional apps (like GIMP) for photo editing or even tossing Spotify into the mix didn’t slow this laptop down.
This notebook performed admirably in our lab tests. On Geekbench 6, which tests overall CPU performance, the Galaxy Book 5 Pro scored well in single- and multi-core performance. But as you can see above, this Lunar Lake laptop fell behind the Snapdragon X Elite-driven Galaxy Book 4 Edge and M4-fueled MacBook Pro 14-inch. Comparing Samsung’s notebook to Apple’s premium laptop might seem unfair, but given their similar price, I think it’s fair game.
In our Handbrake video editing test, which involves transcoding a 4K video clip to 1080p, Samsung’s laptop took longer to complete the task than its competitors.
While the Galaxy Book 5 Pro won’t match one of the best gaming laptops, it’s capable of running some less graphically demanding games. For instance, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI can run at a smooth 61 frames per second at 1080p and a respectable 45 fps at 1800p. These are numbers the laptops we pitted it against couldn’t match.
Comfortable keyboard
I’m a big fan of this laptop’s big keyboard. Thanks to the keyboard deck’s size, it can accommodate a number pad, which I’m sure many will appreciate. The keys are light and bouncy, with a short travel distance that makes typing a joy. I also like the super-sized touchpad, which is both smooth and responsive.
As expected from a Copilot+ PC, there’s a Copilot key that instantly brings up Microsoft’s AI assistant. If you don’t plan to use the Copilot key, its location between the Alt and Left arrow keys won’t be disruptive.
Strong battery life
While the Galaxy Book 5 Pro doesn’t have mind-blowing battery life — especially compared to its Qualcomm and Apple M-series competitors — it’s still quite good (or even great) for a Windows laptop with Intel inside.
On our battery test, which involves continuous web-surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits, the Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro lasted for 12 hours and 25 minutes. That’s three hours longer than the Galaxy Book 4 Edge, but six hours shorter than the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4.
Though the Galaxy Book 5 Pro doesn’t last anywhere near the advertised 21 hours, I think few will complain about a laptop that can last well over a full workday.
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro review: The downs
The Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro has few faults, but its shortcomings could be off-putting or disappointing — especially if you’re expecting a transformative AI experience.
Unimpressive AI features
If you’ve read any of my Copilot+ PC or “AI laptop” reviews, you know I’ve been less than impressed with these machines’ vaunted AI features. Has the Galaxy Book 5 Edge changed my mind? In short, it hasn’t.
While MS Paint’s Cocreator feature does a decent job of fixing up your drawings and the instant translation works admirably when watching videos from other countries, those features won’t have people flocking to stores to get this or similar AI-focused laptops.
Samsung bloatware
Speaking of complaints I’ve made, let’s discuss the pre-installed Samsung apps and features on this device. While you might get some mileage from them if you’re invested in the company’s ecosystem via the best Samsung phones and best Samsung tablets, most won’t appreciate all the bloatware.
These Samsung apps aren’t deal-breakers since you can mostly ignore their presence. However, the occasional reminder to update certain Samsung apps can be frustrating. Unless you’re willing to go through the hassle of uninstalling each app, you’ll have to learn to live with them.
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro review: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro exemplifies what makes the company’s laptops desirable. Though I’m not a fan of all the Samsung apps and the AI features aren’t impressive, this notebook shines thanks to its ultraportable design, strong performance and battery life and fantastic 16-inch OLED.
If you're willing to spend $100 more, the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 ($1,599) is a solid alternative to the Galaxy Book 5 Pro for those seeking faster performance and brighter display. And if you’re not worried about x86 app compatibility and want a Windows laptop with epic battery life, the HP OmniBook X ($999) or Dell XPS 13 ($1,199) with Snapdragon X Elite are also great alternatives.
But if you’re looking for a sleek Windows 11 laptop for everyday use, you won’t be disappointed with the Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro.
