Key Takeaways
1. Design Changes: The Galaxy Book6 Ultra features a new design inspired by the Apple MacBook Pro 16, with rounded corners and a large haptic trackpad, moving away from the traditional wedge shape.
2. Build Quality: The aluminum body is high-quality, but the hinges could be sturdier, and the keyboard has shallow key travel, affecting the typing experience.
3. Performance Specs: The laptop includes soldered RAM options up to 64 GB, supports two M.2-2280 SSDs, and features an impressive GeForce RTX 5070 with an Intel Panther Lake processor.
4. Display and Battery: The OLED display is not as bright as the MacBook Pro’s Mini-LED screen, but it offers a touchscreen. Battery life is competitive, despite having a smaller battery than Apple’s model.
5. Sound Quality: The sound system on the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is notably good, enhancing the multimedia experience.
The Galaxy Book6 Ultra is Samsung’s latest and fastest laptop for multimedia tasks. Unlike its predecessors, the company has moved away from the traditional wedge-shaped design that is still seen in other Galaxy Book6 models. Instead, Samsung seems to have taken a lot of inspiration from the Apple MacBook Pro 16, adopting features like rounded corners, a keyboard layout without a numpad, side speakers, and a large haptic trackpad. Because of these similarities, the Galaxy Book6 Ultra might be mistaken for a MacBook Pro, especially if the logos are removed.
Build Quality and Design
The aluminum body of the laptop is high-quality, though the hinges could use a little more stiffness to avoid any wobbling. The keyboard, however, leaves something to be desired due to its shallow key travel, which isn’t the best for typing. There are other options in the 16-inch multimedia laptop category that provide a better typing experience, such as the Asus ProArt P16 and Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16.
Performance and Specifications
Samsung has opted for soldered RAM, and it appears that certain markets will only have the option for models with 32 GB RAM (with a maximum of 64 GB). However, users can still add two M.2-2280 SSDs, which support PCIe 4.0. The performance of the GeForce RTX 5070 combined with the Intel Panther Lake processor is impressive, and the fan noise remains at a tolerable level. When it comes to brightness, the OLED display on the Galaxy Book6 Ultra does not quite match up to the brightness of the MacBook Pro’s Mini-LED screen, particularly in HDR. On the upside, Samsung does offer a touchscreen, which is not an option for the MacBook. The battery life is also quite competitive, even if its battery is smaller than Apple’s offering. Additionally, the sound system is notably good.
In conclusion, the Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a strong contender in the multimedia laptop market, offering excellent performance but at a high price point.