Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra Review: Large OLED Screen, Powerful Specs, and Some Flaws

In 2023 it will be the turn of the Galaxy Book 3 models. As one of the first to have a 13th generation Intel chip on board and an Nvidia 4000 series graphics card. We have already extensively tested the 14-inch Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro. You can find all the results in detail here.

We recommend reading that review first. For the test of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra (2,478 euros excl. VAT), we only repeat the same features to a limited extent and we focus more on the unique parts.

Internationally you can get the Ultra variant in different configurations. In Belgium you only have one choice: 16 GB RAM, 1 TB storage, 16-inch screen and Nvidia RTX 4050.

Complete package

A look at the new Galaxy Book models immediately makes it clear that Samsung has taken its mustard from Apple. Certainly The 16-inch model with the huge touchpad is almost a copy of the MacBook Pro. Fortunately, what has not been copied is the limited port selection. You will find on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra: microSD card slot, USB-A (USB 3.2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), HDMI (v2.1) and a jack connection.

We find that port selection perfect on a business laptop. The only tiny comment is that both USB-C ports are on one side. That limits your flexibility somewhat when you work with a USB-C monitor or with a docking station.

Whether the design is also very sturdy, we do not know. In our opinion, it seems like a more fragile laptop than your average business laptop. Traditionally, manufacturers of professional laptops put their devices through a number of MIL-STD tests to make sure they can take a beating. We can still find figures from such tests with its predecessor, but not with the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro. We recommend that you take this into account if you travel a lot and take your laptop with you everywhere.

Beautiful OLED screen

Laptops and OLED screens: it seems like a perfect match, but we had to wait a long time for it. Last year we saw the first devices appear on the market, 2023 will be the year of the breakthrough. We have already tested the HP Specter x360 with an OLED screen, but the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is of a completely different caliber.

As with the 14-inch Pro variant that we tested earlier, this screen also performs excellently. Although it is a slightly larger size, we see almost the same values. Samsung supplies three screen profiles: DCI-P3, RGB and AdobeRGB. A deltaE value below two is excellent for professional work. We are very close to that.

Thanks to the large color gamut (103% DCI-P3, 154% RGB, 70% BT.2020), creative professionals can further fine-tune this screen as desired. Note the extremely glossy finish, which played tricks on us in some scenarios. The maximum measured screen brightness of 396 nits is sometimes on the tight side when positioned at the window during sunny weather with some reflections.

The screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio, 2,880 x 1,800 pixels. If we choose, we prefer a 3:2 ratio to work more productively. A plus is the high refresh rate: 120 Hz. In Windows 11 you can choose whether the laptop changes dynamically or always opts for 120 Hz. That dynamic switching never works really smoothly, preferably always choose 120 Hz here. The battery impact is rather limited.

High-end hardware

The biggest pain point of the 14-inch Pro variant was the fan that came on immediately at the slightest load. Now that we have worked with a 16-inch model for a few weeks, we can conclude that Samsung has mainly designed the Galaxy Book 3 series for larger models. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is much quieter. The fan kicks in only when the workload really gets much heavier, in line with what we expect.

Samsung also pushes through with the Ultra variant with a full-fledged Intel Core i7-13700H. Due to the thin chassis, the processor loses some of its feathers, but those who need a lot of CPU cores for daily workloads still benefit from it. Let’s look at the MSI Stealth 16 Studio, which has the same CPU but much better cooling (in a thicker chassis). This allows MSI to increase the TDP value (maximum wattage).

You notice this with workloads that put a lot of strain on the CPU. The MSI Stealth 16 Studio, for example, renders complex scenes faster and can compress files more smoothly. Still, the difference is generally not immense. Compared to the MSI Summit E16, which has an Intel Core i7-1280P of the previous generation on board, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra does a lot better despite the same amount of cores.

Graphically, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 scores excellently. Compared to the integrated Intel graphics card in the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro, the difference is significant. The MSI Stealth 16 Studio has an RTX 4070 on board that performs slightly better. Abroad (QWERTY) you can configure the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra with such a chip. In Belgium we have to make do with the RTX 4050.

A little workstation

However, for graphically intensive workloads, the difference between an RTX 4050 and an RTX 4070 is large. With CAD workloads that rely on the GPU, we see the MSI laptop sometimes perform 40 percent to nearly 60 percent better. Unsurprisingly, that extends to compute workloads that leverage the GPU. There we see that the RTX 4050 is quickly 30 percent less powerful. The modest 16 GB of RAM also argues against the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra.

Both graphically and in terms of the CPU, this Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is not a bruise, but we still notice that the power user which will remain hungry. From our benchmark results we see that not only the cooling is responsible, but also the power of the Nvidia RTX 4050 and especially the 16 GB RAM, which can be doubled in this configuration.

Decent webcam, too much bloatware

The webcam, the lack of facial recognition via Windows Hello and the fingerprint sensor are identical to the Pro variant of this laptop. You can find that in detail in the review of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro.

The same goes for the oodles of bloatware that Samsung provides on every Galaxy Book 3, including the Ultra variant. No one who pays almost 2,500 euros excluding VAT for a laptop will be happy with McAfee’s report that the world will end when you click on something. Disgusting.

Samsung also installs many of its own tools on top of Windows 11, which is already generously equipped with bloatware. We count a total of 30 (!). Why not bundle everything into a handful of applications? Seems more efficient to us, especially within Windows. On their Galaxy smartphones, we understand the approach of separate apps a little more, but that is unnecessary here. The marketing team must not win over the logical mind here. And leave Bixby at home.

How good is the battery?

We had hoped with the rather ‘ordinary’ battery life of the Pro variant due to the small battery in the 14-inch chassis that the large 16-inch Ultra variant would be a battery king. Nothing is less true. The values ​​are again ‘ordinary’, but not excellent. That is a pity, especially for a device in this price range.

A MacBook Pro lasts four to eight hours longer thanks to the economical M2 chip and ideal optimization around macOS. Compared to other workstations, the results are ‘decent’. If we compare it with a premium portable 13-inch laptop such as the HP Dragonfly G3, then you will see the difference. We suspect that the Intel chip in this device slurps a little too much energy and that the OLED screen may also have an impact.

Samsung proudly says that it includes a 97-watt charger to quickly charge the laptop, but that is disappointing in practice. The battery is considerably larger than the 14-inch Pro version (with 65-watt charger), so the charging time is not much shorter. On the other hand, the handicap for a portable 14-inch model is greater than a hefty 16-inch model that you will use less frequently.

Conclusion

On paper, this is our dream laptop: OLED, 120 Hz, thin, light, strong performance and lots of ports. We were so impressed during the introduction that we almost wanted to place an order. Rarely has a laptop managed to charm us as much as a total picture.

After the review of the 14-inch Pro variant, we were afraid that Samsung would go wrong again, but the 16-inch Ultra variant is cut from a different cloth. The complete configuration is finger licking good, not to mention the beautiful OLED screen. Anyone looking for a 16-inch laptop with light workstation specifications will get a top device with the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra.

Tested configuration: Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra NP960XFH (2,478 euros excl. VAT): Intel Core i7-13700H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 1 TB NVMe SSD, 16 GB RAM, 16-inch glossy screen (2,880 x 1,800 pixels), Windows 11 Home.

Standard warranty: two years collect & return support in the Benelux.

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Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro review: ei zo na perfect