Qualcomm is going up against Apple’s M1 silicon with PCs powered by its own Snapdragon compute platforms. Joining the fray are the new Samsung Galaxy Book Go and Galaxy Book Go 5G.
Ever since Apple announced the transition to ARM-based chipsets, the Windows computing world has been looking to catch up with alternatives to Intel and AMD. Qualcomm is amongst the best-positioned to lead this charge with its Snapdragon platform for laptops. Today, Samsung announced two new Galaxy Book Go laptops, with one being extremely competitively priced while the other brings 5G connectivity.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Go is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform, and comes in 4G LTE and Wi-Fi-only flavours. This is meant for mid-range machines with a strong focus on battery life, portability and connectivity. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Book Go 5G offers the flagship Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 system with 5G connectivity and much higher performance.
Other specifications seem to be common between the two Samsung Galaxy Book Go variants, with 4 or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 128GB of eUFS storage. Other features include Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac 2×2), Dolby Atmos speakers, etc. It can work with other Samsung devices such as earphones, tablets or smartphones for a seamless ecosystem experience.
The body of the Samsung Galaxy Book Go is made of metal and has a minimalist design. It weighs 1.38 kg and measures 14.9mm in thickness. On the inside is a 14-inch Full HD TFT display along with a 720p webcam. The screen can open all the way to 180-degrees.
A 42.3 Wh battery runs the show, which supports 25W fast charging over USB Type-C. Samsung Galaxy Book Go ports include two USB Type-C connectors, a full-sized USB 2.0, a 3.5mm audio jack, a micro SD card slot and an optional nano-SIM card tray.
The Wi-Fi and LTE variants of the Samsung Galaxy Book Go will be priced starting at $349 (~Rs 26,000) in select markets, while the 5G variant will be available later. Indian availability seems unlikely for now.
- Qualcomm’s new chipset aims to revitalize entry-level PCs
- Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) review
- The best laptops in India for 2020
- Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Book Ion right here
