Samsung launches its Galaxy line of Snapdragon- and Intel-powered AI laptops
IFA 2024 continues to deliver more tech news, including the unveiling of tons of AI PCs from top manufacturers. One of them is Samsung’s Galaxy line, which gets two new AI-powered entries.
First up is the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, powered by an Intel Core Ultra CPU (Series 2) and an NPU with up to 47 TOPs in total. It also features an Intel Arc GPU, a 3K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate display, a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with Vision Booster (which reduces glare) and according to the tech giant, it can achieve up to 25 hours of battery life for video playback. The specs also include 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
The second laptop is the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus 8-core CPU and an NPU with up to 45 TOPs in total. It features a 15.6-inch FHD display with anti-glare technology and comes in Sapphire Blue. Despite its thin and light design, the port selection is well-rounded, with USB Type-C, USB Type-A, HDMI, a combo jack, and a micro SD slot. The specs also include 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
Like other Windows-based AI PCs, the Book5 Pro 360 and Book4 Edge use Copilot+ AI and the company’s own AI tools and programs. The former is already available in the UK for £1,699 and will be available in other regions on September 24. The latter will launch in the US, UK, and other regions from October 10.
What is the future of AI-powered CPUs?
Like other AI PCs, Samsung is mixing which AI-powered CPUs go into different models. This move not only increases the options that buyers can choose from based on personal preference, but also likely allows manufacturers to “test” which CPUs work best for their needs.
Of course, a lot of testing had to be done before the launch to ensure that buyers would get the best products. However, the most reliable way to find out the real performance and limits of these AI CPUs and NPUs is to wait for official benchmarks and thorough testing by professionals.
Since AI PCs are a new concept and we haven’t seen the full range of CPUs out there yet, it’ll be fascinating to see which ones actually come out on top. That said, we’ve at least seen the first Snapdragon chips, and so far they’re showing plenty of promise, with the Dell XPS 13 (2024) and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 being notable examples.
While I have confidence in AMD to release solid AI CPUs that can potentially compete with Snapdragon, my concerns lie more with Intel’s output. Lunar Lake should technically be more than enough to compete and surpass it, but given the ongoing stability issues with Intel’s 13th and 14th generation processors, there are still doubts about what Team Blue can truly achieve.
