Galaxy Books Flex and Ion: Samsung celebrates strong laptop comeback

Samsung has been back in the German notebook market since May after a long break. The Galaxy Book Ion and the Galaxy Book Flex follow the ARM lightweight Galaxy Book S. They are among the best devices in their class, but are accordingly expensive.

After sales figures had steadily declined, Samsung left the European notebook market in 2014. Then, however, the South Koreans presented the Galaxy Book S last August, a light laptop with an ARM chip, which also came to Germany in May. Now Samsung has added the top devices Galaxy Book Ion and Galaxy Book Flex. One is a classic notebook, the other a convertible with a foldable display and S Pen. Ntv.de has tried it.

The Flex is particularly suitable for users who like to work with a pen.

(Photo: Samsung)

The Galaxy Book Flex is a very chic device with a deep blue aluminum housing. For the test, ntv.de received the model with a 13.3-inch display and Intel Core i5 chip (Ice Lake-U) on loan. In this version, it is an ideal companion for on the go, since the notebook weighs only 1160 grams, but thanks to the economical chip and a decent battery capacity, it lasts around 13 hours in normal office use. And in an emergency, the laptop can be recharged very quickly via a USB-C connection.

Brilliant QLED display

The showpiece of the Galaxy Book Flex is the QLED display, which makes the conventional LED screens of other notebooks look old. Contrasts and colors are awesome and with up to 600 nits the panel can also shine very brightly. There is only a small minus point for the highly reflective surface with which you have to pay for the splendor. The 360-degree joint that connects the display to the body makes a very stable impression and reliably holds the screen in any position. If you watch videos on the device, the great picture is supported by strong stereo speakers.

As a special gimmick there is an S Pen in the case of the Galaxy Book Flex. Because it is the same pen as the smartphone Galaxy Note 10, you can do just as much with it at the push of a button, for example taking screenshot notes. The touchscreen responds without delay and the S Pen allows very fine differences in line width, while also responding to different pressures. That it disappears in the frame is practical, but larger pens like Microsoft's Surface Pen are easier to hold.

Touchpad charges smartphone

The touchpad is excellent, responds quickly and precisely. And Samsung has built in a hidden practical function for it: If you want, you can inductively charge your smartphone or earphones during breaks. The keyboard only has a short drop, but it feels good and has a pleasant pressure point. The fingerprint sensor to the right of the shift key works jagged.

The performance is good, the device does not stumble in everyday office life or when editing images. However, the Galaxy Book Flex lacks the graphics power required for more complex games. You should also avoid excessive multitasking, with 8 gigabytes (GB) of RAM the end of the flagpole is reached relatively quickly. The internal SSD storage is 256 GB and very fast. If necessary, you can expand it with microSD cards.

The Galaxy Book Flex's two Thunderbolt 3 ports are also fast. There is also a conventional USB-C connection and a jack socket. There is no USB-A socket, but a suitable adapter is included in the scope of delivery.

Good without extras: the Galaxy Book Ion

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At 970 grams, the smaller Galaxy Book Ion is a very light notebook.

(Photo: Samsung)

If you can do without the foldable display, S Pen and touchscreen, you might be better served with the Galaxy Book Ion, which ntv.de also tried with a 13.3-inch display. It has a slightly edgier design with pearlescent shimmer and other inputs, but like the Flex, it has a brilliant QLED display and the ability to charge smartphones wirelessly on the touchpad.

Without the extras, the laptop weighs just 970 grams, but lasts as long as the Flex. There is only one USB-C input with Thunderbolt 3 on the sides, but the device has two USB-A ports and one HDMI input.

The simplest version of the Galaxy Book Flex with a 13.3-inch display and Core i5 processor costs around 1600 euros. For the top model with a 15.6-inch screen, 512 GB of memory, a Core i7 chip and an extra graphics card, you have to pay 2100 euros. The Galaxy Book Ion costs at least 1400 euros, the best equipped larger version up to 1900 euros.

. (tagsToTranslate) Technology (t) Technology Tests (t) Notebooks (t) Samsung