Samsung Galaxy Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Which laptop will win?

Samsung Milky way Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Which laptop will win?

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Milky way Book Pro has emerged as Samsung's latest entry into the ultra-competitive ultraportable laptop market, and since the 13.iii-inch model packs (optional) 4G LTE connectivity into an incredibly graceful frame it'southward a stiff contender for a spot among our list of the all-time laptops you tin can buy.

That ways Samsung's new laptop is competing for your money with the likes of Apple's MacBook Pro, which packs a powerful combo of power and endurance thanks to the addition of Apple's M1 fleck — read all well-nigh it in our MacBook Pro with M1 review.

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But which laptop is right for you? If you're open-minded about operating systems and can't determine between the new Samsung Galaxy Volume Pro or the M1 MacBook Pro, this rundown comparing the ii should assist y'all brand a more informed purchase.

Go on in heed that this comparison is based on what Samsung'southward announced for the Galaxy Book Pro — we haven't yet had a chance to put the new laptop to the test in our lab. But even the listed features provide enough fodder for a Samsung Galaxy Volume Pro vs. MacBook Pro comparison.

Samsung Galaxy Volume Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Specs

	13.3-inch Galaxy Book Pro	xv.6-inch Galaxy Book Pro	13-inch MacBook Pro	16-inch MacBook Pro
Starting toll	$999	$1099	$1299	$2399
Screen	13.3-inch AMOLED (1920 x 1080)	fifteen.6-inch AMOLED (1920 x 1080)	xiii.iii inches (2560 x 1600)	xvi inches (3072 x 1920)
Processor	11th Gen Intel i5/i7	11th Gen Intel i5/i7	Apple tree M1 (viii-core CPU, 16-core Neural Engine) \| Intel tenth Gen Core i5 and i7	9th Gen Intel Core i7 and i9
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe graphics	Intel Iris Xe graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics	AMD Radeon Pro 5300M (4GB), Radeon 5500M (4GB or 8GB)
Storage	256GB to 512GB	256GB to 512GB	256GB to 4TB	512GB to 8TB
Memory	8GB	16GB	8GB, 16GB, 32GB	16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Ports	ane Thunderbolt 4, i USB-C, 1 USB 3.2, MicroSD reader, headphone/mic jack	1 Thunderbolt iv, 1 USB-C, 1 USB 3.2, MicroSD reader, headphone/mic jack	2 Thunderbolt iv, headphone jack	4 Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack
Security	Fingerprint reader on power button	Fingerprint reader on power push	Touch ID	Touch ID
Audio	Audio past AKG, Dolby Atmos support	Sound by AKG, Dolby Atmos support	Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos support, 3-mic array	6-speaker array, Dolby Atmos back up
Battery life	xvi hours (claimed)	16 hours (claimed)	16:25 (tested)	10:25 (tested)
Dimensions	12 x 7.8 ten 0.4 inches	xiv 10 eight.nine 10 0.5 inches	12 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches	xiv.one x 9.vii ten 0.half-dozen inches
Weight	1.9 pounds	two.three pounds	3.0 pounds	4.3 pounds

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Blueprint

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro and the MacBook Pro are both sleek, low-cal laptops that won't weigh you down, merely Samsung'due south new notebook looks to be just a bit lighter and smaller than a similarly-sized MacBook Pro. The xiii.3-inch Galaxy Book Pro isn't every bit wide or as thick as the similarly sized MacBook Pro, for example, as Samsung has but an accent on thin and lite with its new laptops.

The MacBook Pro comes in a machined aluminum shell in your choice of Silver or Space Greyness, while the Galaxy Book Pro chassis is made of magnesium and aluminum and comes in two colors: Mystic Silver or Mystic Blue.

Samsung Milky way Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Ports

The Samsung Milky way Book Pro has a decent array of ports for such a small laptop, given that the 13-inch model sports a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-C port, a USB 3.2 port, a MicroSD carte reader and a headphone jack. There'southward also a SIM card slot on the 13.3-inch model if you opt for LTE support, which could be useful on the go.

If you opt for the 15-inch Galaxy Volume Pro, you'll also go an HDMI port, handy for outputting to external displays for presentations, pic-watching, and more.

By comparison, the xiii-inch MacBook Pro currently offers just ii Thunderbolt four ports and a headphone jack. The electric current xvi-inch MacBook Pro offers a headphone jack and 4 Thunderbolt ports, but they're just Thunderbolt 3; nosotros currently expect Apple tree to release an updated MacBook Pro xvi-inch model old this year, and then if y'all want the MacBook Pro with the larger screen and Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 support, you'd be wise to wait and encounter what Apple tree does this year.

Samsung Galaxy Volume Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Brandish

The Retina displays on Apple'due south MacBook Pro laptops are bright and colorful, and we're eager to go Samsung's Milky way Book Pro in for testing so we can meet how its AMOLED display compares.

For now we can merely compare the specs sheets, and just looking at the numbers it seems similar the MacBook Pro has an edge over the Galaxy Book Pro in terms of display quality.

Both the thirteen.3-inch and 15.6-inch models of Galaxy Book Pro have Full Hd AMOLED screens with a native 1920 x 1080 resolution. AMOLED displays are typically vibrant and gorgeous, with excellent contrast, thanks to their employ of LEDs rather than LCDs.

The Retina displays on both MacBook Pro models still rely on LCD engineering science, but they're some of the best LCD screens you can buy on a laptop; the 13.3-inch Retina display on the xiii.3-inch MacBook Pro has a native resolution of 2560 x 1600, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro has a native resolution of 3072 x 1920.

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: MacBook Pro with M1 — The 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro's display in action (Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

In other words, if a high-resolution display is important to you, the MacBook Pro is likely a better choice. But if you're passionate near AMOLED displays the Galaxy Book Pro might be the meliorate option — and 1920 ten 1080 resolution is enough for almost anything y'all're likely to exercise on a laptop.

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Macbook pro 16 image editing — The 16-inch MacBook Pro has remarkably slim bezels (Prototype credit: Future)

If bezel size is important to yous, know that the xiii-inch MacBook Pro has some regrettably big bezels, though its sixteen-inch sibling's bezels are noticeably smaller effectually its larger screen. We haven't had the chance to measure the Galaxy Book Pro's bezels for ourselves all the same, merely based on product shots, they don't announced significantly smaller than those on a similarly-sized MacBook Pro.

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Performance

Apple's new M1 scrap has been a game-changer for the performance of every MacBook laptop that gets information technology, and the thirteen-inch MacBook Pro is no exception. In our lab testing, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 delivered incredible operation, beating out competing Windows laptops outfitted with 11th Gen Intel i7 CPUs in multiple tests.

That's of import to note because the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro ships with like 11th Gen Intel i5 and i7 CPUs, suggesting that Apple tree'due south thirteen-inch MacBook Pro may still hold an border in terms of raw ability.

However, since the Galaxy Volume Pro is launching during this bad-mannered period in which the thirteen-inch MacBook Pro has been upgraded with the M1 chip but the xvi-inch hasn't, the 15.6-inch Galaxy Book Pro may be the articulate choice (performance-wise) if yous want the larger screen of a sixteen-inch laptop.

We look a refresh of the xvi-inch MacBook Pro quondam this year, simply for now the current model ships with a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 or i9 CPU, which is two full generations behind the 11th Gen Intel i5/i7 CPUs available on the Milky way Book Pro. If power is important and yous must have the larger screen size, the Galaxy Book Pro will give you much better blindside for your buck.

Samsung Milky way Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Battery life

While many laptop manufacturers tend to be a bit optimistic in their battery life predictions, Apple has earned a reputation for accuracy — at least according to our lab testing, which uses continuous web browsing at 150 nits of brightness to test how long a laptop can last on a total charge.

The 13- and 16-inch MacBook Pros both delivered dynamite performance in our battery tests, lasting 16 hours 25 minutes and 10 hours 25 minutes, respectively; that's damn close to Apple tree's respective promised battery life of 17 hours and eleven hours.

Samsung has been vague about battery life for the Samsung Galaxy Volume Pro, saying only that Galaxy Volume Pro serial laptops should deliver upwards to twenty hours of video playback or 16 hours of standard usage on a unmarried charge. Nonetheless, that's a wide statement that covers both the Milky way Book Pro and the Milky way Book Pro 360 laptops, and so we won't know how accurate that claim is until we get one in for testing.

Notwithstanding, nosotros exercise know that the 13.three-inch Galaxy Book Pro packs a 63-watt-hour battery, while the fifteen.half dozen-inch contains a battery rated for 68-watt-hours. That's greater than the 58.ii-watt-hour battery in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, though not nearly every bit large equally the 100-watt-hr bombardment congenital into the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro vs. MacBook Pro: Verdict

Based on what we know then far most the new Samsung Galaxy Book Pro laptops, they appear to be great hardware that likely can't outmatch the thirteen-inch M1 MacBook Pro in terms of speed or battery life.

All the same, the thirteen.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is both smaller and cheaper than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and you tin can pay for the privilege of 4G LTE connectivity then you tin can access the web from anywhere with a point. If that's of import to you, the 13.3-inch Milky way Book Pro offers you value that a MacBook Pro tin can't match.

And if you lot really need a larger screen for your piece of work, the 15.vi-inch Galaxy Book Pro looks to be more powerful and more capable than the current 16-inch MacBook Pro. However, that will probable modify one time Apple refreshes the big MacBook Pro with a better screen and updated innards, including one of those M1 fries — or perhaps even the rumored M2 chips Apple is believed to be developing.

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Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC Earth magazine. He currently serves as a senior editor at Tom'southward Guide covering all things calculating, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.