It is stylish, thin and fast, but "smart phone-thin PC power supply" does not necessarily translate into "good for everyone."

Samsung has established itself as an anti-Apple, providing high-quality mobile devices, wearable devices and laptops that can easily compete with Cupertino hardware in terms of power and performance. The biggest difference between Samsung and Apple is their ecosystem: Although the latter establishes its own ecosystem, Samsung provides devices with Windows and Android. 

I want to solve some problems: I am an Apple user, from my laptop to my mobile phone to my streaming music service. When I look at laptops like the latest Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, I have two mindsets: regardless of ecosystem preferences, whether I like to use it as hardware, and/or whether I can see myself buying it.

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In this case, I will explain why the former is affirmative and the latter is not, nor is it because I am deeply entrenched in Apple's ecosystem. 

There are several different configurations of the Galaxy Book Pro series: 15-inch and 13-inch versions, multiple colors and various internal component options, from a $999.99 laptop to a $1,299.99 laptop. 

My evaluation model is the mysterious silver 13" model, which means it has limited hardware options. If you want the 13" model, you can use Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. The 15" alternative has more powerful specifications, but it is also not configurable because it is only equipped with Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.

Regardless of the specifications, the Samsung GB Pro really feels like a direct attempt to compare with the MacBook Air in terms of specifications, size and weight. 

The 2019 MacBook Air next to the 2021 Samsung Galaxy Book Pro. The similarities are striking.

The question of how to stack the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro can be found by comparing it with the MacBook Air. This is not a true one-to-one comparison (macOS and Windows hardware sometimes behave differently with the same basic specifications), so I will not compare them in terms of performance and internal structure. Instead, I care about the performance of the Galaxy Book Pro as a machine suitable for work professionals and home users.

As a piece of hardware running Windows, the Galaxy Book Pro is great. It is responsive, the keyboard feels good and responsive, the screen looks clear, the fingerprint reader is easy to set up and use, and the battery life is good. 

I was able to work on the Galaxy Book Pro and even send some emails and write an article about it to understand its performance. It handles very well, and I sincerely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lightweight, portable, and energy-efficient high-performance laptop.

Samsung has also added another Apple-like function through the close integration of GB Pro and Samsung smartphones. Like Apple's Sidecar, Samsung tablets can be easily connected as an extended screen, and Samsung Galaxy Buds will switch between your active devices, just like Apple's AirPods. 

As I mentioned above, Samsung positions itself as anti-Apple, providing many of the same services for different device ecosystems. If you have been waiting for a Windows laptop that can be tightly integrated with your mobile devices (such as macOS and iOS), then Galaxy Book Pro, as long as you have a Samsung smartphone, this is the machine.

As early as the late 2010s and early 2010s, I supported many different machines in the IT era. One of the machines I am most impressed with is a bunch of touch-screen Toshiba Portégé laptops, which are owned by one of the medical institutions I support. They are neat and tidy every day, and equipped with stylus and touch screen, very suitable for doctors and nurses who use electronic medical records all day long. 

I don't remember the functions of those laptops, or the EMR software they contain still haunting my dreams. What I remember is how fragile they feel in my hands: the screen is thin and shaky, the hinges are unstable, the chassis of the laptop itself is plastic, it feels cheap, and the structure is poor. Unfortunately, this is also where I am most impressed by the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro.

Samsung has released an excellent device that will suffer from the same problems that many ultra-thin laptops have suffered before: when you turn them on or reposition the screen, they feel that they will break.

The screen of the Galaxy Book Pro uses an aluminum casing, but it is a bit thinner than it should be, which makes the screen a little shaky. The screen is connected to a chassis made entirely of plastic, and the hinge feels as if it is made of plastic. The force is a bit too strong.

Just like my experience with other plastic notebook computers, the keyboard and the entire case on the Galaxy Book Pro have a certain degree of flexibility. This makes typing feel weird and adds the feel of cheap construction-squeezable laptops seem to break easily.

See: Keyboard troubleshooting guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

In addition to sustainability, plastic has another big problem: it is not as easy to dent as aluminum, which means its shell is more likely to crack or shatter when dropped. Unfortunately, I cannot test with GB Pro because Samsung wants to combine their laptops into one. 

I really want to like this laptop. Samsung is definitely working hard to create an ultra-thin computer with performance comparable to high-end flagship laptops. Unfortunately, the plastic components make it feel cheaper than its brand and internal components, which makes it slightly mediocre as a direct competitor of the MacBook Air.

As a standalone Windows laptop for work or home, I prefer the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro, but its flaws still exist. Excluding Apple from the equation does not solve the problem. The thin plastic structure will never cause the laptop to have the weight and sturdiness of a machine, and it will become a good travel companion and workhorse. 

If you want an ultra-thin laptop that does not travel frequently, is not subject to the demanding requirements of multiple users, and is compatible with other Samsung devices, then the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro is a good choice, but be sure to go to physical retail Quotient, so you can start to see if it meets your personal standards.

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Brandon is a contributing writer for TechRepublic. He is an award-winning monograph writer who has served as an IT professional and served as a member of the U.S. Army.

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