Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra Pairs Panther Lake With RTX 50 To Challenge MacBook Pro
Samsung is making quick work of deploying Intel's newly launched Core Ultra Series 3 processors, otherwise known as Panther Lake, which underpin its latest generation Galaxy Book6 laptop lineup. Announced at CES, the new Galaxy Book6 laptops draw inevitable design language comparisons Apple's MacBook Pro, though internally, these are very different machines.
Apple's been making waves with its in-house designed M-series silicon based on Arm, whereas Samsung's latest Galaxy Book6 configurations embrace x86, with Intel's newest mobile chips on tap. The new laptops also sport a refined design to help get the most out of Panther Lake.
The result is a slim and lightweight laptop measuring as thin as 11.6mm (0.46 inches) and weighing as little as 1.24kg (2.73 pounds). Dimensions and weight vary by model, with Samsung offering 14-inch and 16-inch flavors for the Galaxy Book6 and Galaxy Book6 Pro. Here's a breakdown...
- Galaxy Book6 Ultra: 356.9 x 248.0 x 15.4mm, 1.89kg (discrete GPU) / 1.79kg (iGPU)
- Galaxy Book6 Pro 14-inch: 314.2 x 220.6 x 11.6mm, 1.24kg
- Galaxy Book6 Pro 16-inch: 356.9 x 248.0 x 11.9mm, 1.59kg
- Galaxy Book6 14-inch: 313.4 x 221.1 x 14.9mm, 1.48kg
- Galaxy Book6 16-inch: 357.1 x 248.0 x 16.8mm, 1.85kg (touch) / 1.75kg (non-touch)
Part of the redesign also includes a vapor chamber, larger fins with more surface area to whisk away heat, a dual path outlet fan and heastink, and a re-engineered fan with an optimized angle and larger inlet grill to improve airflow.
"To maximize performance, powerful hardware must be supported by an equally advanced thermal system. Samsung meticulously designed a cooling architecture that delivers efficient and consistent operation, without the trade-off of excess noise. The newly optimized vapor chamber and airflow system enhance heat dissipation while maintaining quiet operation across Galaxy Book6 Ultra and Pro models, marking the first time the Pro series uses a vapor chamber," Samsung says.
Starting at the top, the Galaxy Book6 Ultra can be configured with a wide range of Panther Lake processors (Core Ultra X9, 9, X7, and 7) with integrated graphics and/or a GeForce RTX 5070 or 5060 discrete GPU. It also features up to 64GB of LPDDR5X memory if opting for a discrete GPU or up to 32GB with integrated graphics, up to 2TB of SSD storage, a 2MP webcam, a haptic touchpad and backlit keyboard, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI 2.1 output, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack.
The display is a 16-inch AMOLED panel with an anti-reflective coating, 2880x1800 refresh rate, up to 1,000 nits of brightness, and touch support.
In the middle, the Galaxy Book6 Pro features a 14-inch or 16-inch AMOLED display, up to a Core Ultra X7 series processor with Intel graphics or Arc graphics (depending on the CPU model), 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, and up to a 1TB SSD. The 16-inch model also sports an expansion slot to upgrade the storage. Port selection is the same as the Ultra.
Finally, the standard Galaxy Book6 sports a 14-inch IPS non-touch (1920x1200, 350 nits), 16-inch IPS touch (1920x1200, 350 nits), or 16i-inch IPS non-touch (1920x1200, 350 nits), a Core Ultra 7 or 5 processor with Intel graphics (no Arc), 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, and up to a 1TB SSD (with an M.2 2230 expansion slot on the 14-inch model).
All of the new Galaxy Book6 laptops feature Wi-Fi 7 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. Pricing has not yet been announced, but you can jot your name down to reserve one and receive a $30 credit for doing so.
