Style. Comfort. And a team designed to work anywhere. The Samsung Galaxy Book 12 is a tablet designed for professionals looking for a combination of performance and ease of taking the tablet anywhere. Despite having a 12-inch screen size, this device is barely 7 millimeters thick and weighs less than a kilo with its built-in keyboard .
Speaking of the keyboard, this serves as a cover to protect the screen and can be placed in up to three different positions. It is very comfortable to type and is backlit. An advantage if we want to use the Samsung Galaxy Book 12 during our trips or in a dark room. And all this topped by the S Pen. Its stylus has 4,000 pressure points (so you get an experience very close to natural writing). Without a doubt, an attractive option for graphic design professionals or to take the first steps in drawing.
Despite its thinness, this model achieves a powerful autonomy of 11 hours of video playback . Features that make it a firm rival for proposals like the Microsoft Surface Pro or the Lenovo Miix 510.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 12 is now available for sale in Spain for a price of 1,230 euros. It is the WiFi version with 4 GB of RAM, although a 4G version with 8 GB of RAM could arrive later. We have had the opportunity to tinker with this model. This is our review of the Samsung Galaxy Book 12 with features, price and opinions.
Samsung Galaxy Book 12 data sheet
| screen | 12 ”, AMOLED FHD + 2,160 x 1,440 pixels | |
| Main chamber | 13 megapixels, FHD video 30 fps | |
| Camera for selfies | 5 megapixels | |
| Internal memory | 4 GB RAM + 128 GB SSD / 8 GB RAM + 256 GB SSD | |
| Extension | microSD up to 256GB | |
| Processor and RAM | Intel Core i5 7th generation, 3.1 GHz | |
| Battery | 39'04W, up to 11 hours of video playback | |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Home | |
| Connections | BT 4.2, GPS, 2 x USB Type-C, WiFi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | |
| SIM | nanoSIM (4G version) | |
| Design | Metal and glass | |
| Dimensions | 291.3 x 199.8 x 7.4 mm (754 grams) | |
| Featured Features | Keyboard with 3 levels of illumination and S-Pen included | |
| Release date | Available | |
| Price | 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD hard disk: 1,230 euros |
An ultra-slim design
The progress that tablet and laptop designs have experienced in recent times is surprising. Every time we have thinner and lighter designs. And the Samsung Galaxy Book 12 is a clear example of this trend. We are talking about a device with just 7.4 millimeters thick and 754 grams of weight . Even with the keyboard, it does not exceed a kilo in weight . This greatly facilitates its transport and handling. In addition, with the keyboard closed it mimics the format of a notebook.
The equipment itself feels robust and the feel to the touch is premium. The back is made of metal in gray, while the front is all glass. The frames are wide to favor grip in tablet format, but it is true that some appeal is lost. It is clear that it is a proposal far from the infinite screen of the Samsung Galaxy S8 +.
What we do have to say is that it heats up relatively easily . Never to an exaggerated point, but if you use it on your hands it can be uncomfortable. The grill for your speaker is located at the top. and on the two sides. A good position to avoid losing sound power when having the tablet on a surface. In addition, a more immersive and quality audio experience is achieved .
The full dimensions of the Galaxy Book 12 is placed on 199.8 x 291.3 x 7.4 mm .
A keyboard that serves as a cover
The keyboard of the Samsung Galaxy Book 12 is included with the equipment. Something that, for example, we do not have on the Surface Pro. It is island-type with the keys well separated and with a notable height for the thickness it looks. It is true that being made of rubber it does look a bit flimsy, but it works very well and is really comfortable to type . In addition, the size and layout of the keys has been thought out very well, so that the experience has nothing to envy that of a large laptop keyboard.
All with backlighting so we can keep typing in the dark. The keyboard attaches to the tablet through a magnetic hook. The experience has been good, with a remarkable degree of grip. In the part that touches the back of the tablet, the magic is done to place the rubber in different positions and be able to have the tablet more or less inclined (up to three different positions). As we said before, with the keyboard closed we enjoy a cover that protects the screen of the Book.
Samsung Galaxy Book 12 photo gallery
S Pen included
The Samsung Galaxy Book 12 includes, in addition to the keyboard, the S Pen stylus. One of the most iconic accessories in the Samsung universe since the launch of the Galaxy Note. This pencil has a 0.7 millimeter tip and up to 4,096 pressure points. On a practical level, that translates into a writing experience very similar to handwriting.
AMOLED display
Few today can argue with Samsung for its dominance in the field of displays. The Korean company has brought a Super AMOLED type screen to its Galaxy Book 12 . This technology allows brighter and more colorful images but with less energy consumption. The format chosen for this panel is 12 inches, with a full HD resolution of 2160 x 1440 + pixels . Pixel density per inch is 216.
And what about personal experience? The truth is that it has been good at all times, with a level of brightness capable of withstanding the impact of sunlight. Of course, the company bets on a glossy type screen (bright), a more attractive type of panel that also generates more reflections.
Enough power for office automation and applications without much load
The Samsung Galaxy Book 12 incorporates a seventh-generation Intel Core i5 dual-core processor with a power of up to 3.1 GHz. This chip can work with up to four simultaneous processing threads. That is, as if we actually had four cores. Next to the processor we find a 4 GB RAM . A sufficient value but that can be somewhat short if we use heavier applications or many open processes at the same time.
The Korean company has opted for the Windows 10 Home version , the latest operating system from the American company. One of the main keys is the return of the start menu. The brick-shaped icons leave their privileged position, but are still present within the menu itself. New interesting features have also been included such as its Cortana voice assistant or the option to use multiple desktops in the same session.
The internal memory of the Samsung Galaxy Book 12 amounts to 128 GB. It is an SSD disk in M.2 format that significantly exceeds the performance of traditional SSDs. Of course, in this case it is not Samsung's own disc, but from the Taiwanese firm Lite-On. A surprising decision when you consider Samsung's weight in the SSD market.
The remaining space for user use is around 85 GB . As we said at the beginning, the company is expected to bring to Spain at some point a more powerful version of the Galaxy Book with 256 GB of memory, 4G and 8 GB of RAM. A more suitable set for users who want to squeeze all the juice out of the Windows platform.
Complete connections but with buts
Betting on such finesse has its negative side. We have already seen it in laptops like the Acer Spin 7. And it also happens to the Samsung Galaxy Book 12. The Korean firm uses two USB Type-C ports, one of them for charging and the other designed to connect different devices . The problem is that most of today's accessories still opt for full-size USB ports. That practically forces us to get an adapter to work with USB sticks or wired mice.
It also incorporates a slot for headphones. As for its wireless connections, this model has AC WiFi to connect simultaneously to the 2.4 GHz bandwidth and the 5 GHz bandwidth. With this width, a more stable and greater Internet connection is achieved. speed. It also has MIMO technology that, with a compatible router, locates the position of the equipment to improve the network signal in that direction.
Connections are completed with Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi Direct and GPS to know the exact position of the device.
Amazing camera
It is one of the most surprising points of this 12-inch tablet. Samsung has decided to keep a high profile in its cameras (especially the rear camera). A curious decision when we talk about a team that does not seem designed to take photos (at least not on a regular basis). Be that as it may, the main camera of the Galaxy Book reaches a resolution of 13 megapixels and has an aperture of f / 1.9 . In other words, we will get sharper photos in low light environments. In addition, this lens is capable of recording content at 4K resolution.
The secondary camera of this team is more humble, with a resolution of 5 megapixels and aperture of f / 2.2.
Autonomy, price and opinions
The Samsung Galaxy Book 12 reaches a maximum range of up to 11 hours of video playback . During the tests in our review of the Samsung Galaxy Book 12, we have achieved an approximate time of between six and seven hours of use with automatic brightness and light use of the device.
The price of the Galaxy Book 12 stands at 1,230 euros (including the keyboard and the S-Pen). In short, this is a model that seeks the balance between remarkable performance and a design that facilitates its transfer to any part. The most outstanding points are its good autonomy, the lightness and the performance of the keyboard at the time of writing. Of course, its price, above 1,200 euros can be a barrier for those looking for a cheap computer-tablet.
