Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra: Release date, price, and everything else

Samsung's Galaxy Book Pro series has already gained quite a reputation since its debut in 2021, and they're some of the best laptops out there. But for 2023, in addition to the Galaxy Book 3 Pro series, Samsung is going even further with the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, which is the most powerful Galaxy Book yet, geared towards users who need more performance for content creation and even some gaming.

Previously, Samsung made the Galaxy Book Odyssey, which was its attempt at a gaming laptop, but it felt short in a few ways compared to other Samsung Galaxy laptops. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, on the other hand, is a very premium machine that retains everything that makes the Pro models great, just with more power. If you're interested in knowing more about this laptop, we've rounded up all the information you need. Let's dive right in.

Pricing and availability

Just like the rest of the Galaxy Book 3 lineup, Samsung announced the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra on February 1 during its Galaxy Unpacked event, and pre-orders are already live on Samsung's website. However, unlike the two Pro laptops, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is launching on February 24, a week later than its siblings.

This is not a cheap laptop, with prices starting at $2,399, and that should get you a Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The rest of the specs are standard across the board, and they're pretty high-end, so the price is somewhat justified.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra highlights

Since this is a brand-new addition to Samsung's laptop lineup, there are a few interesting pieces of information that are worth highlighting compared to the other models Samsung makes. Here's a look at some of the things that make the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra unique.

Intel H-series processors and Nvidia RTX graphics

As we've already mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is the most powerful laptop in Samsung's laptop, and it's meant for demanding users with workloads like video editing, but also for some gaming. As such, it has the specs to back that up.

For one thing, this laptop comes with Intel's H-series Core processors, which have a higher 45W TDP compared to the P-series processors that the Galaxy Book 3 Pro laptops have. You also get an Intel Core i7 processor by default, with an option to go up to a Core i9. Both models have 14 cores and 20 threads, and they offer much more performance than the P-series models do.

Those processors are also backed up by dedicated graphics cards from Nvidia. The base model includes an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, which is a lower-end graphics card, but it's already very capable. You should be able to play most modern games at this resolution already. If you want even more power, there's also an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 option available, and that should deliver great performance for all kinds of games. Samsung hasn't said the specific power rating of these cards, but considering the included charger only supports 100W of power delivery, it's fair to assume that these won't be as powerful as what you'd get on a proper gaming laptop.

Other benefits of this model include 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD in the base model, though that's to be expected considering the starting price. This model also includes an empty sold for an extra SSD if you need more storage.

16-inch Dynamic AMOLED display

While it's not completely new to this model, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra does have one of the best displays on the market. It comes with a large 16-inch panel that has a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, making it perfect for productivity. This is a beautiful Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, so you get true blacks and vivid colors. It's a very sharp screen, too, with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 ensuring everything looks crisp and clear.

If you care about gaming, you'll also like that it has a 120Hz refresh rate, making animations and movement look extra smooth during gameplay. And what's more, the panel is certified for VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black, so you can get a great HDR experience for games and other media.

It's also worth mentioning the upgraded sound system in this year's Samsung laptops, with four speakers (two woofers and two tweeters) providing a more immersive audio experience.

A premium aluminum build

Samsung's previous flagship laptops used a magnesium construction which allowed them to be extremely lightweight laptops, but it could also make them feel a bit cheap because magnesium feels less solid than aluminum. This year, Samsung switched to aluminum across all of its high-end laptops, including the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra.

That does make this a heavier laptop, at 3.9 pounds, but you get something that feels great. Plus, it still manages to be pretty thin considering the specs, coming in at 16.9mm of thickness. Unlike the Pro models, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is only available in one color, and that's Graphite, or black.

The Samsung ecosystem

One of the things that makes Samsung's laptops unique is their integration with other Samsung devices, and while it's not new, it's a potential reason why you might prefer it over a competing high-end machine. This Galaxy Book 3 Ultra comes with a lot of Samsung apps and features. It supports Single Sign On with your Samsung account so you automatically log into all your services, and you have apps like Samsung Pass to manage your passwords across your phone and PC.

There's also Samsung Multi Control, a feature that lets you control Samsung tablets and phones using your laptop's keyboard and mouse, and the Second Screen feature lets you extend your laptop's screen to a tablet so you can get a dual-monitor setup anywhere. There's also an app called Galaxy Book Smart Switch, which makes it easier to move your data from an old computer to your new one.

Where can I buy the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra?

As we've mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is already available for pre-order on Samsung's website. It will start shipping on February 24, and at that time, it should also be available at other retailers. If you pre-order before the launch date, you also get upgraded to a higher storage configuration at no additional cost. You also save $200 off the official MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra have a good webcam?

Like the rest of the Galaxy Book 3 family, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra comes with a 1080p Full HD webcam, which is the standard for most high-end laptops in 2023, but a significant step up from older laptops that almost always had 720p cameras. This should be good enough for video calls and meetings.

Samsung also offers a Studio Mode feature in its laptops, which provides some AI-powered features like virtual backgrounds, eye contact correction, auto framing, and lighting correction. This should help you look even better on camera, so you have a good suite of features right out of the box.

There are plenty of external webcams out there if you feel like you need even better quality.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra have 5G?

Most of the laptops in Samsung's lineup do not include support for cellular connectivity. That applies to the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra too, so no, 5G support is unfortunately not available.

The main benefit of 5G, and cellular connectivity as a whole, is the ability to connect to the internet from anywhere you are. That way, you don't need to rely on Wi-Fi, and especially not on unsecured public networks. With the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, you'd need to buy a dedicated 5G hotspot or use your phone as a hotspot.

Alternatively, you may want to check out the best 5G laptops if this is a feature you absolutely need.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra have good battery life?

We can't know for sure what battery life is like until we get to test it for ourselves, but we can make some assumptions based on the laptop's specs. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra comes with a 76Wh battery, which is decently large.

However, it's worth considering that this is a powerful laptop with power-hungry 45W CPUs, plus discrete Nvidia graphics, so if you're pushing the laptop, it will drain the battery fairly quickly. Plus, the laptop also has a very sharp display with 2880 x 1800 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, so the screen will also use quite a bit of power. Of course, you can always set the refresh rate lower if you want to get a bit more battery out of your laptop.

We'll be sure to add more information about battery life once we've gone hands-on with the laptop for an extended amount of time.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra have Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is an increasingly important technology in modern laptops, greatly expanding the connectivity options they offer. Thankfully, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra does not miss out on support for the technology, allowing you to connect high-bandwidth peripherals like docking stations and monitors.

With Thunderbolt 4, these ports support 40Gbps of bandwidth, and they include features like DisplayPort and USB tunneling. What that means is that you can use a docking station to add USB ports, display outputs with up to two 4K displays at 60Hz, Ethernet, and more.

PCIe tunneling also means you can connect some specific Thunderbolt accessories like external GPUs, which let you use even more powerful GPUs than what your laptop comes with. There are also specific Thunderbolt SSDs that provide speeds up to 2,800MB/s, which is incredibly fast for external storage.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra have a good warranty?

Like the vast majority of electronics in the United States, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra comes with a standard one-year warranty, which covers manufacturing defects and hardware malfunctions resulting from manufacturing or shipping the laptop to you. A standard warranty does not cover accidental damage form handling, which is also typical.

If you want more protection, Samsung gives you the option to buy Samsung Care+, which is an extended warranty service with the optional for additional protection. There are two variants of Samsung Care+ for laptops: the standard plan or the cheaper Samsung Care+ Essentials. The latter is just an extension of the standard warranty up to 24 months, and it costs an extra $89 as an upfront payment during your purchase.

The regular Samsung Care+ also offers 24 months of coverage for manufacturing defects and hardware malfunctions, but it adds coverage for accidental damage as well. For the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, this service will set you back $199 as an upfront payment and it lasts 24 months. However, keep in mind you'll still have to pay a fee for certain repairs. A cracked screen will cost $29, while other accidental damage from handling will set you back $99.

Q: What configurations does the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra come in?

Samsung sells the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra in a few configuration options, whether that's for the processor, GPU, RAM, or storage. The CPU, GPU, and RAM configurations are all tied to each other, meaning if you upgrade to an intel Core i9 processor, you also upgrade to 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070. Likewise, a Core i7 limits you to 16GB of RAM and an RTX 4050. Storage, however, is independent of those specs.

Here's the full list of configurations available:

Q: Can I upgrade the RAM and storage on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra?

Samsung is typically not very transparent with the upgradeability of its laptops, but we can make some assumptions based on findings from previous models. In regards to the RAM, it's very likely that you can't upgrade it yourself, as that's never been the case for Samsung's premium laptops. Looking at other powerful laptops that are this thin, they usually tend to have soldered RAM, too, so that should be the case here.

Storage, however, gives you upgrade options. For one thing, Samsung says there's an expansion slot on the laptop, so you can always add more space if you need to store more files. You should also be able to replace the pre-installed SSD, though you'll need to prepare for this by creating USB installation media for Windows and backing up your data to a separate drive.

Q: Can I replace the battery on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra?

Samsung has yet to provide details on whether you can replace the battery inside its latest laptops, and indeed, that tends to be the case with all of the compay's laptops so far. However, there's some hope here.

Earlier this year, Samsung added the original Galaxy Book Pro laptops (from 2021) to the Samsung self-repair program, meaning you can not only buy a battery for it but also find official replacement guides on the iFixit website. It's certainly possible that the company will add the rest of its laptops over time, such as the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, so you can service it yourself. In the meantime, if you need a battery replacement, you may need to send your laptop to an authorized service provider to have it fixed.