Impressive Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro Review: A Compact Powerhouse You’ll Love!

The Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro is a powerful yet compact laptop that caught my attention, and after using it for a few weeks, I’m excited to share my initial thoughts and experiences with this device. At the time of writing, the starting price for this model is $1,350. I’ll be reviewing the 14-inch version here, but there is also a 16-inch model available. The laptop comes in three configurations: 16GB of RAM with 512GB of storage, an upgraded version with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and the top-of-the-line model with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, which is the version I have.

What makes this laptop even more interesting is that it comes with the new Intel Lunar Lake processors, which give strong performance. I was excited to try the Galaxy Book 5 Pro and see how well this new processor works, and I’ll share my results with you here.

Unboxing and Design:

Inside the box, you’ll find a 65W charger, a lengthy USB Type-C to Type-C charging cable, and a small pamphlet of paperwork. Now, let’s dive into the design of the Galaxy Book 5 Pro. Upon first impressions, it’s very similar to other Samsung laptops from the past, featuring the signature Samsung engraving on the side. The color is a standard gray, and on the bottom, you’ll notice some ventilation areas and speakers. Interestingly, the rubber feet on the back are raised, which is the first time Samsung has done this in a laptop. It gives better grip and stability.

Looking at the ports, on the left side, you’ll find two Type-C ports (both supporting Thunderbolt 4), as well as an HDMI 2.1 port. On the right side, there’s a microSD card slot, a USB-A 3.2 port, and a headphone jack. The overall design of this laptop feels very premium, and the lightweight construction makes it very easy to carry around. The 14-inch version weighs only 2.71 pounds, which adds to the overall portability.

When compared to previous Samsung laptops, the Galaxy Book 5 Pro is incredibly slim and lightweight, and I personally prefer the 14-inch size over the larger 16-inch models. The display is clear, vibrant, and crisp, with a 3K AMOLED touchscreen featuring a 120Hz refresh rate. The anti-reflective coating is another feature that stood out to me, especially since I often use the laptop in bright office environments and even outdoors in direct sunlight. With a peak brightness of 500 nits, I never had trouble seeing the screen, even under challenging lighting conditions.

Keyboard and Trackpad:

One of the highlights of the Galaxy Book 5 Pro is the typing experience. Even though the keys don’t go down much when pressed, typing still feels comfortable and fast. The keyboard layout is good, and the keys respond well. The glass trackpad also works nicely, but the physical clicks are not as smooth as in some other laptops, which is a small drawback.

Performance:

The standout feature of the Galaxy Book 5 Pro is its performance, thanks to the Intel Lunar Lake processor. I’ve faced many problems with Samsung laptops before, especially with the Galaxy Book 4 Edge that came with the Snapdragon X Elite processor. It had compatibility problems and didn’t give the graphic performance I wanted. But now with the Lunar Lake processor, Samsung has really improved.

For daily use, the laptop runs smoothly and handles light tasks easily. It’s very efficient, stays quiet with almost no fan noise, and has great battery life. I also played some casual games without any problem. For example, while playing RuneScape, the Galaxy Book 5 Pro gave 120 frames per second on the same settings where the Galaxy Book 4 Edge only gave 60. This extra performance is a big plus, especially for people who like gaming or use many apps at the same time.

Battery Life:

Battery life is another strong point of the Galaxy Book 5 Pro. In my first test, I used it with high brightness and 120Hz refresh rate while browsing and watching videos. In 2 hours, it used only 25% battery, which means I can easily get 8 hours of screen-on time with lighter use. Compared to the 2025 Surface Pro 11, which gave around 7 hours with similar use, the Galaxy Book 5 Pro performs a bit better in battery life.

For heavy use like gaming, the laptop lasted about 2.5 hours while running high-frame games with around 30% CPU and 70% GPU usage. While it’s not amazing, it’s still a big improvement compared to older laptops, which usually lasted only 1 hour during such demanding tasks.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, my first thoughts about the Galaxy Book 5 Pro are very positive. It offers a good mix of portability, strong performance, and value for money. With the new Intel Lunar Lake processor, bright AMOLED display, and long battery life, Samsung has made a powerful and compact laptop that’s great for daily use, light gaming, and watching videos.

Still, there are some areas that need improvement. The trackpad doesn’t feel as premium as other laptops with glass haptic trackpads. The webcam is average, with only 1080p at 30fps. Also, the speakers are not very impressive for a laptop in this price range and don’t compete well with others like the Surface Pro.

Even with these small issues, the Galaxy Book 5 Pro gives strong performance at a fair price. It’s a solid option for anyone who wants a powerful and lightweight laptop without spending too much. The version I tested costs $1,350, which is still much cheaper than something like the Surface Pro, which starts at around $2,100 for similar specs.

I’ll keep testing it and will share a full review soon. Till then, let me know what you think about the Galaxy Book 5 Pro in the comments! Thanks for reading see you in the next one!