Quote from: Pere on February 13, 2020, 14:32:59
#17 This is not a cut down OS, it runs the full Windows 10 Professional. And don't worry, it will make a lot of sense for MacOS users too, Apple is expected to release their first ARM laptops this year, using their own processors.

This is incorrect.  The Samsung Galaxy Book S runs Windows 10 Home edition.  It's on Samsung's own Galaxy Book S website listed in the specs.  I can also verify that I updated my own Book S to the latest 1909 version update of Windows 10 Home.  It runs great!

In my experience, not everything will be compatible and run/install on this laptop.  I was not able to install Virtual Box to try and run some emulated OS installs.  The installer said it was incompatible.

I was able to install Chrome just like any other Windows PC.  I also installed Steam and Battle.NET just fine.  Since all these programs are emulated the games do not run very well.  Interestingly, Diablo 3 ran the best out of the few I tried.  Torchlight II crashed when I tried to change the display resolution to 1080p (its native res).  Titan Quest didn't run very well at all, probably due to being much more CPU intensive. I didn't try more resource intensive games, especially any FPS style, as I know it won't be an enjoyable experience.  I was limited to touchpad only during my initial testing over the weekend.

That said this is certainly not a MacBook Air killer.  It does have the best form factor I've seen of any Windows or Mac laptop out there, due to how incredibly thin and light it in.  I was surpised how much smaller this is compared to my Acer Chromebook 14 that I would compare to the MacBook Air I used for work a few years back.  Personally I'm a Windows guy, so I will never own a Macbook for personal use, but I know they have their place and are great for some users.

The screen is absolutely stunning on this.  I don't know if it's IPS or TN, but it has stunning color and doesn't seem to get bad at an angle either.  The speakers are incredible as well.  Best I've heard from a laptop, and I have no idea how they made them sound so great given the form factor.

I would give this notebook a 8.5/10 overall.  The only reason I can't go any higher is due to the non native application support and only supporting emulated 32-bit software.  That and the 23 hour battery claim for video playback is pure hyperbole.  At best I'm thinking 12-15 hours on a charge is more accurate.

Quote from: Pere on February 13, 2020, 14:32:59
#17 This is not a cut down OS, it runs the full Windows 10 Professional. And don't worry, it will make a lot of sense for MacOS users too, Apple is expected to release their first ARM laptops this year, using their own processors.

I'm highly skeptical as to how MS got to port a "full Windows 10 Professional" to ARM at this stage, in fact they may not want to make it a complete Windows 10 Professional since there's room for tweaking the features on a platform that's not meant to cover the exact same range of usage scenarios as x86.

#17 This is not a cut down OS, it runs the full Windows 10 Professional. And don't worry, it will make a lot of sense for MacOS users too, Apple is expected to release their first ARM laptops this year, using their own processors.

Quote from: Sanjiv Sathiah on February 13, 2020, 04:19:42
The 8cx is not some sort of world beater, nor is that something I am suggesting. However, it is more than adequate for its implementation in the Galaxy Book S making Windows on ARM something to get excited about in the context of the MacBook Air-class of ultrabooks for MacBook Air-like tasks.

I would get somebody on the original Windows might want to try out this cut down Windows, but I don't get how it would make sense for a MacOS user.

The 8cx is not some sort of world beater, nor is that something I am suggesting. However, it is more than adequate for its implementation in the Galaxy Book S making Windows on ARM something to get excited about in the context of the MacBook Air-class of ultrabooks for MacBook Air-like tasks.

That 8CX is nothing to brag about. It's downright embarrassing compared to Apple's Ax series. The A12X (from 2018) scores 1100/4600 and the A13 scores 1300/3400.

If this Galaxy Book S running Windows is halfway decent, then Apple should definitely be able to make the switch from Intel to their own ARM-based CPUs.

If you just want to run Windows, sure.. I can understand why somebody would want to expose themselves to that OS for legacy reasons.. but on ARM? Nah.. I'd rather even run OSX Snow Leopard on a C2D machine.

Considering the virtual non-existence of native Windows ARM apps right now, x86 benchmarks would be far more interesting on this thing, to get an idea of how it will perform in the real world, since the vast majority of software users will run will be emulated.

Right now, it's true that there are a handful of apps that are ARM native, but in many cases it won't be the software that people normally use. Asking somebody to change all their software to unfamiliar equivalents is a serious knock against a product, and is in some ways worse than a Windows user and giving them a mac: at least they can run most of the same software they're familiar with on the mac.

When I think of the software that I use on a Windows machine on a regular basis (Chrome, Discord, Photoshop, Netflix, Visual Studio, Media Player Classic Home Cinema), none of them are currently available as ARM native, AFAIK. Ironically, Visual Studio can compile to ARM64, it just can't run directly on it.

The panel is definitely IPS with wide viewing angles and rich colors. Agreed you can debate about aspect ratios, but the display is absolutely top notch.

Why does every laptop need to be able to fulfill every function you might want to use it for? Clearly, the Galaxy Book S/MacBook Air are targeted a particular segment of the market and for those users they are an ideal blend of performance and function - the Galaxy Book S arguably being the better option. If it doesn't suit your needs, don't buy it. But don't bag it either, just because it is not for you (or even most users).

There are some other benchmarking tools that I've found can be run natively on the Galaxy Book S that give a better sense of its real world performance -- I will run them and post a follow up article. In every day use so far, I can say that it is not lacking for performance. Windows on ARM/Snapdragon 8cx is the real deal. It is only going to get even better from here.

Quote from: Puppy on February 11, 2020, 09:19:19
But 16:9 aspect ratio and TN display - no way.

It's TFT, IPS and TN are both types of TFT (as well as other technologies like PLS).

I'd be almost certain it's IPS.

Now why would anyone pay over a grand just to do light tasks like web browsing and using office programs? Lol

The REAL smart money is not buying either for these prices.

Plus, as most attacks are on PC, MacBook would still most likely last longer than the Galaxy book

There needs to be standardized testing of video playback, otherwise decoders and settings could greatly affect the load, and the quality of the playback itself. Even mobile players like MX Player have multiple playback modes, and even though they often all do their job, i.e. is compatible, the playback quality is visibly different between different modes on certain videos, and the power draw is tangibly different from how the phone warms in certain modes but doesn't in others.

I have my doubts that people in the market for a notebook like the MacBook Air will run Photoshop or other demanding applications. It is rather a device for light tasks like office or browsing.

Windows on ARM has already native Edge (Chromium) and native Firefox and office runs in a hybrid ARM/x86 mode with great performance.

My only gripe is the 16:9 screen, 16:10 should be the bare minimum.

That is a benchmark. I want to see how they compare when running actual stuff like Photoshop, browsers, games, etc.
Sure, we all know ARM cpus score great in benches and Apple own A13 is faster than most i5/i7s. Now that doesn't mean the score in benchmark translates into actual usage performance.

But 16:9 aspect ratio and TN display - no way.