Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra Review - ULTRA by Name or MORE

A Bold Statement from Samsung

The name says it all – “Ultra.” It’s a word Samsung reserves for its top-tier products, and now it has made its way to laptops. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra represents the company’s most ambitious effort in the Windows laptop market. Designed for creators, professionals, and gamers, this laptop combines a stunning 3K AMOLED 120Hz display, powerful Intel Core i9 and RTX 4070 GPU, all within a slim 16-inch chassis.

But does it live up to its name? Let’s break it down section by section.

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Design & Build: Premium All Around

Samsung nails the design language with a clean, minimalistic aesthetic. The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is housed in a full-aluminum chassis, finished in an elegant graphite tone. At just 1.79 kg (3.9 lbs) and 16.5 mm thin, it’s remarkably portable for a device with this much power.

Key Design Highlights:

• Premium aluminum build with chamfered edges.

• Large trackpad and full-sized keyboard with number pad.

• Robust hinge that allows one-finger lift and near-flat lay.

Even with powerful internals, the laptop remains light and sleek, making it a perfect companion for users who need high-end performance on the go.

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Display: The True Star of the Show

Samsung’s reputation for gorgeous displays continues here. The 16-inch 3K AMOLED display (2880 x 1800) with a 120Hz refresh rate is simply stunning.

Display Features:

• Super AMOLED panel with 120% DCI-P3 color coverage.

• Peak brightness of 500 nits for outdoor visibility.

• VESA DisplayHDR 500 certified for excellent dynamic range.

• Eye Care Mode and low blue light for long working hours.

Whether you’re editing 4K video, color-grading photos, or streaming Netflix, the visuals are rich, deep, and incredibly detailed. This screen alone places the Book 3 Ultra in a league of its own.

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Performance: Intel & NVIDIA Combo Powering Creativity

Samsung offers two primary configurations:

• Intel Core i7-13700H with RTX 4050 GPU

• Intel Core i9-13900H with RTX 4070 GPU

Paired with up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra crushes through creative tasks, multitasking, and moderate gaming.

Benchmarks & Real-World Use

• Adobe Premiere Pro: Renders 4K projects faster than most Windows ultrabooks.

• Blender: 3D rendering sees significant improvement with the RTX 4070.

• Photoshop: Zero lag with multiple layers, filters, and plugins.

• Gaming: Titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5 play smoothly at 1080p High settings.

Even though this isn’t a dedicated gaming laptop, the RTX 4070’s ray tracing and AI enhancements give it an edge for occasional gamers.

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Keyboard & Trackpad: Comfort Meets Precision

Typing on the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is a pleasure. The scissor-style keyboard offers satisfying travel and quiet feedback. The inclusion of a numpad is great for spreadsheet warriors and data crunchers.

The glass trackpad is massive, smooth, and highly responsive. While it doesn’t match the MacBook’s haptic feedback, it’s among the best on Windows laptops.

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Connectivity: No Compromises

Samsung has packed this laptop with all the ports you’ll need:

• 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C)

• 1x USB-A 3.2

• 1x HDMI 2.0

• 1x MicroSD card slot

• 3.5mm audio combo jack

Thunderbolt 4 ensures high-speed data transfer and the ability to connect multiple 4K monitors or external GPUs. It’s the perfect mix of legacy and modern ports.

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Battery Life: Good, But Not Great

Battery life is where the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra slightly falters. Equipped with a 76Wh battery, Samsung promises all-day usage. However, real-world usage tells a different story.

• Light usage (web, documents, brightness 50%): 6.5–7.5 hours

• Media consumption (1080p video): ~6 hours

• Heavy tasks (editing/gaming): 3–4 hours

The bundled 100W USB-C charger tops it up to 50% in ~30 minutes and a full charge in about 90 minutes. While not class-leading, it’s serviceable given the power-hungry components.

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Audio & Webcam: A Mixed Bag

Speakers:

• Dual stereo speakers tuned by AKG, support Dolby Atmos.

• Loud and clear vocals, but bass lacks punch.

Webcam:

• 1080p full-HD webcam performs well in good lighting.

• AI-powered background blur and auto-framing are nice additions.

It’s suitable for Zoom meetings and casual video calls, but don’t expect studio-quality media recording.

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Samsung Ecosystem Integration

Samsung smartly ties the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra into its ecosystem:

• Multi Control: Use Galaxy Tab as a second screen.

• Quick Share: Seamless file transfers between Galaxy devices.

• Galaxy Buds Auto Switch: Easily jump between your phone and laptop.

• Samsung Notes & Gallery Sync: Automatically synced with your Samsung phone via Samsung Cloud or OneDrive.

If you already use a Galaxy phone or tablet, this laptop becomes even more valuable thanks to these integrations.

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Software: Clean & Useful

The laptop ships with Windows 11 Home and Samsung’s suite of apps, most of which are genuinely useful:

• Samsung Settings for battery and performance profiles.

• Samsung Studio for video editing (basic).

• Samsung Security with privacy screen toggle.

Unlike other OEMs, Samsung keeps bloatware to a minimum. No McAfee or random trials — just a smooth, polished experience.

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Pricing & Availability

Base Model (i7 + RTX 4050 + 16GB RAM + 512GB SSD)
₹1,99,999 / $2,199

Top Model (i9 + RTX 4070 + 32GB RAM + 1TB SSD)
₹2,59,999 / $2,799

Expensive? Yes. But when you consider the ultra-premium build, stunning display, and high-end performance, the pricing competes well with the MacBook Pro 16 and Dell XPS 17.

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Comparison: Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs MacBook Pro 16

For creatives who need Windows apps, RTX rendering, or Samsung Galaxy integration, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra shines. If battery life and macOS apps matter more, the MacBook Pro wins.

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Pros and Cons

✅ Pros:

• Stunning AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh.

• Premium and lightweight metal build.

• Solid performance for content creation.

• Great I/O and port variety.

• Deep Samsung ecosystem integration.

❌ Cons:

• Average battery life.

• Speakers lack depth.

• Expensive for casual users.

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Final Verdict: ULTRA by Name and Mostly by Nature

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra lives up to its "Ultra" moniker in almost every regard. It’s a near-perfect blend of power, portability, and display brilliance, tailor-made for creators and premium users.

While its battery life and audio could use some refinement, its display, performance, and design more than make up for it. If you’re already invested in Samsung’s ecosystem and need a versatile Windows machine that doesn’t compromise on screen quality or GPU power — this is the one.

Rating: 9/10 – Ultra in most ways, and a true MacBook alternative for creative professionals.

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