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Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge | Is It Worth It for College Students?
Is Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Edge the perfect back-to-school laptop? Or should you just buy something else?

Back-to-school season is upon us, and if you’re in the market for a new laptop, you’re probably wondering if the Galaxy Book 4 Edge is worth considering. Whether you’re a sophomore, senior, or just looking for a device to keep up with your studies, I’ve got some thoughts to share with you. We’ll take a deep dive into whether this laptop is a good pick for school, along with some comparisons to other options like Lenovo laptops or even a MacBook. So let’s get into it!
I’ve got the Galaxy Book 4 Edge in hand, and I’m excited to give you a full rundown on whether this is the right choice for students. And don’t worry, I remember the challenges of being a student. I might not be one anymore, but having graduated five years ago, I still have a strong grasp of what it takes to get through school with tech. Back in my high school days, I had to use my personal laptop for classes like computer-aided design, and it was definitely an experience—one that made me appreciate devices like the Galaxy Book even more.

Let’s talk about why the Galaxy Book 4 Edge could be perfect for students. The biggest reason is the improvements in compatibility. Unlike older Windows ARM laptops that struggled with app compatibility, this one has gotten much better, making it a solid choice. Whether you’re making PowerPoints, working on Excel spreadsheets, or typing essays in Microsoft Word, you’ll be well-equipped. If your school uses Google Docs instead of Microsoft products, no worries—Google Chrome works great for that as well.
One of the standout features of the Galaxy Book 4 Edge is its portability. This laptop is seriously lightweight, weighing just 3.4 lbs for the 14-inch version, which is ideal for carrying around campus. It’s also thin and sleek, making it easy to slip into your bag without adding much bulk. It has the essential ports like two USB-C ports, an HDMI, and a headphone jack, so you should be set for most situations.

If you’re the type who likes to take notes in class, this device is a bit of a mixed bag. While it’s excellent for typing, the S Pen doesn’t work with the Galaxy Book 4 Edge, so if you’re a fan of handwriting your notes, you might need to look into getting a tablet like the Galaxy Tab S9+ with its included S Pen. The cool part is that, thanks to Samsung’s ecosystem, any notes you take on the tablet can sync to your laptop.
Another highlight is the seamless connectivity within the Samsung ecosystem. The Galaxy Book 4 Edge can easily connect to your Galaxy Tab or Galaxy phone, allowing you to move your mouse between devices or share files instantly. Whether you’re dragging windows between your laptop and tablet or syncing notes from your phone, this kind of integration is a game-changer for multitasking and productivity.

There are a couple of limitations, though. For instance, the Galaxy Book 4 Edge doesn’t come with LTE or 5G connectivity, so you’ll need to rely on Wi-Fi or a hotspot. While this might not be a deal-breaker, it’s something to keep in mind if you’re often working on the go without reliable internet.
All in all, I think the Galaxy Book 4 Edge is a fantastic option for students, especially if you’re already in the Samsung ecosystem. Its lightweight design, improved compatibility, and strong integration with other Samsung devices make it a top choice. Whether you’re in high school or college, this laptop is likely to handle all your school-related tasks with ease. Let me know what you think and whether this could be your next back-to-school laptop!
Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge (14”) Review: The TRUTH About Snapdragon X Elite Laptops!
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The Galaxy Book 4 Edge is Samsung’s first Copilot+ PC with the ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite chipset. Starting at $1349 USD for 16GBs of RAM, 512GB eUFS Storage, and the X1E-80-100 chip, it’s certainly an option to consider in this new market of Windows 11 on ARM laptops. But how legit are these claims about the Snapdragon X Elite and is the Galaxy Book 4 Edge actually worth your money? Find out more.
This is the 14-inch Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge, which is Samsung’s first Copilot Plus PC featuring Qualcomm’s ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite chipset. I’ve already discussed this laptop from various perspectives, but it’s time to bring it all together for a comprehensive review. After using it for a little over a month, I have both positive and negative thoughts about this laptop, the Windows on ARM experience, and where things might be heading. I can confidently say that Windows on ARM is finally good, but there are significant caveats at these early stages that prevent it from being great—at least for now. So, if you’re considering purchasing the Galaxy Book 4 Edge or any ARM laptop with the Snapdragon X Elite chip, stick around until the end to see if this laptop is right for you.
Let’s start with the aesthetics of this device. It only comes in Sapphire Blue, which often looks like silver in different lighting, but it’s undeniably beautiful. The laptop passes the one-hand open test, and I love the brushed aluminum look, slim bezels, and the fact that it weighs just 1 kilogram. The wedged design underneath makes the laptop even slimmer, measuring only 10 millimeters thick. Despite its slim profile, it doesn’t compromise on ports, offering 2 USB4.0 Type-C ports, 1 HDMI 2.1 supporting up to 4K 60Hz, and an audio jack. While it lacks Windows Hello support, the fingerprint reader is fast and accurate, ensuring this laptop includes most essentials. However, I must mention the build quality and feel—though it features a mix of aluminum, glass, and recycled plastic, the use of plastic is noticeable. There’s creaking when you hold or adjust the display, and the lid, being ultra-thin, lacks the satisfying heft when closing the laptop. These trade-offs for thinness and portability make the build feel less premium compared to other top-tier laptops in this price range.
Moving on to the trackpad, it’s spacious, smooth, and gestures work well. However, being a traditional non-haptic trackpad, you can’t click above the middle point, which feels outdated compared to the high-quality haptic trackpads found on many other Windows laptops at this price point. On the plus side, I absolutely love the keyboard. The spacing is perfect, and the key travel is just enough to feel tactile without being too shallow. The layout is well-balanced without any awkwardly placed keys. I find this keyboard more comfortable than the MacBook’s, and it feels just as good as the Microsoft Surface Laptop’s.
The real star of the hardware is the 14-inch 3K AMOLED display, which is truly stunning. It’s touchscreen, with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, 500 nits of brightness, and 120% DCI-P3 color volume. Thanks to its anti-reflective glass coating, this is hands-down the best display I’ve seen on a laptop. Whether browsing, working on documents, or watching HDR video, the screen is vibrant, sharp, and a joy to look at. Even outdoors, like at a café, the screen performs beautifully. However, the speakers are a letdown. Though it’s a quad speaker setup with Dolby Atmos, they’re bottom-mounted and don’t deliver the range or clarity I expected, particularly when paired with such an amazing display.
The Galaxy Book 4 Edge features a 1080p front-facing camera with dual array mics. It’s decent, offering features like background blur, eye contact, auto framing, and voice focus thanks to the NPU inside. While I appreciate the AI-based Studio Effects, I find many of the AI features, especially the Paint Image Creator, to be more gimmicky than useful. The real draw for me is the seamless integration between this laptop and Samsung Galaxy phones, which adds real convenience.
Now, let’s talk about performance. Powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chipset, the performance for general day-to-day tasks is solid. For most users, there won’t be noticeable compromises. The new translation layer, Prism, does a great job of emulating most x86 or x64 software with minimal performance drops—around 10-15%. However, some apps won’t run due to developer restrictions or other compatibility issues. I didn’t experience major problems, but I did notice occasional WiFi connection drops, which I expect could be fixed with a driver update.
For more specific use cases, such as professional software, creative apps, or games with anti-cheat software, users may encounter compatibility or stability issues. For example, while most of my software worked fine, DaVinci Resolve was unstable and unusable. Gaming performance was surprisingly decent, with about 70% of my Steam library running without issues, but the fans can get loud, and the laptop heats up during intensive tasks.
Battery life is another strong point, with the Galaxy Book 4 Edge delivering 6 to 9 hours of screen-on time in real-world usage. Standby time is excellent, with minimal battery drain. However, charging speeds could be faster—it takes around 2 hours to go from 20% to 100%. Overall, the battery life is impressive, but not groundbreaking compared to Intel or AMD-based ultrabooks.
In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is a solid laptop with several high points, such as the display, keyboard, and general performance. But it falls short in some areas, like build quality, trackpad, and speaker performance, especially for its price point. While software compatibility on Windows ARM has significantly improved, there are still challenges, particularly for professional users. I believe this laptop will improve with more software updates and developer support, but at this moment, I can’t recommend it as an obvious choice for everyone. If you’re tech-savvy and excited about ARM laptops, this could be a good option, but for higher-quality hardware, you might want to consider alternatives like the Surface Laptop 7 or the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x.