Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch 2023 laptop showdown. In-depth comparison of performance, design & pricing for buying decision.
Samsung recently announced the Galaxy Book 3 line of notebooks, which offers high performance for gaming, productivity, and more. Here’s how the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra compares against the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Announced on February 1 and shipping on February 17, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is Samsung’s answer to the MacBook Pro from Apple. It’s a 16-inch notebook with some of the latest technologies, such as a 13th-generation Intel processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card.
Samsung unveiled the new notebook at its Unpacked event, along with other devices. Three distinct variants — the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, Book3 Pro 360, and Book3 Pro — make up the Galaxy Book 3 notebook line.
The top-tier, most expensive device in the new portfolio is the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. Here is how it contrasts with Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro, which was unveiled in January, and the target market that Samsung is most likely pursuing with its offering.
Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs MacBook Pro 16-inch – SpecificationsGalaxy Book 3 Ultra vs 16-inch MacBook Pro – Design, Size, Weight
The two computers have a few similarities in appearance, such as the color of the case and keyboard, as well as a large trackpad, which is off-center on the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra.
The MacBook Pro uses 100% recycled aluminum in the enclosure, and 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. The main logic board uses 100% recycled tin in the soldering, and multiple components use 35% or more recycled plastic.
Samsung makes no mention of its aluminum materials but says that parts of the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra were built from recycled plastics. The plastics came from discarded fishing nets and the company also eliminated plastics in the product packaging.
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The Book 3 is lighter at 3.95 pounds than the MacBook Pro at 4.7 pounds, or 4.8 pounds with an M2 Max chip. In size, the Book 3 Ultra is thinner and longer at 0.65 by 13.99 by 9.86 inches, compared to the MacBook Pro at 0.66 by 14.01 by 9.77 inches.
Each notebook sports a 16-inch display that offers plenty of real estate for apps, games, browser windows, and more. However, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra might be more appropriate if you prefer a lighter notebook to stick in a bag.
Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs MacBook Pro 16-inch – Display
The display on the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is AMOLED with a resolution of 2,880 by 1,800 pixels. Samsung doesn’t list the pixel density of its notebook, but a website that calculate such density provides 212 pixels-per-inch based on the display size and resolution.
The MacBook Pro has a pixel density of 254 pixels per inch with a resolution of 3,456 by 2,234. The increased density provides users with more details for onscreen content as well as sharper images and videos.
Apple’s current design iteration changed the display design on newer MacBook Pros by adding a notch, though it doesn’t house a Face ID system like newer iPhones. It stands out from the menu bar but it blends into the rest of the display, such as when users open full-screen apps.
The MacBook Pro uses Liquid Retina XDR technology in the display, which lets professionals use preset reference modes that set the color space, white point, gamma, and brightness on display. Professionals can also create custom reference modes.
For backlighting, the MacBook Pro uses Mini LED technology in the display that offers high contrast ratios and fast response times when displaying content. In contrast, AMOLED technology doesn’t need backlighting because each pixel acts as a light source.
The backlighting on the MacBook Pro provides brightness at 1,000 nits sustained full-screen and 1,600 nits at peak for HDR content. SDR brightness tops at 500 nits and contrast ratios reach 1,000,000:1. The P3 wide color gamut supports one billion colors for smoother gradients.
The Book 3 offers 400 nits of brightness for SDR content and 500 nits for HDR content. Like the MacBook Pro, it supports the DCI-P3 color gamut for approximately one billion colors.
Each notebook has adaptive refresh rates of up to 120Hz, which provides a smooth visual experience for games, videos, or even just scrolling through content.
According to Samsung, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra has a DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification. The technology provides deep levels of black down to 0.0005 cd/m2 and a peak luminance of 500 cd/m2, meaning candelas per square meter.
The Book 3 display also has an SGS Eye Care Display certification for a reduction of blue light.
Apple has a software feature for blue light called Night Shift, which automatically shifts the colors of your display to warmer colors as the sun sets. Another software feature called True Tone can adjust the display’s color and intensity so that images look the same even when the lighting changes.
Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs 16-inch MacBook Pro – Processor
The powerhouse M2 Pro chip in the MacBook Pro has a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU. Additionally, it has a unified memory bandwidth of 200GB/s.
Users can upgrade to an M2 Max chip with a 12-core CPU and up to a 38-core GPU.
