Samsung Electronics is looking to regain laptop dominance by launching high-performance laptop that is built in with 4G LTE connectivity. Its plan is to regain its status as the dominant PC maker in South Korea by shaking off LG Electronics that is currently right under its nose. However, it still has to overcome a weakness of having no model with a large screen.
Samsung Electronics announced on June 16 that it would officially launch the “Galaxy Book S” on July 3. The Galaxy Book S will have built-in LTE connectivity, Intel’s latest processor, and super-skinny and super-light design.
By becoming a member of a mobile network provider and sticking an USIM card, one can enjoy LTE connection and the fastest wireless internet speed provided by Wi-Fi 6.
As the Galaxy Book S will be equipped with Intel’s latest processor that allows effective power use, it turns on immediately as its cover is opened and provides super-fast response speed.
Its battery lasts entire day and it can be charged with a USB-C smartphone charger without a separate adaptor. Samsung Electronics has maximized the Galaxy Book S’ portability as the Galaxy Book S is 11.8mm thin and weights only 950g. The Galaxy Book S is available in Mercury Gray and Earthy Gold colors and it is priced between $930 (1.13 million KRW) and $1,200 (1.465 million KRW).
“Because how people go about their daily work lives is changing, many people are using more than one electronic device in a day.” said Chae Won-cheol who is the senior managing director of Product Strategy at Samsung’s Wireless division. “We are going to provide more effective working environment with new computing devices such as the Galaxy Book S.”

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<Galaxy Book S Mercury Gray>

It will be interesting to see whether the Galaxy Book S will help Samsung Electronics regain laptop dominance. According to the industry, Samsung Electronics was clearly dominating the laptop market as it sold 410,000 laptops in the first quarter of 2018 that are 100,000 more than what LG Electronics sold. However, the gap became only 30,000 laptops in the first quarter of 2019 and it eventually closed in the first quarter as they both sold about 300,000 laptops based on delivery.
Because first quarter is when computers and laptops are sold the most than any other quarter, one’s first quarter performance determines its annual performance for that year. The industry was surprised by the fact that LG Electronics closed in on Samsung Electronics in the first quarter.
In order to regain clear dominance within the laptop market, Samsung Electronics needs to overcome a lack of “large-screen laptops”.
“LG Gram 17” that was launched in January last year is the reason why LG Electronics was able to really close in on Samsung Electronics. Its weight of 1kg despite a large screen has drawn huge popularities amongst consumers. The industry believes that LG Gram 17 made huge contributions towards helping South Korea’s 17-inch laptop market grow by five-fold in 2019 compared to 2018.
On the other hand, Samsung Electronics does not have a model with a large screen. The biggest screen size out of all of its laptops is 15.5 inches.
The screen size of the Galaxy Book S that will be launched next month is also only 13.3 inches. Although the Galaxy Book S has great connectivity and battery performance, it will be interesting to see whether it can overcome its relatively small screen size.
“It is becoming more noticeable that consumers are preferring large screens in order to watch videos or enjoy computer games.” said a representative for the PC industry. “In order for Samsung Electronics to regain its laptop dominance, it has to overcome its weakness of having no model with a large screen.”
Staff Reporter Kim, Yongjoo | kyj@etnews.com