Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14" NP940XMA-KB1US Sapphire Blue 2024 Review

The Galaxy Book4 Edge combines a brilliant 14" OLED with a stupidly light body and excellent battery life. The Snapdragon X Elite CPU is top-tier for productivity, but the weak GPU and iffy ARM compatibility mean it's not for everyone. Grab it if you can find it under a grand.

Samsung's Galaxy Book4 Edge is one of the first laptops powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite, and it makes an immediate impression with its 14-inch OLED touchscreen. At just 1.19kg, it's absurdly light, and the 120Hz refresh rate keeps everything from scrolling to light creative work feeling smooth. The Copilot+ AI features are a nice bonus, but they're not the reason to buy this machine.

The X Elite chip sits in our database's 99th percentile for CPU performance, so it tears through browser tabs, Office apps, and even some 4K video edits without breaking a sweat. But the integrated Adreno GPU is a weak spot, landing in the 37th percentile, so gaming is basically a non-starter. The 16GB of RAM is enough for multitasking, though 512GB of UFS storage feels skimpy and is slower than the NVMe drives you'd find in competitors. Battery life is surprisingly solid for such a slim machine, regularly lasting a full workday, though that 14Wh spec you might see floating around is likely a typo on Samsung's part.

Pricing for this model is all over the map, with some vendors listing it as high as $277,998 (clearly an error), but you can snag it for as little as $783 at Best Buy. At that lower end, it's a fantastic deal for the screen and portability. If you're paying close to $1,500, you're better off looking at an M-series MacBook Air or a premium Windows ultrabook with more storage and a sturdier build.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro, the Galaxy Book4 Edge holds its own in CPU speed but gets crushed in GPU performance and app compatibility. The ASUS ProArt PX13 offers a similar OLED experience with better build quality and a more versatile hinge, though it's heavier. The MSI Prestige 13 Evo gives you more RAM and storage at a similar weight, but its display can't touch Samsung's OLED. If you live in a web browser and love a gorgeous screen, this is a strong pick, but anyone needing raw compatibility should stick with x86.

If you need a laptop for gaming or rely on legacy Windows apps that don't play nice with ARM, this isn't for you. The GPU performance is embarrassing even compared to budget dedicated chips, and you'll spend more time troubleshooting compatibility than getting work done.

This is the ultraportable for people who want a stunning display and all-day battery without the Apple tax. It's perfect for students, office workers, and anyone who lives in a browser and a few Microsoft 365 apps. Just don't expect to play games or run every Windows program ever made.