MWC 2017: Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and 12 are official. Two new Windows 10 challengers for Microsoft Surface tablets

Besides Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, Samsung also unveiled 2 other new devices at MWC 2017. They are Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and Book 12. Interestingly, these 2 hybrid tablets seem to be prepared by this Korean company to compete against Microsoft Surface Book. The question is, are they well equipped for that challenge?

Okay, so Samsung unveiled 2 new hybrid productivity-focused tablets at this recent Mobile World Congress - Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and 12. As their names imply, yes, they are 10-inch and 12-inch tablets, with Samsung Galaxy Book 12 being the higher-end model with better specs.

What makes these 2 tablets look appealing to buy is definitely their platform. So both Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and 12 are running on Windows 10. So they both have great software selection which enables you to install many Windows software without a problem.

And just like Microsoft's offering, yes, they also come with their own styluses as well as the keyboard cases, which also can be found on Surface Book. However, if we dive deeper into the specs, then Samsung Galaxy Book 12 might have a chance to be a big hit in productivity tablet market.


Samsung Galaxy Book 12 features a 12-inch display with the resolution of 2160x1440 pixels. And it's also a Super AMOLED HDR display, so everything will look vivid, colorful and gorgeous with over-saturated colors, which has been the 'trademark' of Super AMOLED screen.

In performance, this tablet is really superior with its Intel 7th-gen fanless core i5 processors. Accompanied with 4GB/8GB of RAM and a high-end powerful graphics card, this tablet is undoubtedly perfect for doing some heavy productive stuff like video editing or even gaming.

However, if you happen to be a PC gamer, this tablet might not be very ideal to handle the next-gen PC games like the new Call of Duty game or Battlefield I, but we believe it's still more than capable to perform well for playing last year PC games.

Well, that's Samsung Galaxy Book 12. Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy Book 10 comes with lower-grade specs than its sibling. But it's still worth checking out though, especially if you're on the street looking for a great productivity device that is more affordable than Microsoft Surface Book tablet.

So it comes with a 10.6-inch screen sporting the resolution of 1920x1280 pixels. But it's packing the regular TFT LCD display, instead of Super AMOLED screen found on its sibling. Even so, for doing basic stuff like watching movies, this tablet is definitely still very pleasing to use.

When it comes to performance, it's very clear that Samsung Galaxy Book 10 is made for doing average productive stuff. So it might not perform well if you try to do some heavy video editing works with this device. Its Intel Core m3 processor is just not up for that challenge.

The cool thing about these 2 tablets is, as tested by theVerge, Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and Book 12 are capable to run many Windows apps without a problem. In fact, they even can handle Photoshop software relatively well.

So basically, these 2 tablets - especially the higher-end Samsung Galaxy Book 12 - are definitely two reliable productivity-focused tablets.


Speaking about accessories, both Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and Samsung Galaxy Book 12 come with the S Pen stylus and detachable keyboard case, which is also offered on Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 tablet.

This S Pen is basically similar just like the one found on Galaxy Tab S3 tablet, although it might come with different features - given their different platforms (Windows 10 vs Android Nougat OS).

So you will likely find many similar features like the abilities to crop screenshot on the fly, capture GIF images from YouTube video and a bunch of other similar features found on the Android version of S Pen.

The S Pen of both Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and Book 12 is said to be more improved than the previous versions and it also brings a more natural-feeling writing experience to the users. And the best thing is, this stylus doesn't need to be charged, unlike Apple Pencil that regularly needs to be charged through the iPad Pro.

The keyboard cases of these new Samsung tablets are also more improved than the predecessors. They not got better key travel, island-style keycaps, the buttons have backlighting and the trackpad is also 50% much larger than the one found on last year's Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S.

If you love taking photos or record videos, then your best shot here is definitely on Samsung Galaxy Book 12 as it comes with much better cameras front and back compared to its sibling. So it's handled by 13MP auto focus camera on the rear, while the front is 5MP fixed focus camera. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Book 10 only comes with 5MP fixed focus camera.

According to Samsung, these tablets are able to last for up to 10 hours in one full charge, which is still relatively good for Windows 10 tablets. The good news is, they both come with fast-charging features. So you can totally count on any of these devices if you want to use it on-the-go.


Both Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and Samsung Galaxy Book 12 will be available in 2 variants - the Wi-Fi only and the other one with LTE connectivity. Unfortunately, at MWC 2017, Samsung didn't mention anything about when they are coming to the market and how much they will cost.

But given that both devices are made out of glass and metal materials, and they also have premium design and build quality, you can expect these 2 tablets to cost pretty expensive when they are available.

Anyway, we've already heard that Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 tablet will be available soon for pre-order on March 17. So it's very possible that these Samsung Galaxy Book 10 and Book 12 tablets will also be available in the same month.

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