Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 16" NP964XHA-KG2US Gray 2025

The Galaxy Book5 Pro pairs one of the best laptop displays we've tested with 32GB of RAM and a capable mid-range Intel chip, making it a standout for developers and media consumption. Gaming is a non-starter with integrated Arc graphics scoring just 20.7 out of 100. At around $1,690 it's a solid value, but the 2.71kg weight puts it in the bottom 9th percentile for portability. Buy it for the screen and RAM, not for gaming or travel.

The Core Ultra 7 258V is a solid mid-pack performer, landing in the 64th percentile for CPUs. In real-world terms, that means it handles productivity workloads without breaking a sweat. Compiling code, running virtual machines, and heavy multitasking all feel responsive thanks to the 32GB of DDR5 RAM, which sits comfortably in the 82nd percentile. You're getting more memory than most laptops in this price bracket, and it shows when you're juggling memory-hungry dev tools or editing large photo batches.

The integrated Arc 140V graphics are where things get interesting, and not always in a good way. At the 62nd percentile, it's fine for driving that high-res display and handling light creative work, but it falls apart under any real gaming load. You can forget about modern AAA titles at native resolution. Even at 1080p with settings dialed down, you're looking at sub-30fps in demanding games. The 16GB of shared VRAM sounds impressive on paper, but it's system memory being allocated dynamically, not dedicated video memory. For photo editing and light video work, it's adequate. For anything GPU-intensive, you'll want an external GPU enclosure or a completely different machine.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro, the Samsung wins on RAM per dollar and that gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen, but loses badly on GPU performance, build quality, and battery life. The MacBook's M4 Pro chip is in a completely different league for creative work and sustained performance. If you're doing video editing or 3D rendering, Apple's machine is worth the premium. But if you're a developer who lives in Windows and wants a big, beautiful screen without paying Apple's RAM upgrade tax, the Galaxy Book5 Pro makes a strong case.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both gaming-first machines that embarrass the Samsung in GPU benchmarks. The G14 in particular manages to pack a dedicated RTX GPU into a much lighter chassis. You'd pick those if gaming matters at all. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 sits somewhere in between, offering better graphics in a smaller package but with a less impressive display. The MSI Prestige is the closest spiritual competitor, another productivity-focused laptop with integrated graphics, but it typically comes with less RAM and a lower-quality screen at this price point.

Pricing on this model is all over the place depending on where you look. We're seeing a spread from $1,690 to an absurd $541,862 across vendors, which tells me some retailers are either listing placeholder prices or bundling it with a small car. The realistic price is that $1,690 figure, and at that level, you're getting strong value for a developer-focused machine with 32GB of RAM and a top-tier display. The 1TB SSD and Wi-Fi 7 support sweeten the deal.

Compared to the competition, you're trading GPU power for screen quality and RAM. An ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 at a similar price will run circles around this in games but gives you a smaller, lower-resolution display. The MacBook Pro M4 Pro costs significantly more once you spec it with 32GB of RAM. If you can find the Galaxy Book5 Pro at the lower end of that price range, it's a compelling package for the right user. Just don't pay anywhere near the high end of that spread unless it comes with a free monitor and a very apologetic salesperson.

Samsung's Galaxy Book5 Pro is the kind of laptop that makes you do a double take when you first open the lid. That 16-inch AMOLED display is genuinely stunning, sitting in the 91st percentile for screens in our database. It's bright, color-accurate, and the 2880x1800 resolution means text looks crisp enough to read all day without squinting. This configuration packs Intel's new Core Ultra 7 258V chip, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, so it's clearly aimed at people who need a serious workhorse that doubles as a portable theater.

Who's this for? Developers and entertainment junkies, mostly. Our scoring puts it at 72/100 for dev work and 70/100 for entertainment, which makes sense given the screen and RAM combo. You can run multiple Docker containers, compile code, and still have a dozen browser tabs open without the fans screaming at you. But don't mistake this for a gaming machine. The integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics land at a mediocre 62nd percentile, and our gaming score of 20.7/100 tells you everything you need to know about playing anything beyond indie titles or cloud streaming.

The elephant in the room is the weight. At 2.71kg, this thing is in the 9th percentile for compactness. That's bottom-of-the-barrel territory for portability. You'll feel it in your backpack, and it's not the laptop you grab for a quick coffee shop session. But if you're treating it as a desktop replacement that occasionally moves between rooms, the trade-off starts making sense. Samsung clearly prioritized screen real estate and build quality over chasing thin-and-light bragging rights.

Gamers should skip this without a second thought. The integrated Arc graphics score 20.7 out of 100 for gaming, which puts it firmly in "don't bother" territory. Even older titles will struggle at the native 2880x1800 resolution, and dropping to 1080p on a 16-inch screen looks soft. Grab an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or Lenovo Legion Pro 7i instead, both of which pack dedicated GPUs and high-refresh-rate displays for similar money.

Frequent travelers and students should also look elsewhere. The 2.71kg weight and large footprint make this a chore to carry daily. You'll feel every gram in a backpack, and the 76Wh battery paired with that power-hungry AMOLED panel means you're hunting for outlets by mid-afternoon. A MacBook Air or LG Gram would serve you much better if portability and battery life are top concerns. This is a laptop for people who work at a desk 90% of the time and just need the option to move occasionally.

For developers who spend their days in IDEs, terminals, and browser-based tools, the Galaxy Book5 Pro is a joy to use. That 16-inch AMOLED panel makes staring at code for eight hours surprisingly pleasant, and the 32GB of RAM means you won't hit memory limits running local servers and databases. The keyboard is comfortable, the port selection means you can plug into a monitor and peripherals without a dock, and Windows 11 Pro gives you the full enterprise feature set. If your workflow doesn't touch GPU acceleration, this is one of the best productivity laptops you can buy at this price.

But if you're a student carrying a laptop across campus, a gamer who wants to play anything released in the last five years, or someone who travels frequently, look elsewhere. The weight alone disqualifies it for mobile use, and the integrated graphics are a dealbreaker for gaming. You'd be better served by a lighter ultrabook with a dedicated GPU or a MacBook Air if portability is the priority. The Galaxy Book5 Pro is a desktop replacement that happens to have a battery, not a laptop you'll want to lug around daily.