Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14" NP940XMA-KB1US 2024, Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Sapphire Blue

The Galaxy Book4 Edge pairs a best-in-class Snapdragon CPU with a stunning 120Hz OLED display in a 1.16kg body. Battery life is solid and daily performance is snappy, but the trackpad feels cheap and gaming is basically off the table. Worth buying if you find it near the low end of its USD 396 to USD 1,350 price spread.

The Snapdragon X Elite 12-core chip sits at the 100th percentile in our database, which means it's the absolute best right now for CPU grunt in this class. Daily tasks fly, and owners say it handles audio and video editing without breaking a sweat. The 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM is solid, though the 512GB SSD lands in the mediocre range at the 37th percentile, so you'll want to be picky about what you keep installed. The integrated Adreno GPU is the weak link, sitting at the 29th percentile. Fine for spreadsheets and streaming, but don't expect to run anything more demanding than Minesweeper at a decent clip.

Against the MacBook Air M4, the Galaxy Book4 Edge wins on display refresh rate and touchscreen, but loses on trackpad quality, build feel, and app compatibility. The Lenovo Slim 7 offers a more premium chassis and better port selection, though its screen doesn't match Samsung's OLED. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition runs the same Snapdragon platform but with a more refined design and better speakers. The HP OmniBook X Flip adds a convertible hinge if you want tablet mode. Samsung's main edge is that display and the potential for a much lower street price.

Pricing is all over the place right now. US listings range from USD 396 to USD 1,350 across seven vendors, which is a wild spread. At the low end, this is an absolute steal for the screen and CPU alone. At the high end, you're paying MacBook Air M4 money for a laptop with a worse trackpad, no face recognition, and a GPU that can't keep up. If you can snag it near the bottom of that range, it's a no-brainer. If you're looking at the top of the range, wait for a sale or look elsewhere.

The Galaxy Book4 Edge is Samsung's big swing at the ARM-powered Windows laptop, and for the most part, it connects. That Snapdragon X Elite chip is a monster for everyday work, and the 14-inch OLED panel is one of the best screens you'll find on a thin-and-light this year. It's light, it's fast, and it lasts a long time on a charge.

But it's not all sunshine. The anti-reflective coating mutes the OLED's punch, the trackpad feels a step behind the competition, and if you want to game, this thing will laugh at you. It's a productivity machine first, everything else second.

Skip this if you need to run older Windows software or anything that requires x86 compatibility, because ARM emulation can be hit or miss. Gamers should also look elsewhere, the integrated GPU is one of the weakest in this class. And if you're picky about build quality, the plastic silver finish and less premium trackpad might bug you more than the spec sheet suggests.

If you want a featherweight Windows laptop with a gorgeous OLED screen and all-day battery for work, school, or travel, the Galaxy Book4 Edge is a strong pick, especially if you find it discounted. It's not for gamers, and it's not for anyone who needs flawless compatibility with older Windows software. But for the right buyer, it's a lot of laptop in a very light package.