Samsung's new Galaxy Book Flex α sports a QLED display for $830

Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha (Image credit: Samsung)

What you need to know

  • Samsung announced the new Galaxy Book Flex α ahead of CES 2020.
  • Starting at $830, the Galaxy Book Flex α offers a more budget-friendly alternative to the Galaxy Book Flex.
  • The Galaxy Book Flex α is expected to launch in the first half of 2020.

Ahead of CES 2020, Samsung unveiled another entry in its growing Galaxy Book lineup, the Galaxy Book Flex α (alpha). The Galaxy Book Flex α borrows a lot from the standard Galaxy Book Flex that was announced in October, but it cuts down on the bells and whistles to hit a budget-friendly $830 price. Despite its reduced set of features, however, Samsung still managed to pack in a QLED display.

The Galaxy Book Flex α will ship with Intel's latest 10th Gen chips on board, with Core i5-10210U and Core i7-10510U options on offer. In addition, you can snag up to 12GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. That's all complemented by a 13.3-inch 1080p QLED display with up to 600 nits of brightness, which should make for crisp viewing.

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CategorySamsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha
Display13.3-inch QLED (1920x1080)
ProcessorIntel Core i5-10210UIntel Core i7-10510U
GraphicsIntegrated
Memory8GB DDR412GB DDR4
Storage256GB512GB1TB NVMe SSD
Camera720p webcam
SecurityFingerprint scanner
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Ports1x USB-C, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone/mic, microSD
AudioStereo AKG speakers (1.5W x 2)
Battery54Wh
Dimensions11.91" x 8.0" x 0.39" (304.9 x 202.0 x 13.9 mm)
Weight2.62 lb (1.19 kg)
ColorsRoyal Silver

Also tagging along is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) support, along with a fingerprint sensor, support for pen input, and a 720p webcam. Port selection includes a USB-C port, two USB 3.0 ports, a single HDMI port, and a microSD card slot.

When compared to the standard Galaxy Book Flex, the Galaxy Book Flex α loses out on Thunderbolt 3 and packs a slightly smaller 54Wh battery (compared to 69.7Wh in the Flex). It's also a tad heavier and thicker, at 13.9mm (0.55 in) thick and 1.19 kg (2.62 lb).

Samsung says that the Galaxy Book Flex α will be available in the first half of 2020 starting at $830. We're also still waiting on the rest of Samsung's recent Galaxy Book lineup, including the standard Galaxy Book Flex, Galaxy Book Ion, and Galaxy Book S, to land in stores.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl