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) (opens in new tab). 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.
| Category | Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha |
|---|---|
| Display | 13.3-inch QLED (1920x1080) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-10210U Intel Core i7-10510U |
| Graphics | Integrated |
| Memory | 8GB DDR4 12GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 256GB 512GB 1TB NVMe SSD |
| Camera | 720p webcam |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) |
| Ports | 1x USB-C, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone/mic, microSD |
| Audio | Stereo AKG speakers (1.5W x 2) |
| Battery | 54Wh |
| Dimensions | 11.91" x 8.0" x 0.39" (304.9 x 202.0 x 13.9 mm) |
| Weight | 2.62 lb (1.19 kg) |
| Colors | Royal 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.