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Updated | Now official: First x86-based Samsung Galaxy Book S powered by Intel Lakefield Core i5-L16G7 shows up on the company's Canadian online store

The Samsung Galaxy Book S is powered by Intel Lakefield. (Image Source: Samsung)
The Samsung Galaxy Book S is powered by Intel Lakefield. (Image Source: Samsung)
A Samsung Galaxy Book S powered by the Intel Lakefield Core i5-L16G7 processor has popped up on Samsung Canada's online store making this the first x86-based Galaxy Book S. The Lakefield-based Galaxy Book S sports a similar design and spec sheet as the ARM-based variant with the exception of Gigabit LTE connectivity and a shorter battery runtime. Update: Samsung has now officially announced the Galaxy Book S powered by an Intel Core processor with Hybrid technology along with pricing info.

Update 5/29

Samsung has now officially announced the new Galaxy Book S powered by an "Intel Core processor with Intel Hybrid technology" aka Lakefield. Samsung does did not offer much details pertaining to the processor itself apart from mentioning that it has Foveros 3D stacking tech and a hybrid CPU architecture, which is understandable as Intel is yet to officially detail Lakefield SKUs.

Also, while the previous Canadian listing did not mention LTE, Samsung's press release does confirm that the Galaxy Book S does offer LTE at least in certain regions.

According to a Samsung DE press release, the Lakefield-powered Samsung Galaxy Book S will be priced at a suggested retail price of €1,129 (US$1,255). Availability information is not yet provided.

Original Article:

Intel is yet to officially announce the Foveros-based Lakefield CPU lineup, but we have seen a couple of SKUs such as the Core i5-L15G7 and Core i5-L16G7, pop on Geekbench, Userbenchmark, and 3DMark listings. The Geekbench and Userbenchmark listings indicated that these tests were run on a Samsung 767XCL laptop. Now, a Galaxy Book S model has popped up on Samsung's Canadian online store indicating that the company is close to an official launch of what is probably the first x86-powered Galaxy Book S.

The Samsung store lists a Galaxy Book S 13.3-inch model (NP767XCM-K01CA) that is available in Mercury Gray and Earthy Gold finishes. The notebook offers an Intel Core i5-L16G7 processor, a 13.3-inch FHD touch display, 8 GB RAM, option of 256 GB or 512 GB internal storage, and a 42 Wh battery. The Lakefield-powered Galaxy Book S is just 0.46 inches thick and weighs just 0.95 kg. Port selection is limited to two USB Type-C ports on either side, a microSD card reader, and a combo audio jack while connectivity is aided via Bluetooth 5.0 and 2x2 Wi-Fi 6. Curiously, Samsung indicates the iGPU to be Intel UHD Graphics while, in fact, the Core i5-L16G7 is expected to sport Gen11 graphics with 64 Execution Units (EUs) comparable to the Iris Plus Graphics G7 albeit at purportedly lower clocks. 

Design-wise, the x86 Galaxy Book S is pretty much similar to the Snapdragon 8cx-based Galaxy Book S that we've previewed earlier including the presence of a fingerprint reader on the power button. However, unlike the ARM-based Galaxy Books S, the x86 variant lacks Gigabit LTE connectivity. The ARM Galaxy Book S also offers a higher claimed-battery life at 25 hours of video play time compared to 17 hours on the Lakefield variant.

The use of Intel Lakefield should help alleviate some of the pain points of the current Windows 10 on ARM implementation as users can now run native x86-64 apps without the need for emulation. The Core i5-L16G7 comes across as a 5-core part with a maximum clock of 3 GHz, 4 MB cache, and is comprised of four small Tremont cores and a big Sunny Cove core along with Gen11 graphics.

While we have no clue about how Lakefield performs in the real world, we can expect great battery life given that it is rated between 5W and 7W TDP. Since Samsung has already put out a listing, here's hoping we get to hear an official Intel announcement about Lakefield soon.

Thanks to reader Pascal Bork for the tip!

Samsung Galaxy Book S. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Left. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Left. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Right. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Right. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S. (Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Specifications. (Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Specifications. (Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Specifications - contd. (Source: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Book S - Specifications - contd. (Source: Samsung)
 
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 05 > Now official: First x86-based Samsung Galaxy Book S powered by Intel Lakefield Core i5-L16G7 shows up on the company's Canadian online store
Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 2020-05-20 (Update: 2020-05-30)