Essentials

The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is available today. Here's everything you need to know about Samsung's new premium laptop.

By Kaylyn McKenna

Edited By Gabriele Shacknai

February 24, 2023 / 1:08 PM EST / Essentials

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms.

Samsung unveiled its first-ever Galaxy Book Ultra model during the Samsung Unpacked event earlier this month. The sleek laptop is poised to be one of the best laptops of 2023 and a tough competitor to the MacBook Pro.

The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra offers a slim profile and high performance. It has a 16-inch 3K AMOLED screen with a super-wide 16:10 aspect ratio. It runs on a Windows 11 Home operating system with a choice of an Intel Core i7 or Intel Core i9 processor. It is the only model to include a NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card, making it the best Samsung Galaxy Book option for gaming.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, $2,200 and up

$2,200 and up at Samsung

More of the best Samsung laptops in 2023

Samsung offers several great laptop options, including premium laptops and some of the best affordable laptops for college students.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro offers a sleek design and powerful performance with an Intel Core i7 processor. It has a battery life of up to 16 hours in the 14-inch model, and 19 hours in the 16-inch version. It has a 3K AMOLED screen and a lightweight design.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro, $1,450 and up

$1,450 at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360

Want the power and features of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 combined with the convenience of a tablet? The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 has a 360-degree hinge that flips the device between laptop mode and tablet mode. It also has a 3K AMOLED touchscreen, an Intel Core i7 processor and a longest-lasting battery.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, $1,700 and up

$1,700 at Samsung

15.6" Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro (Intel Core i7)

The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro includes 16 GB of memory and 512 GB storage. This lightweight laptop features a powerful Intel Core i7 processor inside. It's a portable, premium laptop that is the perfect computer for work, school or web browsing.

15.6" Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro (i7 processor), $1,300

$1,300 at Samsung

Best Apple laptops in 2023

Apple MacBooks are one of the most popular laptops for both students and professionals. Check out the latest models below, which feature Apple's new M2 chip. The M2 chip provides even faster performance and better battery life over the prior model, the Apple M1 chip.

Apple MacBook Pro with M2 chip (2023 model)

If you're looking for the latest model or the best macbook for photo and video editing, look no further. The new 2023 MacBook Pro features Apple's latest M2 processor chip for faster performance and improved processing capabilities. It also offers an improved 18-hour battery life and an improved camera.

The Apple MacBook Pro M2 is available in two screen sizes: 14.2 inches and 16.2 inches. The screen features Apple's Liquid Retina XDR display.

Buyers also have a number of choices when it comes to specs. There are two versions of the M2 chip to choose from: M2 Pro and M2 Max. M2 Pro has up to 12 CPU, up to 19 GPU and up to 32 GB of memory. M2 Max has 12 CPU, up to 38 GPU and up to 96 GB of memory. This is not only one of the best laptops of 2023, but also one of the newest as it came out in January 2023.

14.2" Apple 2023 MacBook Pro with M2 chip (10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU), $1,950

$1,950 at Amazon

16.2" Apple 2023 MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip (12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU), $2,450

$2,450 at Amazon

Apple Macbook Air (2022)

The latest model of the Macbook Air also features the M2 chip. This is an upgraded version of the MacBook Air M1 that supports faster processing with a next-generation 8-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU and up to 24GB of unified memory. The Apple MacBook Air M2 features a 13.6-inch Retina Display screen and improved HD camera.

Apple Macbook Air (2022), $1,150 (reduced from $1,200)

$1,150 at Amazon

Best gaming laptops in 2023

If you play video games, it's worth investing in a gaming laptop. Find the best gaming laptop for you below.

15.6" Lenovo Legion 5i gaming laptop

This top-rated gaming laptop from Lenovo is one of the best overall value gaming laptops. It features a 10th Generation Intel® Core i5 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. It includes 8GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD.

15.6" Lenovo Legion 5i gaming laptop, $1,330 (reduced from $2,040)

$1,330 at Lenovo

15.6" Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop

The Acer Predator Helios 300 features a fast 12th generation Core i7 processor and a NVIDIA RTX 3060 graphics card. The laptop offers a 3ms overdrive response time and a 165 hz refresh rate for high-performance gaming.

15.6" Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop, $1,200 (reduced from $1,500)

$1,200 at Best Buy

17.3" Asus TUF F17 gaming laptop

This 17.3-inch gaming laptop features a Intel Core i5 processor and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card. The laptop is built with self-cleaning dual fans with anti-dust technology to prevent laptop overheating. It also features a RGB backlit keyboard. This is one of the best gaming laptops under $1,500. Asus also has several great gaming accessories in it's Asus ROG gaming line to pair with the laptop for optimum gameplay.

One verified buyer on Amazon called this the best laptop they've ever owned: "I now am a major fan of Asus. This laptop is so fast almost as much as my PC build which has an i7-10700K and 3060ti. If you['re] looking for an affordable deal and good investment that performs well for most games plus browsing, look no further. "

17.3" Asus TUF F17 gaming laptop, $899 (reduced from $900)

$899 at Amazon

15.6" Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop

You can get this 4.5-star-rated, 15.6-inch laptop from Acer right now on Amazon for less than $750 -- that's more than 10 percent off the machine's already budget-friendly list price. The Nitro 5 features an Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of memory and tech that boosts fan speed when your gaming heats up.

15.6" Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop, $740 (reduced from $840)

$740 at Amazon

Best Windows laptops in 2023

Explore the best windows laptops of 2023 if you prefer a Windows-based laptop.

13" Microsoft Surface Pro X

The ultra-slim Microsoft Surface Pro X is a compact yet powerful laptop with a reasonable price tag. The Surface Pro X is built with a 13-inch screen with a virtually end-to-end display. It offers Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity. It is powered by Microsoft's new custom SQ1 processor for high-powered laptop performance in an ultra-thin, tablet-like device.

13" Microsoft Surface Pro X, $758 (reduced from $889)

$758 at Amazon

13" Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is another great windows laptop option. It is the first Microsoft Surface device built on the Intel Evo platform, providing improved graphics, performance and battery life.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 can operate as a laptop or tablet for work, streaming, creating digital art and more. It runs on Windows 11 and a powerful Intel Core processor. It features a USB-A port, USB-C port, headphone jack, and a dedicated charging port for flexible connectivity.

13" Microsoft Surface Pro 8, $816 (reduced from $1,200)

$816 at Amazon

14.4" Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

The Microsoft Surface Studio is the most powerful surface laptop. The surface laptop studio features a Quad-core powered 11th Gen Intel Core processor, 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM.

14.4" Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, $1,400 (reduced from $1,600)

$1,400 at Amazon

10.5" Microsoft Surface Go 3 touchscreen

The Surface Go 3 is a portable, yet powerful device that can be used as a tablet or laptop. The device features an Intel Pentium Gold processor, 4 GB of RAM and an 11-hour battery life.

You may want to consider adding on a compatible wireless keyboard ($34) to enjoy full laptop functionality.

Microsoft Surface Go 3, $400

$400 at Amazon

Asus Zenbook 14

The Zenbook Pro 14 features ScreenPad Plus, a 12.7-inch full-width secondary OLED touchscreen. It's a great windows laptops for multi-tasking or creating due to the ability to extend the screen or split windows and apps on both displays. This also makes it one of the best windows laptop for photo and video editing.

Asus Zebook 14, $1,849 (reduced from $2,000)

$1,849 at Amazon

The best laptops for college students

College students need portable, reliable laptops at a reasonable cost. Chromebooks are a popular choice for students for this reason. Check out our top picks for the best laptops for college students in 2023.

11.6" Samsung Chromebook 4 (Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM)

Are you hard on your laptops? This thin, light and powerful MacBook alternative for Windows users boasts military-grade durability.

This model features a 11.6-inch display, lightning-fast Wi-Fi connection speeds and up to 12 hours of battery life. It even features Google-supported, voice-based assistance.

11.6" Samsung Chromebook 4 (Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM), $196 (reduced from $250)

$196 at Amazon

14" Lenovo ThinkPad E14

The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 is an excellent choice for college students that want a more premium laptop. The ThinkPad E14 runs on Windows 11 Pro. It features Dolby Audio, a 1080p HD camera, and 8 GB of memory. The ThinkPad also includes biometric sign-on with fingerprint or facial recognition.

14" Lenovo ThinkPad E14, $906 (reduced from $1,589)

$906 at Lenovo

15" Lenovo Flex 3i 2-in-1 Chromebook

Consider the Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook that doubles as a touchscreen tablet. The Chromebook features natural finger-touch navigation, multicore processing, a built-in 720p webcam with microphone, a 4 GB system memory and a 32 GB eMMC flash memory.

Lenovo Flex 3i 2-in-1 Chromebook, $485 and up

$485 and up at Lenovo