[Galaxy Book Pro Series Tech Talk] Enjoy More Comfortable PC Experiences with the Ultra-Thin, Super-Light Galaxy Book Pro Series

In order to realize their lightest and thinnest PC devices yet while maintaing performance, Samsung packed the Galaxy Book Pro series with a range of space-saving innovations.

Weighing less than a one-liter bottle of water, the brand-new devices in the Galaxy Book Pro series are the thinnest clamshell PC in their class¹.  

But how did Samsung realize super-light PCs that still offer outstanding performance? Firstly, the devices’ fan has a refined forward-curve design made of ultra-light liquid crystal polymers for optimum airflow at a lower weight. Secondly, the series’ battery, the component that traditionally takes up the most space in a PC, has been made thinner while maintaining capacity, and finally, the series’ keyboard is 0.5mm slimmer than previous devices’, all while offering the same level of performance and functionality. 

In order to learn more about the innovations behind the ultra-thin and super-light Galaxy Book Pro series, take a look at the videos below. 

¹ Based on laptops with Intel 11th Gen Processor and Intel Evo Platform.

[Fan] 

Q. What were the challenges when designing the new fan for the Galaxy Book Pro series?
The new Galaxy Book Pro series devices are designed to be 1mm thinner than before. To compensate for the thinner fan, we studied various shapes of blades and designed them to achieve the required airflow capacity.

Q. What changes have been made to fans in the thinner and lighter Galaxy Book Pro series?
This is the newly developed fan. The most critical factor that defines the fans’ airflow capacity is the shape of the blade attached to the rotor motor. In order to draw maximum performance, we adopted a forward-curved blade fan in which the blade angle is curved toward the direction of air rotation. This shape creates a faster exit speed from blade, which increases the volume of discharged air as a result.

The number of blades on a fan also translates into its airflow capacity. Our new fan comes with more blades than before. In addition, the thinner the blades are, the higher the airflow capacity. Previously, fan blades were about 0.3-0.4mm thick, but we were able to reduce the blade thickness to 0.2mm this time. In order to do this, we used liquid crystal polymers for the blade, achieving the thinnest that can be achieved with an injection method.

Q. When developing the fan, were there any important considerations you had to think about?
Laptop users physically tend to be very close to the product and can directly feel and hear the fan. When users complain that the fan is too loud, it is due to the noise coming from the air being discharged from the fan. To reduce the noise, the number of fan rotations and rotation speed need to be reduced.

When developing the fan, a computer simulation was used to consider various blade angles, blade thickness and blade sizes and all were comprehensively reviewed. In fact, we reviewed over 30 blade shapes, striving to reach out targeted performance until we found the right one.

Q. Can users change the speed of the fan?
We know that the Galaxy Book Pro series devices will be used in many different environments, with different needs. For example, we provide a silent mode without noise so that it can be used in quiet environments like libraries. We also support a high-performance mode for users who want to maximize computing performance.

Q. Anything else you wanted to add?
With over 20 years of experience overseeing the developing of thermal management solution at Samsung Electronics, I have proudly put my heart and soul into designing the fan incorporated into the Galaxy Book Pro series. I am confident that the product will be able to provide a very high level of satisfaction to consumers not only in terms of performance, but also in terms of heating and noise.

[Battery]

Q. What changes have been made to the battery of the Galaxy Book Pro series?
The new Galaxy Pro series features a thinner body. Of all the parts in a PC, the battery traditionally takes up the most space. In terms of battery size, it can be compared to half a sheet of A4 paper and about the volume of half a larger orange. To reduce the overall thickness of Galaxy Pro series devices, the battery thickness had to be reduced the most.

Q. How thin is the battery in the Galaxy Book Pro series?
For context, the battery thickness of the Galaxy Note20 is around 5.4mm(t). The Galaxy Book Pro series 15-inch model features a battery thickness of 4.70mm(t), and the 13-inch model has a battery thickness of 4.39mm(t). The outside structure of the battery is called the frame, which supports each cell. The cells were made to be thinner, and every circuit inside the frame, we used thinner materials as well.

Q. How is the battery structured?
The battery is made of cells. The left side is the polymer cell, and the right side is the square cell used in phones. Four lithium polymer cells make up one pack, and this is the battery pack built into the product.

Q. Why is it difficult to make the battery thinner?
To make the battery thinner, several parts must be made smaller, but as the battery is also a major component related to the safety of the device, there are parts that cannot be reduced.

The safety-related parts have not been changed, and we instead focused on designing the rest of the battery components with the highest possible compression rates to build a battery pack 10% thinner than the previous model.

Q. The battery has become thinner, but is the capacity still the same?
We designed the battery to maintain its capacity by leveraging a concept called the energy density of a battery which puts a lot of energy in the same space. In using this concept, we were actually able to make a product with an energy density higher than its previous version. 

Q. Does a high-efficiency battery help protect the environment?
We have built a long-life battery algorithm into the product.

If you look at the carbon footprint of five years of battery conservation, it can be converted into the amount of energy equivalent to about 2,000 pine trees, and the same amount of electricity generated by a Hydroelectric Power Plant for six months. In fact, we’re proud to say that with this technology, we won the Ministry of Environment’s “CO2 Reduction Award” in 2019 and the Korean Green Product Award in 2020. 

Q. Do you have any tips on prolonging battery life?
Galaxy Book Pro series devices support the Battery Life Extender + mode for long-term users. This function optimizes battery life by avoiding stress factors on the battery during charging or discharging. Users can enjoy optimized battery performance by first going into the Task Manager and turning on the Battery Life Extender + in Samsung Settings.

[Pro Keyboard]

Q. What keyboard improvements were made to the Galaxy Book Pro series? 
As Samsung Galaxy Book Pro series is ultra-thin and light, we wanted to create a thin keyboard too. The goal was to design a slimmer keyboard without sacrifice.

Q. How much slimmer is the keyboard on Galaxy Book Pro series?
There is a fixed ratio for every keyboard. For the Galaxy Book Pro series, we had to develop a slimmed down keyboard while maintaining the same key feel. The result is a 0.5mm slimmer keyboard compared to our last PC.  

Q. What approach did Samsung take to engineer such a slim keyboard?  
The most important factor that determines the thickness of the keyboard is the stroke, the height of the keys. Samsung engineers modified the key stroke from the most commonly used 1.5mm to 1mm to make the keyboard as slim as possible while still providing the same level of performance and functionality.

Q. Could you elaborate on the technologies that have been applied to improve key feel?
Dome design under the keycap is an essential factor for key feel. We tested various dome designs, evaluating which design reduces fatigue and optimizes feel until we found our optimal design featured on the Galaxy Book Pro series.

What you are seeing now is our keyboard which consists of a keycap, refined by the scissor mechanism. The scissor mechanism keeps the keycap from moving vertically, and the rubber dome under the scissor mechanism is what determines the click force. In other words, the click force depends on the rubber dome’s design.

Q. Is the thinner keyboard still sturdy and durable for everyday use?
As the keyboard is thinner, we engineered a sturdy design to maintain stiffness that ensures a certain level of durability. We also know coffee or drinks often get spilled on laptop keyboards. To prepare for such cases, the flow channel of the keyboard is designed to change the direction of the fluid left or right, protecting the circuits to help prevent the laptop from becoming damaged.