[Interview] How Samsung and Intel Are Paving the Way to the Future of Mobile Computing

PCs have become permanently woven into the fabric of everyday life, helping us connect to the wider world, work remotely, stay in touch with friends and family, and find outlets for creativity and relaxation.

Samsung is working to meet the demands of mobile lifestyles with a new generation of PCs that combine the power of a laptop with the DNA of a Galaxy smartphone. As announced during the most recent Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, the company worked closely with its longstanding, trusted partner, Intel, to develop a new lineup of devices built to transform the future of mobile computing – the Galaxy Book series.

▲ (From Left) Chris Walker, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Mobile Client Platforms, Intel, and Dr. Hark-Sang Kim, Executive Vice President and the Head of New Computing R&D Team of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics

Reimagining Mobile Computing

Samsung and Intel have a long history of collaboration and co-innovation. Brought together by a shared vision to deliver premier computing experiences, the partnership has enabled Samsung to combine its industry-leading mobile ecosystem with Intel’s innovative PC ecosystem to create devices that are purpose-built for today’s multi-device world.

“Our teams have jointly invested thousands of engineering hours to ensure deep integration at the platform level. We bring the best of both companies to provide a unified experience across all devices with mobility, connectivity and performance,” explained Chris Walker, Intel’s Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Mobile Client Platforms, who oversees the company’s product roadmap, engineering, and customer engagement across all mobility segments.

Dr. Hark-Sang Kim, Executive Vice President and the Head of New Computing R&D Team of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, emphasized that the partnership is driven by the shared mission to innovate quickly to meet the demands of users’ evolving needs.

“Our customers expect their smartphones to offer power and productivity comparable to their PCs, and they want their PCs to behave more like their smartphones, providing connectivity and portability. They also expect reliability, with the assurance that the apps they need will work perfectly, without compatibility issues or hassle. These evolving needs have reenergized Samsung and Intel’s partnership, resulting in even deeper collaboration,” said Dr. Kim.

As part of its work with Samsung, Intel established a co-engineering team dedicated to advancing mobile computing innovation and strengthening cross-devices experiences.

“Samsung continues to reimagine PC design for the future. Together, we’re thinking a step ahead of how people use devices and where they’ll take them,” said Walker. “By blending the best of the smartphone, tablet, and PC, we’ve built a new device class.”

A New Standard of Performance in an Ultra-Thin Form Factor

For several years, Samsung and Intel have been working together to create a new category of devices that deliver unparalleled connected experiences for today’s mobile-first consumers. Following thousands of hours of collaboration, the teams realized their vision in the latest Galaxy Book series.

“This partnership had an immediate impact on the next generation of Galaxy Books. The Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 are optimized for the best Intel Evo platform, ensuring powerful performance and an ultra-thin design for maximum portability and connectivity,” said Dr. Kim. “Galaxy Book users will also enjoy enhanced connectivity with always-connected LTE or 5G and more efficient Wi-Fi connectivity with the most advanced standard available today, Wi-Fi 6E.”¹

Powered by 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors and Intel® Iris® X^e graphics, the Galaxy Book series is built to make consumers’ everyday lives simpler, smoother, and more intuitive. Engineers at Samsung and Intel also worked hand-in-hand to ensure that the two devices would Intel Evo platform-verified, guaranteeing that they would provide the powerful performance that users need.

“By measuring workflows under real-world conditions for consistent performance and battery life together, the teams delivered the best possible laptop experience in these thin, light and super sleek form factor,”² explained Walker. “The Galaxy Book Pro series is unique because it has the incredible thinness and responsiveness of a smartphone with the performance of a powerful PC. Together, Samsung and Intel delivered on the promise of uncompromised mobility. We’re setting a new standard for computing.”

Driven by a vision to realize seamless connectivity across devices, Samsung and Intel collaborated to add the SmartThings Find capabilities to the new Galaxy Books.

“More mobile and flexible lifestyles also mean more opportunities to forget your device somewhere. Samsung and Intel worked to fully optimize Intel Bluetooth drivers in order to power Samsung SmartThings Find, an exclusive device location service that provides a sense of security and peace of mind for users on the go,” Dr. Kim explained.

Not only did the project bring SmartThings Find to the Galaxy Books, but the experience also laid the blueprint for future collaborative efforts.

“This has been a true co-engineering effort between Samsung and Intel to deliver this feature in record time, and we will use this to continue to deliver innovation for Samsung devices going forward,” said Walker.

Devices Built for the New Normal

Since virtual connections have become more central to people’s professional and personal lives than ever before, Samsung and Intel engineers focused on creating enhanced collaboration experiences for the Galaxy Book series.

“Our devices should be able to adapt to the way we work. With the Galaxy Book series, we wanted to give users the ability to communicate clearly with others, no matter where they are,” said Dr. Kim.

Harnessing the capabilities of the Intel Gaussian and Neural Accelerator 2.0, or Intel GNA 2.0, Intelligent Noise Cancelling uses artificial intelligence to remove distracting background noises, such as barking dogs, doorbells, and vacuum cleaners, from voice and video calls. Combined with AI-accelerated background blur and integrated Intel® Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+), the Galaxy Book Pro series delivers unmatched video conferencing experiences.

And to help users accomplish more on the go, Samsung and Intel joined forces to bring powerful connectivity solutions to the Galaxy Book series.

“Building on its extensive experience and in-depth expertise in developing mobile connectivity features for Galaxy smartphones, Samsung worked closely with Intel to equip the Galaxy Book Pro line up with three industry-leading connectivity solutions from Intel, including Wi-Fi 6E,³ 5G, and custom Bluetooth enablement. These technologies together enable easy access to gigabit-plus speeds across devices,” said Walker.

Creating Devices for an Inter-Connected World

The Galaxy Book series marks a new chapter in the partnership between Intel and Samsung. The experience not only led to the development of category-defying devices, but also built the foundation for the next stage of innovation.

“Through strategic partnership and technical cooperation, Intel and Samsung will continue to work towards our shared goal of creating next-generation mobile computing experiences to meet users’ needs,” said Dr. Kim. “Moving forward, Intel and Samsung will deliver even more optimization, reliability, and custom experiences to bring your Galaxy Book to the center of your connected world, allowing you to do more wherever you are.”

Aside from improving device capabilities, the partnership also promises to deliver technologies that will change the future of mobile computing.

“We plan to collaborate on new leading-edge technologies, including our Intel Core processors leveraging multiple types of XPU cores, unique PC designs aligned with Galaxy DNA, more personalized computing through enhanced AI technology, and a stronger continuity of experience across devices,” said Walker.

¹ Wi-Fi 6E availability will vary. Wi-Fi 6E wireless network router required and sold separately.

² As measured by industry benchmark and Representative Usage Guides testing and unique features of 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processors that power designs, which are co-engineered as part of Intel’s comprehensive laptop innovation program Project Athena then tested, measured, and verified against a premium specification and key experience indicators to ensure unparalleled user experiences. Learn more at www.intel.com/Evo

³ Wi-Fi 6E availability will vary. Wi-Fi 6E wireless network router required and sold separately.