MacBook Air 15 (M4) vs Samsung Galaxy Book6 — Apple Still Has It
The Samsung Galaxy Book6 costs $1,299.99 CAD and runs Intel's Core Ultra 7 355 with Intel Arc graphics. The MacBook Air 15 costs $1,599 CAD and runs Apple's M4. On paper that's a chip matchup worth taking seriously — Intel's Arc GPU is a real GPU, and the Core Ultra 7 355 is a proper AI-era processor. After testing both machines across every benchmark I run, I have a clear answer on which one to buy, and a few of the numbers genuinely surprised me.
Quick Verdict
The MacBook Air 15 (M4) wins on CPU performance, GPU performance, battery life, and thermals. The Samsung Galaxy Book6 wins on port selection. If ports matter more than everything else, get the Galaxy Book6. Otherwise, the MacBook Air isn't just better — it's substantially better across every performance and endurance metric.
MacBook Air 15 (M4) Rating: 9/10 Samsung Galaxy Book6 Rating: 6.5/10
Specs at a Glance
| MacBook Air 15 (M4) | Samsung Galaxy Book6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M4 | Intel Core Ultra 7 355 |
| GPU | 10-core GPU | Intel Arc Graphics |
| RAM | 16GB unified | 16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB SSD | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15.3" Liquid Retina, 2880×1864 | 15.6" FHD IPS, 1920×1080 |
| Battery | 66.5Wh | 76Wh |
| Weight | 3.3 lbs (1.51 kg) | 3.35 lbs (1.52 kg) |
| Fan | Fanless | Active cooling |
| Ports | 2× Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2× USB-C, 2× USB 3.2, HDMI, MicroSD, RJ45, 3.5mm |
CPU Performance: MacBook Air Pulls Away
The M4 is not a close matchup against the Core Ultra 7 355 — it's a clear win.
Cinebench R24
| Machine | Single-Core | Multi-Core |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15 (M4) | 170 | 791 |
| HP OmniBook 7 Aero (Ryzen 7 350) | 112 | 769 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book6 (Core Ultra 7 355) | 116 | 622 |
| Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 (Ryzen AI 7 445) | 102 | 556 |
The MacBook Air 15's single-core score of 170 is 47% ahead of the Galaxy Book6's 116. Multi-core at 791 beats the Galaxy Book6's 622 by 27%. Even the HP OmniBook with AMD's Ryzen 7 350 comes close to the Galaxy Book6 in multi-core, despite both being Windows machines.
The M4 runs this entirely fanless. The Galaxy Book6 hits 96°C under sustained multi-core load and its fan climbs to 43 dBA in Performance and Optimized modes — it settles to 39 dBA in Quiet and 36 dBA in Silent, but by the time it cools down, the MacBook has already finished the task.
GPU Performance: Real-World Gaps
Intel Arc in the Galaxy Book6 is the most capable integrated-style GPU you'll find in Windows ultrabooks right now. That's not a small thing. But the M4's GPU still beats it where it counts.
Cyberpunk 2077 (1920×1200, High Settings)
| Machine | FPS |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15 (M4) | 25 FPS |
| Samsung Galaxy Book6 | 19 FPS |
25 vs 19 FPS at high settings in Cyberpunk 2077 — neither machine is a gaming laptop, but the MacBook Air runs it 32% faster. For casual gaming or light GPU workloads, the M4 GPU holds an advantage.
Blender Benchmark (Cycles)
| Machine | Monster | Junkshop | Classroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15 (M4) | 510 | 233 | 287 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book6 | 235 | 183 | 148 |
| Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 | 66 | 45 | 35 |
The MacBook Air is more than double the Galaxy Book6 in Monster, 27% ahead in Junkshop, and 94% ahead in Classroom. For anyone doing 3D rendering, the MacBook Air is the clear choice between these two.
Creative Workloads
PugetBench Photoshop
| Machine | Score |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15 (M4) | 10,397 |
| HP OmniBook 7 Aero | 8,334 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book6 | 7,300 |
| Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 | 6,721 |
The MacBook Air scores 10,397 vs the Galaxy Book6's 7,300 in PugetBench Photoshop — 42% faster in real-world Photoshop tasks. If you're editing photos professionally, that gap shows up in your daily workflow.
Firefox Compile (Lower is Better)
| Machine | Time |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15 (M4) | 19 min |
| HP OmniBook 7 Aero | 26 min |
| Samsung Galaxy Book6 | 63 min |
| Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 | 64 min |
This is one of the starkest numbers in this comparison. Compiling Firefox from source took the MacBook Air 19 minutes. The Galaxy Book6 needed 63 minutes — 3.3× longer. For developers doing sustained compilation workloads, this isn't a small difference.
Thermals: A Real Differentiator
The MacBook Air 15 (M4) has no fan. The Samsung Galaxy Book6 peaks at 96°C under sustained multi-core load before settling to 83–85°C.
Galaxy Book6 fan noise by mode:
| Mode | dBA |
|---|---|
| Performance | 43 dBA |
| Optimized | 43 dBA |
| Quiet | 39 dBA |
| Silent | 36 dBA |
Performance and Optimized modes are audible in a quiet room. The Silent mode at 36 dBA is workable but limits performance. The MacBook Air produces zero fan noise under any workload.
Battery Life: Not Even Close
| Machine | Mixed Use |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15 (M4) | 10–12 hours |
| Samsung Galaxy Book6 | 7–8 hours |
The Galaxy Book6 has a larger battery (76Wh vs 66.5Wh) and still comes in 4 hours shorter. The M4's efficiency advantage over Intel's architecture is the reason. The MacBook Air gives you a full workday and then some — the Galaxy Book6 gets you through the day if you're disciplined about brightness and performance modes.
Ports: Galaxy Book6 Wins
This is the one category where the Galaxy Book6 has a clear and meaningful advantage.
| Port | MacBook Air 15 | Samsung Galaxy Book6 |
|---|---|---|
| USB-C | 2× Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gb/s) | 2× USB Type-C |
| USB-A | None | 2× USB 3.2 |
| HDMI | None | 1× HDMI |
| SD Card | None | MicroSD |
| Headphone | 3.5mm | 3.5mm Combo |
| Ethernet | None | 1× RJ45 |
| Charging | MagSafe 3 + USB-C | USB-C Only |
If you work in environments where you're plugging into monitors via HDMI, connecting USB-A peripherals, or need wired Ethernet without a dongle, the Galaxy Book6 covers all of that natively. The MacBook Air's two Thunderbolt 4 ports are significantly faster than the Galaxy Book6's USB-C (which does not specify 40 Gb/s throughput), but speed doesn't help if you need physical port variety.
Pros and Cons
MacBook Air 15 (M4)
Pros:
- Fanless — completely silent under any load
- M4 CPU is 27–47% faster than Core Ultra 7 355
- 10–12 hours battery life despite a smaller battery
- PugetBench Photoshop score 42% higher than Galaxy Book6
- 3.3× faster Firefox compile time
- Blender Monster score more than double the Galaxy Book6
Cons:
- No USB-A, no HDMI, no SD card, no Ethernet natively
- Starts at higher price point
- Display locked to Apple ecosystem
Samsung Galaxy Book6
Pros:
- Strong native port selection — HDMI, 2× USB-A, RJ45, MicroSD included
- Intel Arc GPU competitive for an ultrabook
- Windows ecosystem flexibility
- Generally available at more retailers
Cons:
- CPU performance 27–47% behind the M4
- Peaks at 96°C under load, fans audible at 43 dBA
- 7–8 hours battery vs MacBook's 10–12
- Firefox compile 3.3× slower than MacBook Air
Who Should Buy Which?
Buy the MacBook Air 15 (M4) if:
- CPU and GPU performance matter — the M4 wins across every benchmark
- You want a silent machine — no fans, no throttling noise
- Battery life is a priority — 2–4 extra hours per day adds up
- You're in the Apple ecosystem or willing to move to it
- You do photo/video editing, 3D work, or software development
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Book6 if:
- You specifically need HDMI, USB-A, or wired Ethernet without a dongle
- You're committed to Windows and its software ecosystem
- You prefer the flexibility of multiple price points and retail availability
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Book6 is not a bad laptop. Intel Arc graphics and the Core Ultra 7 355 are genuine improvements over previous Intel ultrabook generations, and the port selection is legitimately better than the MacBook Air's. But in every performance category — CPU, GPU, sustained workloads, thermals, and battery — the MacBook Air 15 (M4) wins, and often wins substantially.
A 3.3× faster compile time, double the Blender performance, and 4 extra hours of battery life are not marginal gains. If you can live without native HDMI and USB-A, the MacBook Air 15 is the better machine by a significant margin.
If ports are your priority, the Galaxy Book6 is your answer. If performance and endurance are your priority, the MacBook Air 15 (M4) is not a close call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Samsung Galaxy Book6 good for gaming? A: It can handle casual gaming — it ran Cyberpunk 2077 at 19 FPS on high settings at 1920×1200, which is playable but not comfortable. Intel Arc is the best integrated-style GPU you'll find in a Windows ultrabook, but it's not a gaming machine. The MacBook Air hit 25 FPS in the same test.
Q: Does the MacBook Air 15 (M4) throttle without a fan? A: In everyday tasks and most creative workloads, no. Under extreme sustained CPU loads like the Firefox compile, there is some thermal management — but it still completed the task in 19 minutes vs the Galaxy Book6's 63 minutes, fan and all.
Q: Which has better battery life? A: MacBook Air 15 (M4) at 10–12 hours vs Galaxy Book6 at 7–8 hours, despite the Galaxy Book6 having a larger 76Wh battery. Apple's M4 chip is significantly more power-efficient.
Q: Can the Galaxy Book6 connect to an external monitor without a dongle? A: Yes — it has a native HDMI port. The MacBook Air requires a USB-C to HDMI adapter or a dock.
Q: Which is faster for photo editing in Photoshop? A: The MacBook Air 15 (M4) scores 10,397 vs the Galaxy Book6's 7,300 in PugetBench Photoshop — 42% faster in real-world Photoshop tasks.
Published: March 2026 Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
