Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 Review

Tech Gadgets Review, Technology

It’s surprising that Samsung took so long to release laptops in India. The brand is well-known and has a large network of stores and service centers. Aside from its thriving smartphone ecosystem and home appliance lines, Samsung is a global leader in monitors and solid-state storage. It also provides components to some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Samsung laptops have been seen at international trade shows, and the first models have now arrived in India. For the time being, the portfolio is relatively small, but the company promises that more models and variants, ranging from entry-level to gaming, are on the way.

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For the time being, I’ll be reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, a premium ultraportable 2-in-1 device. It comes in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch sizes and weighs just 1.04kg and 1.41kg, respectively. For those who don’t want a 2-in-1, there’s also a standard clamshell offering, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, which is even lighter, starting at just 870g. It will be interesting to see how Samsung differentiates itself in a market crowded with both established and emerging brands. So keep reading this Samsung Galaxy book 2 pro 360 review.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 Price

On its website, Samsung lists several options. There is only one model with a 15.6-inch screen. It costs Rs. 1,29,990 with an Intel Core i7 processor and is only available in Graphite. The 13.3-inch models are all available in Silver, with a Core i7 CPU costing Rs. 1,20,990 and a Core i5 CPU costing Rs. 1,15,990.

The Galaxy Book 2 Pro is also available in two screen sizes, with only one 15.6-inch option at the moment. The prices for the 13.3-inch models are Rs. 1,06,990 for a unit with a Core i5 CPU and Rs. 1,14,990 for a unit with a Core i7 CPU, both in Silver.

Samsung announced at its global launch that the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 in both sizes would be available with either CPU and in Silver or Graphite, with an additional Burgundy option for the smaller model, so these options may appear later. With each purchase, you can get a pair of Galaxy Buds 2 true wireless earphones for Rs. 999 and Rs. 5,000 cashback if you are a customer of a specific bank.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 Design

When folded into tablet mode, 2-in-1s are typically bulky and unwieldy, but the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 may be thin and light enough to be useful as a tablet. It is only 1.04kg in weight and 11.5mm thick (when folded closed). In terms of size and volume, it’s comparable to the current-generation MacBook Air (Review), but it’s noticeably lighter. This laptop fits easily into any shoulder bag or backpack, and I could carry it all day without getting tired. The Intel Evo badge indicates that Samsung has gone through Intel’s certification process in order to meet certain performance and portability targets.

The build quality is also excellent. The all-metal body is solid, and the hinges are firm but smooth. You can raise the lid with one finger and flip it around in one smooth motion. You don’t have to hold the base down to lift the lid, which is common with ultraportable laptops, but it takes some effort due to the strong magnets that keep the lid closed.

When closed, the back of the keyboard deck curves downwards to meet the hinges, and the chin of the monitor curves forward to lie flat against it. However, when flipped around into tablet mode, there’s a pronounced edge right where you’d naturally hold the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, which dug into my palm a little. This is also the location of a large exhaust vent – more on that later.

For the lid, Samsung has gone with a completely plain matte brushed metal finish, with only a small off-center brand logo. This gives the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 a premium appearance. The lid did become smudged after a week or two of regular use, but it is easily cleaned with a damp cloth. On the narrow side of the lid, you’ll notice two dots, which are stereo microphones.

13.3-inch touchscreen has a relatively thick black chin

The 13.3-inch touchscreen has a relatively thick black chin, and Samsung could have used a 16:10 panel rather than 16:9 to better utilize this space. Even though the top and side borders are thin, there is room for a webcam at the top. Most ports are too small for this device, but it does have one Thunderbolt and one USB Type-C port on the left, as well as a charging status LED, and another Type-C port on the right, as well as a microSD card slot and 3.5mm audio socket.

The keyboard layout is fairly common. The arrow keys are crammed into one row, but they are at least wide and evenly spaced. A fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button in the upper right corner. This placement is a little surprising – power buttons on 2-in-1s are usually on the side so they aren’t easily pressed accidentally in tablet mode or inaccessible in stand mode. When the hinge is pushed back beyond 180 degrees, the entire keyboard is disabled, including the power button and thus the fingerprint sensor.

The stylus is included in the box, but there is no way to attach it to the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, so you’ll have to carry it around separately and remember not to leave it anywhere. With this device, you also get a smartphone-like 65W wall charger and a fairly long USB Type-C cable. Unfortunately, the charger is quite wide, and it blocked adjacent sockets on my power strip.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 (13.3-inch) Specifications

You can select between the Intel Core i5-1240P and the Intel Core i7-1260P CPUs. Both are 12th Generation models with Intel’s ‘Alder Lake’ architecture. The P-series is geared toward high-end thin-and-lights, which the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is. This is part of a new naming convention that represents a target TDP of 28W. (which is configurable by each laptop manufacturer). Surprisingly, both the Core i5 and Core i7 have the same number of cores – four “performance” cores with Hyper-Threading and eight “efficient” cores. The Core i7 processor in my review unit runs at up to 4.7GHz. In addition, it has more total cache memory and a more powerful integrated Intel Xe GPU with more execution units that run slightly faster than its Core i5 counterpart.

In both variants, Samsung has included 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD as standard. LPDDR5 RAM is soldered and not upgradeable by nature, but the SSD appears to be a standard M.2 module (manufactured by Samsung itself, of course). The battery has a capacity of 63Wh. Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6E are also included. The webcam has a video resolution of 1080p.

The 13.3-inch AMOLED Touchscreen

The 13.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen has a standard 1920×1080 pixel resolution. The Samsung spec sheet says nothing about HDR compatibility, but the Windows 11 settings include options to enable it not only for video playback but also to try to improve games. This enabled flawless HDR video playback on YouTube, but other services may have different requirements. There are stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos for sound.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 (13.3-inch) comes preinstalled with Windows 11 and a surprising amount of software. To begin, you will receive a full Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021 license. There’s also a McAfee Live Safe trial, which constantly displayed annoying ads that used scare tactics to get me to subscribe. Clip Studio is an app that allows you to sketch with a stylus, and it comes with a free trial. There’s also Facebook Messenger, Spotify, Prime Video, Instagram, Google Duo (as a pinned download link), and other services.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 (13.3-inch) Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is about as small as laptops can get without sacrificing performance or features. This is what will really pique people’s interest – just pick it up and you can tell how much easier it will be to carry around every day, compared to any mainstream laptop from the previous few years. The trackpad and keyboard are both very comfortable. The webcam did not impress me, but it will suffice for business-related video calls.

After only a few minutes of casual use, the main usability issue became apparent. The middle of the Fn key row and the metal area above the keyboard were noticeably warm even when sitting idle. Simple tasks like using Windows Explorer or copying files from an external SSD caused the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 to overheat. Working with this laptop on my lap was far less comfortable than working with, say, a MacBook Air. Parts of this laptop were actually too hot to touch for more than a second or two when under heavy load and even when charging.

As previously stated, the placement of the exhaust vent means that hot air will shoot directly into your palm if you hold this device in tablet mode by its long edge. When folded around, the hot area around the keyboard will rest against your body. When lying down or relaxing, using the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 became awkward – it’s best placed on a table in either laptop or stand mode (with the keyboard acting as a base).

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 Review and Verdict

Samsung is new to the Indian laptop market, but it is no stranger to high-end devices. This Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 review shows that this device has an extremely appealing design. It feels new, slick, and futuristic, and I was surprised by how light it is when I picked it up throughout the review period. The specification sheet checks a lot of boxes, and the 2-in-1 functionality is nice to have even if you aren’t looking for it.

The performance is excellent for an ultraportable, and the battery life deserves special mention, but when it comes to actual usability, there are several minor niggles and one major issue – heat. When I was out and about, I had difficulty using this laptop because it was simply too hot to work with on my lap. When typing, I also needed to take breaks. I had to hold it in very specific ways and stick to basic tasks when I wanted to relax and use it as a tablet.

Despite its light weight, this 2-in-1 cannot compete with the sheer convenience of a tablet. If you’re deciding between the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 and its non-2-in-1 sibling, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, consider how and when you’ll use your device, as the latter is slightly lighter and less expensive.

I’m glad Samsung has finally launched laptops in India, but we hope it will also bring more mainstream models at more affordable prices. It’s also possible that the 15.6-inch Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 will have improved airflow and stronger cooling. If you’re looking for a premium ultraportable 2-in-1 and like the look of the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, or if you want a computer that integrates closely with your Samsung phone, try it out in person at an official retail outlet to see if it’s right for you.

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