After a couple of laptops, in form of the Galaxy Book Flex and Ion, that flattered to deceive, Samsung shook things up with a simpler range of Galaxy Book Pro devices. Both the Pro and the Pro 360 were no-frills machines, with a focus on build quality in a thin chassis—and it worked. Now, Samsung is back with the follow-up range, including the sequel to one of our favorite 2-in-1s, the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360. Samsung hasn’t sought to reinvent itself again, though, with iterative updates making up much of what is new with this latest model.
The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 clearly isn’t designed to stun, with a fairly standard clamshell look—and this is particularly the case with the simple silver model I tested. Instead, it’s the quality feel of the device, alongside its thinness, at 11.9 mm, and manageable weight, 3.11 pounds (1.4 kg), that’s worth appreciating. Though, burgundy and graphite options do half-heartedly attempt to jazz things up a bit.
The quality of the device is, unfortunately, betrayed by one key qualm and a smaller nitpick. During my testing, the machine picked up some small marks below the display. These marks aren’t all that noticeable, but, having only been transferred to and from a bag for just over a week, it’s disappointing to see them crop up so easily. You’ll want to take extra, extra care with this Samsung laptop to ensure it remains pristine. You should also pick your color option wisely. The blue version available for last-year’s model was something of a fingerprint magnet, so the silver color may be the safe option for a tidy look.
The thinness of the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is a key reason why it works so well as a 2-in-1 machine. When flipped around into tablet mode, it doesn’t feel cumbersome to hold and operate, and this is true of the 15.6-inch model I’ve tested for this review, so I would expect the smaller 13.3-inch version to offer even more comfort in this regard. The continually excellent S Pen is included with the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 range, and it works speedily and accurately in tablet mode. You can use it in tent or clamshell modes, but this isn’t where a stylus performs best.
Evolution Not Resolution
Photograph: Samsung
Like with the previous model, the quality of the display is a big selling point for this laptop. The screen is supremely bright, extremely colorful and brings impressive contrast. Some may be dismayed that Samsung once again sticks with a Full HD panel here, but the lack of pixels doesn’t tell the whole story. This AMOLED screen is stunning. And, combined with the 360-hinge, it makes this a great device for watching movies and TV as well as viewing your own photos and videos.
The speakers add to the experience, with some of the best laptop sound around. The audio is booming in the right places, even for such as a thin device, as well as keeping its detail and accuracy at high volumes. They aren’t quite MacBook level, but they are up there with the excellent Dell XPS speakers.
The 16:9 display helps with the movie-watching experience, too, lessening those black bars framing your favorite flick. Nevertheless, this aspect ratio does feel out of date alongside some fairly hefty bezels, with the majority of Samsung’s rivals having moved to aspect ratios like 16:10 and 3:2. As such, you don’t get a very productivity-friendly display, afforded by a taller screen that squeezes on more text.
The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 laptop’s usability as a tablet is a saving grace. It isn’t a replacement for a squarer display, but positioning this device in a portrait orientation, in tablet mode, gives you a very tall screen for navigating articles and scrolling social media.
