Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 overview and specs

Several Galaxy Book laptops are offered by Samsung and here we are testing the Pro 360 model. An ultraportable in 13-inch format, which has a hinge capable of tilting 360 degrees. This allows several types of use: tent mode, tablet mode, “classic” laptop format… A concept that is not new, but remains appreciable, even if, most of the time, the use will remain “classic” , with the keyboard resting on your lap. Note that Samsung still encourages tactile use thanks to a supplied stylus and can be attached magnetically behind the screen. A nice additional argument.

screen size	13.3 inches
Screen type	OLED
Screen definition	1920×1080 pixel
Refresh rate	60Hz
Processor	Intel Core i7-1260P
Graphic card	Intel Iris Xe
RAM	16 GB LPDDR5
Storage	512 GB / 1 TB NVMe SSD
connectors	3 USB-C, 1 jack, 1 microSD
Dimensions	30 x 21 x 1cm
Weight	1kg

Buy the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 from Samsung

Design and construction: a “truly” ultraportable ultraportable

If you’re looking for a truly ultraportable laptop, you’ve come to the right place: the first thing that impresses when you first see the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is its lightness and compactness. It weighs in fact a very small kilo and slips without any problem into a medium-sized bag, thanks to its 30 cm long and 20 cm wide. When closed, it is no thicker than a magazine, at 1.1 cm thick. It’s impressive, especially since the product still seems solid. The all-aluminum chassis is impeccably put together and nothing sounds hollow. The hinge inspires confidence and you won’t be afraid to open the screen all at once and rotate the whole thing in all directions. The level of finish is excellent and the whole has a matte treatment, very effective against fingerprints. It is sober, classy and effective.

The input area is of the same ilk. There is thus a fairly large keyboard which occupies almost the entire length, as well as an efficient and perfectly integrated touchpad, which we would have liked a little larger all the same. You can indeed feel a little cramped if you like to make big moves.

The keyboard is, meanwhile, quite confusing at first. The key travel is extremely short and the typing sensation is not very present. The keys still emit a slight click when pressed, which gives a better impression of feedback. In use, however, it must be recognized that the typing is pleasant and ultimately quite precise (all this text is also written on it). It will therefore be easy to use it for several hours, even if it takes some time to adapt. It is also the price to pay to benefit from such finesse and lightness.

Note also that the ignition button at the top left benefits from a fingerprint sensor allowing you to unlock your Windows 11 session very easily. The configuration is done in a few seconds during the first start and the fingerprint recognition works perfectly.

Another sacrifice for the benefit of the ultraportable format: connectivity. This is indeed limited, but we still appreciate the presence of a microSD card reader. You then have to make do with 3 USB-C ports, one of which is Thunderbolt 4 compatible, and a Jack socket. As such, we would have liked a USB-C to USB-A adapter to be offered in the box. Charging is also done via USB-C.

Screen: OLED that pleases

For the screen of this new Galaxy Book, Samsung is relying on a technology that it masters perfectly: AMOLED, and with it the promise of infinite contrast and brilliant colors. On the number side, the 13.3-inch panel displays a Full HD definition (1920×1080 pixels) and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Too bad not to take advantage of the recent OLED panels manufactured by Samsung Display, which can go up to 90 Hz.

1080p screen is limited to 60Hz

Before talking about the figures recorded by our probe (contrast, brightness, colorimetry), let’s quickly go back to the design of the area around the screen, with the regret of noting a wide band below, which suggests that we would have been able to take advantage of much thinner edges and, why not, a 16:10 format instead of a classic 16:9. A margin of progress for the next generation, without a doubt.

Shame about the wide band around the screen.

Anyway, we are dealing with a very good screen, in line with what is expected on OLED. Without being exceptional, the maximum brightness remains very good (390 cd / m2) and the contrast ratio is indeed “infinite”. Blacks are therefore perfectly black. The readability is good, but the glossy treatment linked to the touchscreen still causes a lot of reflections, which will limit readability outdoors and force you to keep the brightness at maximum most of the time (and therefore reduce autonomy). Pity.

Nothing to complain about, on the other hand, on the colorimetry side: with a Delta E of 1.8 and a color temperature of 7020K, we are dealing with an ultra faithful and balanced rendering. Remember that the Delta E corresponds to the difference between the real colors and the colors displayed and must be as low as possible. The temperature corresponds to the balance between the warm colors and the cold colors, and must be around 6500K.

Several screen profiles are offered (we kept the default profile)

In short, a very good screen, which would undoubtedly have benefited from a better anti-reflective treatment, but which benefits from all the advantages of OLED in terms of contrast and colors.

Performance: a latest generation Intel processor that ensures

2022 saw the arrival of 12th generation processors at Intel and it is no surprise that this new Galaxy Book benefits from it. We are therefore entitled to a Core i7-1260P under Alder Lake architecture. It is a CPU with 12 cores, 4 of which are dedicated to “greedy” tasks (so-called “performance” cores) and 8 cores are reserved for energy efficiency. This is a new approach for Intel, which turns out to be rather profitable on a laptop-type product, since we will have a good balance in performance and autonomy. The CPU is also not very greedy, since it consumes only 28W by default. For the graphics part, the integrated GPU (iGPU) is an Intel Iris Xe. It offers limited performance in games, but will be sufficient for less demanding titles in 720p or 1080p, at a “medium” level of detail. To this new generation processor are added 16 GB of RAM in LPDDR5 and an NVMe SSD of 512 GB or 1 TB.

Core i7-1260p specs

Concretely, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 with this new Core i7 processor will be very fast on a wide variety of tasks, but will still show its limits on more demanding things, such as video editing or advanced photo editing. . The good amount of RAM and the speed of the SSD will still allow real comfort on a daily basis in 90% of uses. But, if only by its format, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is above all a “luxury” office product, which offers an excellent user experience under Windows 11.

Cinebench score is good, but behind a Ryzen 7 5800H

The advantage of having a low-power processor is also to be found in terms of heating and noise. The vast majority of the time, the chassis does not heat up and the PC remains completely silent. By stressing the whole thing a little (in our case with the OCCT “stress test”), the temperatures will rise and the underside of the PC will become quite hot, but at a level that remains quite acceptable, accompanied by a breath very light that you will hear only by sticking your ear to the ventilation grille located below.

Autonomy: it largely lasts the day and more

Going to work with the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 2 in your bag and forgetting the charger? It’s not a problem, since it will largely last the day. This is certainly one of the biggest strengths of the product. Autonomy rises very easily to 12 or 13 hours by using energy saving correctly. On the video streaming side, our Netflix test with the Chrome browser ran for 11 hours battery before the battery was completely flat. Again an excellent result.

On the charging side, the PC is supplied with a 65W fast charger no bigger than that of a smartphone. It allows a full charge in just under 2h30.

Buy the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 from Samsung

Conclusion