Samsung’s Galaxy Book line was a pleasant surprise last year, and at first blush, the Galaxy Book2 series looks like it will pick right up where those left off with the Galaxy Book2, Book2 Business, Book2 Pro, and Book2 Pro 360.
Last year’s Galaxy Book Pro 360 earned our Editor’s Choice award and a place among the best 15-inch laptops. We’re excited to dive in and see if Samsung managed to fix the couple of quibbles we had with last year’s models, which could put the Galaxy Book2 series in the conversation among the best laptops in several categories in 2022.
Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360
Starting at the top of the lineup, the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 adds up to an Intel 12th Gen Core i7 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to a 1TB SSD. Whether you opt for the 13.3-inch or 15.6-inch display, you still get an FHD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED touchscreen.
The 13.3-inch model is just 0.45 inches thick and weighs 2.3 pounds. Opting for the larger display bumps those up to 0.47 inches and 3.1 pounds. Suffice to say that both may as well be the entries in the dictionary for “thin-and-light laptop,” and it’s all the more astounding when you remember that they are 2-in-1s. On that subject, the S Pen comes in the box for note-taking or more artistic pursuits, but unlike the Galaxy S22 Ultra, there’s still no built-in silo to store it. Hinge strength is the biggest drawback to Samsung’s 2-in-1s to date, so we’ll be paying careful attention to that in our review.
Samsung boasts that the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 will offer up to 21 hours of battery life; needless to say, we’ll be testing that for our review as that would be a roughly 8-hour boost from the already solid battery life of its predecessor. However long it takes you to burn through a charge, you’ll top it back up with the 65W USB-C adapter, which is the standard.
Security remains a priority for Samsung with a secured-core and a fingerprint sensor built into the power key. Still no Windows Hello or other facial recognition support. Ports aren’t varied but are reasonably plentiful with a Thunderbolt 4 port, a pair of USB Type-C ports, a combo headphone/mic jack, and a microSD slot. Support for Wi-Fi 6E has you solidly future-proofed on wireless connectivity.
There are a few other notable differences between the two models. You get two 4W speakers on the 13.3-inch model, while the larger Book2 Pro 360 benefits from a pair of 5W speakers. Both feature Sound by AKG and Dolby Atmos support. Both models feature an island-style backlit keyboard, but the 15.6 version also gets a 3-row Numeric keypad.
There is no pricing yet, but the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 will ship in April.
Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro
As you probably guessed, the Galaxy Book2 Pro drops 360 and with it the 2-in-1 form factor and touchscreen. For those who want a traditional clamshell laptop, you get many benefits for skipping that 360 hinge.
The most obvious is a drop in thickness and weight, with the 13.3-inch model coming in at a mere 1.9 pounds and 0.44-inches thick. The 15.6-inch Book2 Pro shaves even more weight off at 2.44 pounds (vs. 3.1 pounds) and 0.46-inches thick. It may not be as flexible, but it’s hard to argue with that weight savings if you are constantly on the go.
The displays are AMOLED FHD (1920 x 1080) regardless of size. Internally, each one offers a similar array of options with up to Intel 12th Gen Core i7 processors, up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. Graphics is the only area where you get different options; the smaller Galaxy Book2 is limited to Intel Iris Xe graphics, while the 15.6-inch can upgrade to Intel’s new discrete Arc graphics.
Ports are nearly identical across the two laptops with a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port, HDMI and a combo 3.5mm headphone/mic jack. The lone difference is an optional nano SIM slot on the 15.6-inch model for those that want 5G connectivity when Wi-Fi isn’t available.
Both laptops feature an FHD 1080p webcam with a dual array mic. The smaller model again features a pair of 4W speakers, while the larger model bumps those up to 5W with Sound by AKG and Dolby Atmos support for both. Each laptop has an island-style keyboard, but the 15.6-inch model adds a 3-row numeric keypad.
Both variants of the Galaxy Book2 Pro are expected in April.
Samsung Galaxy Book2
The base model Galaxy Book2 simplifies things with just a single 13.3-inch OLED touchscreen display option with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Given its 2-in-1 form factor and more affordable price point, it’s not surprising that it isn’t quite as thin-and-light as its premium counterparts, but at 0.5 inches thick and 2.56 pounds, it’s still hardly a burden in your laptop bag.
CPU options still go up to Intel 12th Gen Core i7 but watch those base models as it drops to a Celeron, and similarly, the graphics start at Intel UHD with the option to bump up to Iris Xe graphics. Ram tops out at 16GB of LPDDR4x, while storage is still a max of 1TB.
The webcam on the Book2 drops to 720p, but it does keep the dual-array mic and Dolby Atmos support. Ports are still solid with a Thunderbolt 4, a USB Type-C, a USB Type-A, HDMI, a combo headphone/mic jack, and a microSD slot. Connectivity is once again future-proofed with Wi-Fi 6E.
We are still waiting on pricing, but availability starts in April.
