Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Pro 360 hands-on: Slim machines that impress

Samsung updated its line of Windows laptops at Mobile World Congress and the new series jumps into the market feet first with top specs and appealing designs.

Though the company announced four new models — including the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, the Book 2 360, and the Book 2 Business — only two were on hand in Barcelona. We were able to spend a little time with the two stylish Pro computers — which have the exact same design save for the rotating screen — and have some initial impressions on the latest from Samsung.

First, they are slim! With thicknesses of less than 12mm across the line, Samsung created some of the trimmest laptops I’ve seen. In fact, I wonder if they’re almost too thin. The top deck of the larger model came across as a little flexible when I used it, which means the screen may not be as protected as it should be. Still, the sleek build is appealing in more ways than one.

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The laptops are also fairly light, ranging from 0.87kg to 1.41kg, depending on the model you select. None of them will be burdensome to tote about in a knapsack all day. The quality of the metal enclosures is quite good too. The metal had a pleasing texture and the Graphite, Silver, and Burgundy colorways each had positive qualities.

The 16:9 ratio of the 13.3- and 15.6-inch screens mean you still have plenty of chassis to grab onto when handling any of these computers: There’s a bit of bezel around the sides of the displays and a chunky black bar along the bottom of the screen. Sadly, I was left less than dazzled by the AMOLED panels. The FHD resolution works fine on the 13.3-inch models but it leaves things a bit fuzzy on the large 15.6-inch models. Moreover, the screens were covered in highly reflective glass, which led to a lot of glare in the event space. Samsung says the new Galaxy Book 2 family is great for “working from anywhere” but with screens this reflective I have to wonder just how accurate that claim is. Even so, color representation looked really good and brightness was solid.

Both models have absolutely ginormous trackpads. The large area gives you plenty of space for interacting with the Windows 11 user interface. Where the smaller model has a standard keyboard, the larger models gain a dedicated number pad to the right of the QWERTY keys. Whether I was typing on the large or small keyboard, I found the keys to be well spaced with punchy travel. It’s also nice to have a dedicated fingerprint reader built into the keyboard — it’s on the power key.

Ports-wise, the options are solid. You’ve got three USB-C ports, microSD for expandable storage, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Processor selection is excellent with 12th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 on deck, with RAM options between 8GB and 32GB, and storage up to 1TB.

The devices run Windows 11 with some Samsung customizations made specifically for its Galaxy line of smartphones. For example, the Link to Windows tool allows you to project your Galaxy phone’s display onto the Galaxy Book 2 and ‘use’ your phone on the larger computer screen rather than the phone itself. You’ve also got tools such as Direct Share for pushing larger files back and forth between mobile and PC. These demonstrations worked well when we were shown them in Barcelona.

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Pricing for the Galaxy Book 2 range starts at $899 for the entry-level model and $1,249 for the higher-end Pro 360. Pre-orders start March 18 and the devices will ship April 1.