Two very beautiful models, light and very versatile, all at a reasonable price… could these be the future kings of the segment?
Samsung’s turn to unveil its new products at MWC 2022. We thus discover the Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, two ultrabooks that exude elegance and performance.
Samsung therefore picks up where it left off a few years ago; for its big comeback in this segment, the manufacturer is unveiling devices that are not only very successful from an aesthetic point of view, but also extremely well balanced in terms of price and performance.
Sleek, lightweight and versatile devices
The first is a relatively standard ultraportable, but with a nevertheless flattering technical sheet. It starts with a screen with a modest resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) but which benefits from Super AMOLED technology and should therefore offer quite satisfactory image quality for a device of this caliber.
This Galaxy Book 2 Pro will be offered in versions: a small 13.3 inch, and a larger 15.6 inch. It is also a fairly light device. The smaller of the two models barely weighs 870 g on the scale, for 1.17 kg for the 15.6-inch version. It is also extremely thin, with less than 12mm at the hinge on all models!
Alder Lake on the menu
Under the hood, there is a 12th generation Intel processor. The exact models have not yet been specified. On the other hand, we already know that future customers will have the choice between two versions. The first will be equipped with an Intel Core i5, while the second will be entitled to a higher-end Core i7.
Obviously, on such a fine device, it is advisable to moderate one’s expectations on the graphic part; it will be necessary to rely on the Intel Iris Xe platform or on an Intel Arc card (optional on the 15.6-inch version). The set will be supported by 8, 16, or 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. It will also ship up to 1 TB of storage space in the form of an NVMe SSD.
Between novelty and back to basics
Note that these new Books have sharper angles than their predecessors. Overall, Samsung has effectively modernized the design of these machines, but the affiliation with the old models remains obvious. It is also worth saluting the very beautiful texture work on the coating, which gives a very refined and professional look to the machine.
No particular surprise at the level of the seizure. Samsung offers us a relatively standard backlit island keyboard that uses the usual codes of its laptops. However, we have the good surprise to discover a numeric keypad in good and due form, at least on the 15.6-inch version. A point that is always appreciable both in terms of productivity and ergonomics.
A do-it-all butler for work and everyday life
Connectivity level, finesse requires, we did not necessarily expect much from this Galaxy Book2 Pro. So we were pleasantly surprised to find a headphone jack, a micro-SD port, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, a standard USB-C port, a Thunderbolt port, and even a full-size HDMI port, which is pretty rare for be emphasized on this type of device.
The wireless part will be managed using Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 standards. Note that the 15.6-inch version will also be entitled to a 5G chip and an optional nano-sim slot.
Surprisingly, the battery will be much the same on the 13.3 and 15.6 inch models. The former will be entitled to 63 Wh, while the latter will benefit from 5 Wh bonus to reach 68 Wh. According to Samsung, this should offer an average autonomy of 21 hours for these machines.
A convertible version is available
Samsung has also presented another version of its machine, for those looking for even more versatility. At first glance, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is a carbon copy of the original version. There is the same processor, as much RAM, the same connectors, a strictly identical battery… The only significant difference is in the screen.
The slab itself remains the same, but, as the name of the model indicates, it can now fully rotate to transform the device into a high-end tablet. A convertible format that works particularly well with devices of this size, especially the smaller of the two.
Inevitably, it will take a very small surplus on the scale, but they are still very light. These models will weigh 1.04 kg for the 13.3-inch version and 1.41 kg for the 15.6-inch model respectively.
The Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 will be launched next April, and at a price that seems very interesting if we rely on the apparent quality of these devices. The standard version should start around $1049.49 (~€937). The convertible version will necessarily be slightly more expensive, at $1249 (~€1117). This Book 2 range could therefore establish itself as an excellent deal, even as one of the kings of this ultra-competitive segment.
