Samsung is best known for phones and televisions, yet on the computing side, it often takes some of the lessons learned from those products to create amazing laptops. We already liked the original Galaxy Book Pro 360 for some of those reasons, and now the new Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is arriving as a follow-up.
I was hands-on with the new 15-inch, burgundy-colored Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360. The device also comes in graphite and silver. The burgundy is a bold color choice and reminds me a lot of Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook, which came in a bright Fiesta Red color. It’s a nice change from the black or silver laptops I’m used to seeing.
Display Many laptop makers have made the move to 16:10 aspect ratio displays. This is good for productivity, but for multimedia, it often means you end up getting letterboxes in movies and other content. While I was hoping that Samsung might finally make the switch over to the new ratio, this year’s Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 again keeps 16:9. 1920 x 1080 resolution panels, but they are brighter at 500 nits.
This aspect ratio and resolution might not be good for web browsing, but it is great for movies. I pulled up a YouTube video of an aquarium, and I couldn’t help but feel immersed in the full-screen, letterbox-free experience. Samsung told me the panel on the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 hits 120% of the DCI-PC color range and supports HDR content. After noticing the vibrant blues in the fish and purples in the reefs, I am pretty sure I didn’t need a colorimeter to test it.
Keyboard and trackpad The keyboard and trackpad on the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 are unchanged from last year’s model. It has around 1mm of travel, and the 15-inch model has a number pad and a built-in fingerprint reader. Keys are backlit and nice and springy. It’s one of the big generational changes, and I loved it. When I fired it up, I was able to see the fine details in my face, like the curly hairs in my sideburns. The room around me also didn’t look washed out, and the webcam picked up the studio lighting just right without making it look too overblown.
And who says looks aren't everything? 💻