Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 series has powerful processors, OLED displays, and FHD webcams

Last year, Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro 360 blew us away when we reviewed it, and today, the company is refreshing the whole lineup. It’s introducing the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, Galaxy Book Pro 2 360, and Galaxy Book 2. There’s a fourth model too, the Galaxy Book 2 Business, but only some details of that one are being announced now.

“Our goal at Samsung is not just to create mobile technology, but to give our users unique experiences that fundamentally enhance their everyday lives,” said Hark-sang Kim, Executive Vice President & Head of New Computing R&D Team of Mobile experience Business, Samsung Electronics. “As part of this pursuit, we are reimagining the PC. Together, with seamless continuity across our Galaxy devices and secure mobility, users can unlock more efficiency and enable the possibilities of the office of tomorrow.”

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Pro 360

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 still include the two key features that set the previous generation apart from the pack. They’re incredibly light, and they have FHD AMOLED displays. The Galaxy Book Pro comes in at 1.92 and 2.45 pounds for the 13.3- and 15.6-inch models, respectively, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 comes in at 2.29 and 3.06 pounds for 13.3- and 15.6-inch models, respectively.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro

With FHD AMOLED displays, you get the true blacks and vibrant colors that those kinds of screens provide, but without the battery drain that comes with 4K resolution. This was one of the key differentiators that Samsung had last year, so it makes sense that it’s doing the same thing this year.

One of the things that’s new this year is Intel’s 12th-generation processors. They use the new 28W P-series chips, specifically the Core i7-1260P in the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, while the Pro has that as well as an option for the Core i5-1240P. Not only do the new CPUs have a higher wattage, but they have a new hybrid architecture, mixing performance cores and efficiency cores to optimize power.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 with Tab S8 as second screen

Another thing that’s new is an FHD webcam, which is a big step up from the HD webcams seen in the previous generation. This is a recommendation under Intel’s latest Evo specification, so you’re going to see a lot of it this year. And if you work from home, it’s going to be a welcome change.

Next up, we have security. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro series meets Microsoft’s secured-core PC requirements, using hardware, firmware, and software to protect your device from bad actors.

“Working with Samsung on the Galaxy Book2 Pro series is the next chapter in our proud collaboration to remove barriers between different operating systems and bring the best of Microsoft apps and services to the Galaxy Ecosystem,” said David Weston, director of Enterprise and OS Security, Microsoft. “Delivering the first consumer PC with Microsoft’s secured-core PC designation is a crucial step in this effort as today’s consumers deserve the same security protections they get in the office as they do while working remotely.”

With pre-orders beginning on March 18, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 comes in Burgundy, Graphite, and Silver, and it starts at $1,249.99. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro comes in Graphite and Silver, starting at $1,049.99.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360

With the lack of ‘Pro’ branding, the Galaxy Book 2 360 is meant to be more mainstream. There are a couple of key differences.

First of all, it uses U-series processors, specifically the Core i5-1235U or Core i7-1255U. With Intel’s 12th-generation CPUs, the P-series is new. In previous years, everything in this range would have been U-series, so this is the first time that we’re seeing a differentiation in CPU power. The Galaxy Book 2 360 is still getting a 15W chip, so it’s the Pro that’s getting a boost, rather than the non-Pro getting a downgrade.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360

Still, the 12th-gen U-series processors only have two performance cores, while they pack eight efficiency cores. These CPUs haven’t hit the market yet, so we haven’t been able to test them out. It’s going to be interesting to see how they do though, as they’re radically different from the quad-core chips of years past.

One other thing that’s different about the Galaxy Book 2 360 is that is has an HD webcam, rather than the newer FHD sensor that the Pro got. It’s also a little bit heavier at 2.62 pounds, although that’s still very light for a 13-inch convertible.

One thing that’s not different from the Pro, but is different from the previous generation, is that the Galaxy Book 2 360 has an AMOLED display. Obviously, this is going to be a big improvement for the overall experience as discussed earlier.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Book 2 360 also start on March 18, and it comes in Graphite and Silver, starting at $899.99.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Business

Samsung is also entering the business laptop space, competing with Lenovo’s ThinkPads and HP’s EliteBooks. This product is the one that still has some question marks though, as the Korean firm says that it’s going to announce more details later this spring.

It has a 14-inch anti-glare 16:10 display, so it’s a completely different panel than the AMOLED one found on the rest of the Galaxy Book 2 lineup. This one isn’t AMOLED at all, with the company prioritizing the matte finish to suit businesses. It’s also got an FHD camera, Windows 11 Pro, and a bunch of ports like USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and Ethernet.

The Galaxy Book 2 Business comes with Intel 12th-gen vPro processors, which haven’t actually been announced by Intel just yet. It’s shown off the SKUs, but it hasn’t fully announced the chips. That might be one of the reasons that this laptop is coming later on this spring.

Interestingly, this laptop is the only one of the bunch that comes with cellular connectivity, as it’s a common feature found in business laptops. It will be out in April.

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