Great to use in tablet mode; the best 1080p display around; bassy speakers; big trackpad and pleasant keyboard; versatile S Pen

Fans get going early; no 16:10/3:2 display

Samsung reintroduced itself as a serious laptop contender back in 2019, with the Galaxy Book Ion and Galaxy Book Flex. Both devices offered solid specs and a decent look to differentiate them from the rest of the field but a fairly high price in a competitive market meant they didn’t make a huge impact. In 2021, Samsung has shifted its priorities – with the launch of the Galaxy Book, Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360. Looks have been reigned in, giving a couple of key features their chance to shine. For the Galaxy Book Pro 360, Samsung has genuinely taken the 2-in-1 category up a notch.

You’ll be best served if you’re someone who’s long had their eye on a laptop with a 360-degree hinge – ideal for watching movies in “tent” mode or doing some sketches in tablet mode.

However, this doesn’t have to be your priority, as Samsung’s new 2-in-1 is a top performer as a regular ol’ ultrabook too – with one of the best 1080p displays around and a range of other high-spec features. The Galaxy Book Pro 360 does come up against stiffer competition in that area though, such as the Dell XPS 13 and Apple MacBook Air. The regular Galaxy Book Pro is one to consider too, if 2-in-1s aren’t your thing, adding the option of LTE support and some upgradeability too, which you don’t get here.

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 is one of the best looking laptops you can buy right now. While the Galaxy Book Flex and Ion were slightly more eye-catching, this laptop is laser-focused on a thin and contemporary look. No frills, just finesse.

At between 11.5-11.9mm thick and 1.04-1.39kg – depending on if you opt for the 13.3 or 15.6-inch model – the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is remarkably portable. The 15.6-inch model we tested is easily one of the most portable takes on this size. Samsung has taken many cues from the LG Gram range with these new machines but turned up the dial on build quality as well as its display capabilities. That's a clever move as LG’s laptops are already strong options in their own right.

Samsung’s latest 2-in-1 is nothing short of a pleasure to use – from the moment you pick up its light, aluminium body to opening it up and getting to work with its Super AMOLED display. The trackpad and keyboard keep this standard up too, with an impressively large trackpad flanking a keyboard with a surprising amount of travel – if lacking a bit of tactile response.

Performance is up there with the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360 14, even slightly topping rivals when it came to our graphical testing – meaning you’ll be able to eke out some basic gaming in titles like Rocket League and Fortnite. It does fall down when it comes to fan noise – they are very eager. Even when carrying out fairly low demand productivity tasks – 3-6 tabs in Chrome – the fans got going. It wasn’t all that distracting but it’s there and most substantial than rivals. 

Thankfully, Samsung has included some of its own performance settings with this device – including “Silent” and “No Fan” modes. After eagerly taking advantage of the latter, there was little slowdown of note – the underside did get a tad warmer – though you’ll likely have to shift it back to normal under more sustained workloads. Fan speed aside, this laptop will comfortably tackle all the productivity demands you’d expect of a high-end ultrabook – upwards of 15 browsers tabs and multi-tasking across media apps… no problem.

While the keyboard is certainly the most impressive performer here when viewed in the context of this laptop’s extremely thin design, the speakers come in a close second. They don’t match the capabilities of Apple’s MacBooks but the bass isn’t a million miles away. There’s a well-rounded quality to the sound, with a wide soundstage and genuinely impactful bass. The volume doesn’t hit the heights of many rivals but we don’t suspect blasting out music from your laptop is a priority for many.

There’s a half-decent port selection too. You may be still reaching for a dongle if you’re someone who’d like a full-size SD card reader or HDMI port but, for most, the combination of 2x USB-C 3.2 ports, a Thunderbolt 4 port, headphones jack and microSD reader will be a solid offering. There’s a fingerprint scanner too for swift sign-in convenience.

2-in-1 fans, this laptop hits all the key features you’ll be looking for. Whether you set in up in tent or tablet mode, it works great. The hinge is slightly less sturdy than its key rival HP's Spectre x360 14 but it stays in place once you put it down so there’s little difference day-to-day. It’s also the best 2-in-1 laptop we’ve ever used in tablet mode. Of course, you can’t escape the awkward feeling of having the keys on the back of the device but, in terms of weight distribution and just not feeling cumbersome to hold, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 nails it.

The ease of use in holding this laptop certainly comes down to its shape and thinness – feeling like you get a solid grip on it, as you would a tablet. Unfortunately, the thinness does mean there’s no room for a slot for the S Pen – a fully sized stylus offering here as opposed to the miniature mobiles S Pen. That doesn’t feel like a huge sacrifice given how key its thin design is to how well it works as a 2-in-1. It would’ve been nice for this larger S Pen to have some home of the device – even magnetically – but that’s something for the next iteration, no doubt.

The S Pen performs remarkably well. Samsung recently beefed up its mobiles S Pen capabilities for its phoness and this S Pen feels just as performant – with near unnoticeable lag and pressure sensitivity for when you want to shade.

The creative capabilities of this 2-in-1, as well as its video watching chops, are all presented gloriously on the 1080p Super AMOLED panel of the Galaxy Book Pro 360. While the HP Spectre x360 14 goes in a bit harder with an OLED option at a QHD+ resolution, Samsung’s 2-in-1 makes a smarter play by producing the best 1080p display you’ll have ever seen on a laptop – with a welcome boost to battery life, coming in at upwards of 13 hours for the 15-inch model. The display itself looks quality far beyond what you’ll have come to expect from a 1080p panel, aided by that Super AMOLED tech. Vibrant and crisp colours make for a stunning movie-watching experience and an absolutely delightful time to be had in creating your works of art with the included S Pen.

Quite simply, don’t buy the blue one. We could caveat this with: unless you are very, very clean. However, for the average person, the Mystic Navy version – as nice as it may initially look – is going to be an unsightly smudge and fingerprint magnet in next to no time. Having used this laptop for around two weeks, it’s already gone from a dark blue pristine looker of a device to a bit of disappointment from most angles. If you’re willing to clean it very often then the blue is a tad more exciting than the Mystic Silver but, for practicality, it’s probably best avoided.

If you are looking for a 2-in-1 laptop then the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 sets a new standard. For a long time, laptops with a 360-degree hinge have been a great option for watching videos but have often flattered to deceive in tablet mode – they just never felt right. With this laptop, Samsung has focused on a thin and light build that – even with the larger 15-inch model – feels like a device you could learn to love using in its tablet form. The remarkably accurate S Pen, gorgeous Super AMOLED display, impressive speakers and more make this the new best 2-in-1 laptop you can buy right now.

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 wouldn’t be out of place going head-to-head with the traditional best laptops around either but some over-eager fan noise and lack of a 16:10 or 3:2 display keep it firmly out of the rearview mirrors of Dell and Apple.

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This article was originally published by WIRED UK