Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 Review: A Top Windows 2in1 For Samsung Users
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 features a stunning 16-inch AMOLED display with a superb 120Hz refresh rate, powerful quad speakers and plenty of ports in a sleek and ultra-light body. A few shortcomings keep it from being the perfect 2-in-1 transformer, and its Achilles' heel is far from stellar battery life. But if you've already invested in the Samsung ecosystem, compatibility with Samsung devices is hard to beat.
In addition to making some of the best phones out there, Samsung wants to be a leader in other device categories as well. Of course, Apple still dominates the tablet and laptop market as a popular consumer choice. However, the South Korean giant is gaining momentum with sleek and lightweight PCs that offer high performance and extensive integration with other products in its ecosystem. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is Samsung's latest 2-in-1 portable machine, but is it worth the price compared to the competition? This is a review of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 by Android Authority .
About this Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 review: I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 for two weeks. I used Windows 11 with One UI 5. Samsung provided the disc for this review.
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 Review: Everything You Need to Know
Adam Barney / Android Authority
- Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 16" (i7/16GB/512GB): $1399.99
- Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 16" (i7/16GB/1TB): $1,899.99
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is Samsung's flagship 2-in-1 Windows laptop for 2023, which means you can use it as a traditional laptop or flip the display to use touch as a mode. The tablet is compatible with the S Pen. This is the highest-end laptop in the Galaxy Book 3 series, above the Book 3 Pro which works like a standard laptop and the Book 3 360 which has the same form factor. 1 in 2, but with a smaller screen and no S Pen. All other Galaxy Book 3 laptops come with the same processors, memory, and storage but lower resolution screens (Full HD vs. 3K).
Samsung has introduced a new 16:10 aspect ratio unique to the screens of the Galaxy Book 3. For reading, writing or drawing. The 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics, as well as 16GB of RAM and 512GB or 1TB of internal storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card slot. .
In the box with the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, you get a laptop, a 65W power adapter, a Samsung S Pen, and a USB-C to USB-C cable. Samsung sells the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 in most major markets such as North America and Europe. The laptop can be upgraded with Wi-Fi 6E support, and there's also a 5G capable model, although it's only available in select regions (other than the US at the time of publishing). letter).
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 comes in Graphite and Beige and is available for purchase at Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy, and other major hardware stores.
What I love about the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360
Adam Barney / Android Authority
Let's start with the most interesting aspect of the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360: the screen. Samsung has made significant improvements in this regard, ditching the previous Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360's 1080p display in favor of a smooth 3K display at 2880 x 1800 (~212dpi). The AMOLED screen means you get more realistic blacks with better contrast, making it perfect for streaming or gaming.
The new 16:10 aspect ratio lends itself well to the 2-in-1 form factor, offering plenty of screen real estate when used as a laptop or tablet. I was comfortable reading articles in landscape or portrait, and the built-in writing feature in Windows 11 made it easy to split the screen to take notes while watching a video or reading a document. What I don't like visually is the thick bezel almost an inch below the screen.
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360's 120Hz refresh rate is something I didn't know I needed in a laptop and now I don't want to go back.
However, my favorite feature of the display is the 120Hz refresh rate. It's a huge improvement over the previous model's 60Hz refresh rate, and it's ruined my web experience on most other laptops. Everything feels very fluid, not only swiping through websites and apps, but especially writing on the screen with the S Pen. Marks appear exactly when you touch the screen without wavy objects when drawing lines.
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is as thin as ever, measuring just half an inch long when folded flat. Despite the slim design, you get a full keyboard with number pad and plenty of ports, including HDMI, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an old-school USB-A port, as well as a microSD card reader and a headphone jack. / microphone input combination.
In particular, the HDMI and USB-A ports deserve praise, allowing you to connect monitors or external devices without the use of USB adapters or hubs. Other thin laptops like the MacBook Air M2 don't have them, but Samsung is proving they can fit in a thin form factor. However, since the laptop uses a Thunderbolt 4 port for charging, I wish Samsung didn't put both ports on the same side. A Thunderbolt port on both sides would be more versatile, allowing easy access to the cable no matter where you plug it into your charger.
The keys on the keyboard have more resistance and are less soft than the Galaxy Book 2 Pro I tested earlier. There are multiple brightness levels to adjust the backlight or adapt to ambient light conditions, which is a plus. Some people may not like the number pad as it moves the whole keyboard and keypad to the left. However, I personally find the numeric keypad useful for entering security codes or quick calculations.
As for the trackpad, it's one of the largest ever used on a laptop, at 7.5 inches, 39% larger than the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 trackpad . It uses a trampoline design that is very sensitive to clicks, swipes and gestures. Being so big, I also liked that the touchpad only registers taps in the bottom right corner as a right-click, making it immune to any accidental right-clicks if you click or right-click.
Performance is another strength of the laptop. The 13th generation Intel Core processor makes it fast enough to handle many applications for everyday tasks. The model I tested shipped with an i7-1360P and 16GB of RAM, navigated dozens of open tabs without issue, and played 4K video without noticeable lag. The fans kicked here and there, but when they returned, they didn't make any disturbing noises.
Adam Barney / Android Authority
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 performed fairly well in the Geekbench 6 multi-core test and outperformed other Windows laptops with 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processors such as the Dell XPS 13 Plus. It competes with Apple's lightweight MacBook Air M2 but doesn't come close to the more powerful MacBook Pro M2.
Now there is no dedicated GPU so this is not a gaming laptop, for that you will have to look for the more expensive Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra with NVIDIA RTX graphics card. played some games with Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming. Older games like Portal 2 or stylized RPGs like Persona 5 Royale worked well and you can even use the touchscreen as a controller. However, I have experienced freezes and stutters in more graphically intensive games like Ghostwire: Tokyo, especially when running cutscenes.
Once you sign in to your Samsung account, the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 will automatically connect to all other Galaxy devices around you. This means that you can unpack your Galaxy Bud to connect to your laptop without having to do the Bluetooth setup. The multi-control tool also has some interesting new features, such as the ability to move the cursor around the Galaxy S21 Ultra screen and vice versa. It took a while to get used to, but I found it very useful when copying and pasting files or photos between devices, or when using the keyboard to write a message on my phone instead of the tiny touch screen my thumbs usually type on.
As for the S Pen, it has a nice shape and size, is light in the hand and doesn't need to be charged, so you don't have to worry about draining. Like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Galaxy Book 3 Pro comes with a 360 Air Command menu that gives you some extra features like the ability to GIF video on the screen, annotate screenshots, or colorize content in the core. her to PENUP. . , which is quite interesting and enjoyable on the big screen. Microsoft had its own pen menu with shortcuts for the whiteboard, crop tool, and magazine, but you can customize which of the four apps you want to launch from here.
Audio is another area where Samsung has improved its skills. Instead of sports speakers at the bottom of the case, like the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, there is now a pair of bass and tweeters under the side edges of the frame. High and mid frequencies are reproduced clearly and with full volume, but the sharpness is not enough. However, the sound is loud enough to be heard even with a lot of background noise. Sure, they won't replace a full-fledged speaker or fill a large room, but Dolby Atmos support makes watching YouTube or streaming Netflix enjoyable. I didn't like listening to music on it because of the thin bass, but you can pair it with your favorite headphones or the best wireless headphones for a tweak.
What I don't like about the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360
Adam Barney / Android Authority
While the cool AMOLED screen is great for indoor video viewing, especially in low light, it's not as good in bright light. Brightness levels reach 400 nits, which is not enough for outdoor use in direct sunlight; 500 nits would be better. Also, I would like a stronger anti-reflective coating to withstand bright light. If you're working in a space where you have no control over the light sources, such as a room with lots of windows, this can be a little annoying because the direct light will eventually wash out all those rich color contrasts.
Another thing to worry about is hinge play. They're flexible enough to flip the screen back, but aren't always comfortable enough to hold the screen in place, especially when the laptop is in your lap. I'm the type who has an annoying tendency to subconsciously bounce on my heel, causing the screen to bounce at the slightest movement. However, the laptop stands firmly on a flat surface and holds up well in the tent position if you want to move it around.
When you're not using the S Pen, there's no convenient place to store it. There is a magnet on the back, but it is very weak and the handle tends to roll a lot. I would have preferred a smaller S Pen that can be slipped in and out of the storage slot like the Galaxy S23 Ultra because I think it's easy to lose and easier to hang from the back. for a nail
The back is a stronger fingerprint magnet than the S Pen.
Unfortunately, the battery life of these third-generation Galaxy Books has been reduced. Despite a fairly large 76Wh battery, it didn't last a full day. For the record, my workday mostly consists of surfing the web, writing WordPress articles, using email and Slack regularly, editing photos, and listening to YouTube music in the background. The battery is said to provide "up to 19 hours of video life", but in my usage I average six to seven hours with HDR enabled. That's about two hours less than the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, and I found myself reaching for my charger more than I'd like.
Of course, there are some battery optimization options in Windows and Samsung settings. On the Windows side, I've included seven power-saving recommendations and found myself switching from balanced to best energy-saving mode when I'm low on power. As for Samsung's settings, I find Optimized to be the best overall, as the fans were never loud enough to require Silent or Silent mode. Running the laptop in high performance mode with both settings means you will see a severe low battery warning for four hours.
When it comes to recharging, the included 65W is the only perfect choice. I was able to fully charge the Book 3 Pro 360 from scratch in one hour and 45 minutes. It's not as fast as the Book 2 Pro, but it's understandable for a laptop of this size and specs. There was a day when I forgot my charger at home and I had to resort to a 25W phone charger that takes two to three hours to charge, so you definitely need to keep it handy.
Low battery life is an annoying Achilles heel.
Apart from having two different tweak apps, if you're not already part of the Samsung ecosystem, you're likely to see countless Samsung apps in the form of malware. Some are useful, like Air Command for the S Pen, but others seem unnecessary, like Samsung's quick search when you already have Windows' built-in search. There is also the usual Windows malware like McAfee LiveSafe with annoying pop-ups and it comes pre-installed with Prime Video and Instagram. It's worth going through your app library to remove anything you don't need to free up storage space.
Finally, I wasn't too impressed with the 1080p webcam. The image quality isn't great, but it's smoother and grainier than I expected. That'll be enough for Zoom calls, but it won't compete with the front-facing cameras that Samsung puts on its mid-range mobile devices. There is no support for Windows Hello facial recognition for signing in, which you would expect at this price point. You can only get a biometric fingerprint reader, which is at least reliable and fast.
Specifications Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360
| Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 | |
|---|---|
shown | 16" 3K (2880 x 1800) AMOLED touchscreen |
CPU | 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1360P |
GPU | Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics |
ram | 16 GB |
storage | 512 GB/1 TB SSD |
betar | Wi-Fi 6E |
port | 1 HDMI |
keyboard | backlit |
Webcam | 1080p Full HD |
shruti | Four AKG speakers. |
battery and power supply | 76 Wh |
weight and measurement | 355.4x252.2x12.8mm |
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360?
Adam Barney / Android Authority
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is Samsung's most capable 2-in-1 convertible. With respectable performance and a thin and light design, this is an easily portable machine for creativity and productivity. A distinctive feature is the 16-inch AMOLED display. With 3K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, the image is as smooth and dynamic as possible.
However, the Achilles' heel here is battery life. The inability to reliably get a full day of work on a single charge really stops it from being an outstanding option. When typing on a laptop, most of us are connected to a network, but when drawing on a screen like a tablet, it's more convenient to connect to a cable. The S Pen storage slot will also be of great help, as the weak magnet on the back requires the stylus to disappear.
The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 will appeal to most Samsung users, but it's still a great 2-in-1 Windows convertible as long as you don't stray too far from an outlet.
Overall, the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 will be more attractive to those who have already invested in the Samsung ecosystem. Seamlessly connecting to Galaxy Buds and Galaxy tablets as a second screen is a treat, and it's nice to hover over the multi-control feature on your Galaxy phone and bypass all third-party cloud storage options for file transfers. But again, all of these features are exclusive to Samsung devices.
If you're looking for another convertible option, the Lenovo Yoga 9i ($1,399.99) is a great option. It's the same price but has a 14-inch 4K HDR display. You can consider the previous generation Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 ($958.4 on Amazon), which is cheaper now and offers comparable performance and long battery life, even if the screen isn't as big or sharp.
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360
Powerful foldable laptop • Stunning 3K display • S Pen included
Pleasantly compact and light for a 16" laptop with 360-degree viewing angles.
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is a powerful Windows laptop that turns into a tablet. Делайте все возможное и наслаждайтесь любимыми медиа благодаря этому 16-дюймовому AMOLED-дисплею с разрешением 3K, процессору Intel Core i7 и динамикам AKG.
Обзор Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360: часто задаваемые вопросы
Да, у Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 сенсорный экран.
Да, Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 S поддерживает перо и поставляется в коробке.
Да, в Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 есть клавиатура с подсветкой и разными настройками яркости.
Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 не претендует на роль игрового ноутбука, потому что у него нет выделенного графического процессора. Видеокарта Intel Iris XE не поспевает за новейшими играми класса ААА.
