Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro: speed and performance with a featherweight

For some time, Samsung had stopped bringing laptops to these latitudes. Perhaps in the face of stiff competition from the world’s largest manufacturers, such as Lenovo, Dell or HP, the Korean brand has decided to focus in recent years on other sectors of activity. While it didn’t go badly for them, that hiatus is over.

Its renewed range of laptops, the Samsung Galaxy Book, was officially presented at the last Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​and gradually it reached markets around the world, including Chile. In the long term, this family of notebook of 2022 follows the trajectory presented last year at certain latitudes. Now, yes, the bet is updated with a new member. Perhaps it was the pandemic and the explosive increase in distance working and learning it spawned that prompted this decision. This is what it seems by examining some details of the model such as the camera, one of the elements that has become more relevant to our life online in the last two years, and which the brand here has taken on the task of renewing.

Samsung’s idea is not to reinvent the wheel but to make devices extremely practical, robust and reliable. In this return, its basic model stands out, the Galaxy Book2 Pro —which is the one we are going to test— and an interesting 2-in-1 version. The experience, let’s say it in advance, was extremely pleasant.

• Dimensions : 55.4 x 225.8 x 11.7mm
• lester : 1.1kg
• Filter : AMOLED 15.6″
• Processor : 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P @ 2.1 – 4.6GHz
• GPUs : Intel Iris Xe
• Filter : 15.6″ AMOLED FHD 1920×1080 @ 60Hz
• Memory : 16GB DDR5 LP RAM
• Storage : 512 GB SSD
• Multimedia : AKG stereo speakers / Dolby Atmos audio / FHD 1080p camera
• connectivity : Bluetooth v5.1 / Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+)
• tickets : 1 HDMI / 1 Thunderbolt 4 / 1 USB Type-C / 1 USB3.2 / MicroSD / 1 Jack 3.5mm
• Operating system : Windows 11 Home

Let’s be categorical and point it out straight away: this laptop is a pen. At just over a kilo (it weighs exactly 1110 grams), it’s surprising how light it is for a 15.6-inch-and-a-half, and the idea immediately takes hold that it’s is perhaps the lightest laptop in its segment. Most likely, that’s how it should be.

As is the case with most modern devices today – where taking the device out of its box and packaging, turning it on and being in less than a minute knowing its virtues is commonplace – here the Quick and pleasant unboxing was no exception. Besides the laptop, inside the box we also find a 65 watt power adapter, a USB-C cable and the corresponding documentation. The welcome, once turned on, is given by the new Windows 11.

When you open the portable (something that can be done with one hand) its exceptional and generous 15.6″ Full HD AMOLED display is immediately noticeable. Without configuring anything, they natively highlight colors, brightness and contrast. While the sound isn’t quite as loud, its dual AKG Harman speakers and Dolby Atmos software sound surprisingly clear. In addition, the audio system has noise cancellation and other improvements.

On the right side of the Galaxy Book2 Pro we find a still well-received 3.5″ jack input for headphones, as well as USB and MicroSD. On the opposite side we have an HDMI port, a USB-C input and a Thunderbolt 4 port, as well as an LED indicator. Good and varied selection, despite its thin chassis.

In short, here we have a sophisticated, elegant and even minimalist design.

As soon as you place your finger on the biometric reader in the upper right corner of the keyboard, the GalaxyBook2 Pro wakes up and takes flight thanks to its next-generation Intel Alder Lake processor and a new hybrid core architecture which, combined with a good SSD drive and a cooling system, allows to perform any application or workload quickly and without any setbacks. All this, moreover, with considerable energy savings. The multitasking it glides like butter on hot bread and overall the device’s performance holds up smoothly.

Waking up the laptop with the biometric reader is a snap and works quickly. In this sense, it should be noted that Samsung has put an additional layer of security in the various processes of using its device. In addition, everything is optimized so that the connection with a Samsung smartphone (in fact, with any Android device) is perfect. It can even become a “second screen”, displaying what is on the mobile phone and even accessing and controlling all its functions.

At over 15 inches, with Full HD resolution and an AMOLED panel, the screen is a feast for the eyes. Brightness and contrast work very well in bright outdoor situations, so it can be used outdoors or in the winter sun without any problems. However, although its screen allows good viewing of audiovisual content and even playing a considerable number of video games (although nothing very graphically demanding, let us specify), it is obvious that the approach of the GalaxyBook2 Pro is oriented towards the productivity, either work or academic, since its portability is perhaps its main feature.

As we anticipated, one detail that stands out right from the start is its front camera. We usually take the cameras that come in a laptop for granted: they’re usually up to 720p cameras that still throw grainy feedback into the picture. At this point, and given the evolution of telecommuting and remote meetings – and therefore the importance of having a good webcam – this feature was long overdue for an upgrade. Finally, it happened here. Samsung not only plays with a Full HD camera up to 1080p, but also has an AI sensor that always stays on the person, focusing on them at all times.

The keyboard is comfortable and very well laid out, taking advantage of the large dimensions of the screen. There’s even room for a full numeric keypad, as always located to the right of the alphanumeric area.

Unfortunately, there are details that suddenly slow down or hinder writing, such as the location of certain buttons, such as the directional buttons or the delete key, which sometimes can confuse the user. In any case, we suppose that in the end, it is only a matter of habit. For its part, the trackpad is quite generous in size, so it allows you to move around the screen with great amplitude and comfort for the fingers.

As a good Samsung product, the portable It comes with all the software and applications of the brand. Unfortunately, this also includes antivirus tests (enough!) and other programs that are late, erroneous and never reach and add little to the experience.

The battery is also a great detail to highlight. Gone are those durations which, with luck, if occupied with minimum brightness and without demanding too much, could reach eight or nine hours. This model, thanks to all its efficient architecture, is able to reach approximately 15 hours of duration. That’s almost two full days of work. If despite this we run out of energy, the fast charge allows you to recharge the entire battery in just over an hour. Nothing bad.

At a time when the chances of portable they are practically endless, for all types of users, pockets and needs, Samsung cleverly creates a device that is elegant, powerful and, above all, very light and thin. This immediately sets it apart from the tough laptop competition.

If we add its price to that, then we’re faced with a very significant and attractive value proposition, which combines the best of the industry in a super balanced laptop. And we insist, pleasantly light.

Note: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of June 28, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.