The Galaxy Book 2 Pro is one of the laptops recently launched by Samsung when it came back to the Indian PC market. It weighs just 870g, making it the lightest laptop in the segment – and even otherwise. Plus, with a waistline of just 11.2mm, it’s also one of the thinnest laptops around. Besides the thin and light design, it’s the premium hardware that the Galaxy Book 2 Pro has going for it. It is one of the few laptops in India equipped with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors (review unit: Core i7-1260P), paired with 16GB of RAM. The laptop is certified for the Intel Evo platform with fingerprint reader for Windows Hello login. It boots the Windows 11 Home operating system loaded with multiple Samsung apps for the full ecosystem experience, if you have the supported Samsung smartphone, tablet, and audio accessories.
Starting with the design, the 13.3-inch screen variant (review unit; there’s also a 15.6-inch screen variant available) of the Galaxy Book 2 Pro has tablet-like ergonomics range with an attached keyboard cover. It is an easy-to-carry and convenient-to-use laptop. Speaking of convenience, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro has most of the ports we regularly use – 1 x HDMI, 1 x Thunderbolt 4, 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB 3.2, 1 x microSD card reader and 1 x Combined headphone output/microphone input socket. That said, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro seems to be designed on the principle of “form follows function” and not “form over function”.
Rounding out the form factor is the Galaxy Book 2 Pro’s 13.3-inch FullHD+ AMOLED display. It extends to all sides, leaving minimal display frames. However, the screen has a conventional 16:9 aspect ratio which leaves significant bezel on the bottom side. A 16:10 aspect ratio screen would have been a better fit here from a design and utility perspective, but that’s what it is. Nevertheless, the screen is good. It’s bright, so easy to read in bright outdoor conditions, and features an anti-glare film to reduce external light reflections for a comfortable experience. The screen is HDR compatible and offers excellent contrast, which makes a noticeable difference in everyday use, especially when watching videos. Plus, the system-wide dark mode works better here simply because whites and blacks appear as they should – thanks to the wide color coverage of a 10-bit display panel.
At the top of the screen, in a thin display border, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro has its 1080p resolution camera. Powered by Samsung Studio mode, this camera is a joy to use for video conferencing purposes. Samsung Studio mode supports most video conferencing platforms. It allows background effects, artificial face enhancements, and auto-framing, even on platforms that don’t natively support it.
It is easy to use and works well.
As for audio, there are two bottom-firing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. The output from the speakers is good and balanced, but their overall volume is rather quiet. Therefore, they are unusable in environments with high ambient noise. For input, there are two front-facing microphones. They are good but ultra-sensitive. With built-in noise cancellation technology, the microphones perform best in most environments – isolated or loud ambient noise.
As for the keyboard, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro has a full-size backlit one with well-spaced distance between keys and modest key travel for tactile feedback. It doesn’t take long to get to grips with the keyboard as Samsung hasn’t tinkered with its layout, and for the better. Likewise, the touchpad is comfortable to use. It is modest in size and supports Windows 11 gestures.
When it comes to performance, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro has no issues except thermals. It handles most tasks well, but heats up considerably on the underside, even when used for basic operations. Therefore, the laptop needs constant breaks to perform optimally. Otherwise, it starts to limit performance. That said, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro is capable of handling power tasks, be it CPU or graphics intensive. However, due to thermal issues, it makes for a better supplemental device and a disappointing primary laptop for graphics- and CPU-intensive work.
Compensating for thermal issues is excellent battery and charge time. As an additional peripheral used for basic day-to-day tasks such as intermittent video conferencing, writing, web browsing, etc., the laptop battery easily lasts around a week. As the primary device widely used for almost everything, the battery lasts a full day on a single charge. Charging time is fast, and the included USB-C charger (65W) takes about two hours to power the fully depleted battery.
- Filter: 13.3-inch FullHD AMOLED, 60Hz, 16:9 aspect ratio
- Audio: AKG tuned stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 (soldered)
- Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i7-1260P
- Operating system: Windows 11 Home
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+), 802.11ax 2×2
- Color: Money
- Expensive: Rs 1,14,990
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro is a budget-priced Windows 11 laptop. It punches above its weight in terms of design and performance, but leaves one asking for more due to thermal issues. It’s important to note that thermal issues are prevalent in the thin and light laptop category, especially those with 11th and 12th Gen Intel Core processors and the Galaxy Book 2 Pro is no exception. On other parameters, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro not only meets expectations but also exceeds them in some cases. It has a sturdy build, a dazzling display, a good backlit keyboard and touchpad, a host of I/O ports, and top-notch connectivity.
