Samsung just announced its Galaxy book2 pro laptop – here’s everything we know about the 5G ultrabook
The successor to 2021’s Galaxy book pro promises to untether you from you desk once and for all
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Your support makes all the difference.Samsung has announced a sequel to the Galaxy book pro at this year’s Mobile World Conference in Barcelona. The Galaxy book2 pro is a sleek-looking, clamshell-style ultrabook with much-improved performance and security over 2021’s model.
The electronics giant’s range of Galaxy devices is best known by far for its wildly successful smartphones and tablets, so it might come as news to some that Samsung also has a line of Windows laptops.
With the launch of the (irritatingly named) Galaxy book2 pro, Samsung hopes to change all that. Like its predecessor, the premium Windows 11 laptop is aimed at the top-end of the market, promising enough performance for next-generation gaming and complex content creation on the go.
Security is also at front of mind for Samsung this year, as it’s integrated many of the hardware-dependent security features of the newest S22 phones into its new laptop. The brand boasts that the Galaxy book2 pro has enterprise-level protection, usually reserved for government agencies and globetrotting spies.
Alongside the Galaxy book2 pro, Samsung also announced a 2-in-1 convertible laptop called the Galaxy book2 pro 360, which features similar specifications but has a fully flexible hinge design, a touchscreen display and S-Pen compatibility.
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Samsung Galaxy book2 pro: From £999, Samsung.com – pre-order from 18 March
- Display: 1920 x 1080, AMOLED
- Dimensions: 13.3in (304.4mm x 199.8mm x 11.2mm), 15.6in (355.4mm x 225.8mm x 13.2mm)
- Weight: 13.3in (870g), 15.6in (1.1kg)
- Colours: Silver, graphite
- Operating system: Windows 11
- CPU: 12th gen Intel Core i5/i7
- GPU: Integrated Iris Xe / Intel Arc GPU
- Memory: 8GB/16GB/32GB
- Storage: Up to 1TB
The successor to 2021’s Galaxy book pro, the Galaxy book2 pro is a lightweight ultrabook designed around portability and connectivity. Samsung is pushing the 5G-capable version of the Galaxy book2 pro the hardest, touting it as a laptop you can throw in your backpack and work on anywhere you’re in range of a mobile phone mast. The laptop also uses the latest wifi 6 protocol, enabling faster download and transfer speeds, which is to be expected from any laptop launching in 2022.
At 870g (for the 13.3in version) the Galaxy book2 pro is one of the lightest laptops around, and only slightly heavier than the heaviest tablets Samsung makes. The 15.5in version isn’t that much heavier either, at just 1.1kg.
On paper, the Galaxy book2 pro promises some seriously impressive performance. It’s Intel Evo certified, meaning it’s verified to boot up from standby in less than a second and have a battery that lasts at least an entire day with regular usage. The Galaxy book2 pro doesn’t just meet that standard – it claims to smash it with an advertised battery life of up to 21 hours.
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Powering the laptop is Intel’s latest 12th generation Core i5 or Core i7 processor, paired with integrated Iris Xe graphics as standard. The 15.6in model also gets the option of a dedicated Intel Arc GPU. A titan of the microchip industry, Intel is a newcomer to a GPU scene dominated by Nvidia and AMD, so we’re very interested to see how well the Galaxy book2 stacks up as a gaming laptop.
Interestingly, Samsung has decided to stick with a 1920 x 1080p display this year. Samsung’s bright and colourful screens are the best on the market, but AMOLED displays are notoriously power-hungry. By keeping the resolution on the conservative side rather than opting for a sharper 2.5K or 3K screen, Samsung is presumably aiming to conserve as much of that lightweight battery as it can while still offering industry-leading picture quality. We’ll have to spend some time with the laptop to know whether the trade-off is worth it.
Other features Samsung’s making a big noise about include the laptop’s advanced security credentials, which dovetail with Windows 11’s own, highly-protected, secured-core requirements. A full HD front-facing camera with a wider field of view aims to appeal to a new generation of remote workers, while seamless integration with Samsung’s phones and tablets sees Powerpoint documents whizzing wirelessly between both screens.
Release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy book2 pro and Galaxy book2 pro 360 are available to pre-order from 18 March in the UK, with both laptops going on general sale from 1 April. The Galaxy book2 pro starts at £999 for the cheapest configuration, with the top-spec model costing £1,399. The 5G version runs on a slightly slower processor and will cost £1,299. Here’s the official list of prices and configurations:
Samsung Galaxy book2 pro
- 13.3” wifi (i5) 8GB, 256GB, silver – £999
- 15.6″ wifi, (i5) 8GB, 256GB, silver – £1,099
- 15.6″ wifi (i7) 16GB, 512GB, silver – £1,399
- 15.6” 5G, (i5) 8GB, 256GB, graphite – £1,299
Samsung Galaxy book2 pro 360
- 13.3″ (i5) 8GB, 256GB, graphite + silver – £1,099
- 13.3” (i7) 8GB, 256GB, silver – £1,199
- 13.3” (i7) 16GB, 512GB, silver, burgundy – £1,399
- 15.6″ (i5), 8GB, 256GB, silver – £1,199
- 15.6” (i7), 16GB, 512GB, silver – £1,499
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Unsure whether this is for you? Read our round-up of the best laptops you can buy in 2022