Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 review: the luxury ultra-portable

Samsung pulls out all the stops with its new ultra-portable PCs The proof with the GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360, a hybrid model, remarkable for its finishes, versatility and comfort, but also its price, which is a bit high!

Samsung does not just produce smartphones, connected watches, televisions, tablets and household appliances: the Korean giant also manufactures computers. An activity less known in France, especially since 2015, the year when the manufacturer stopped marketing its PCs in France, due to very tough competition from Chinese brands – and to the great regret of users who had greatly appreciated these models. well designed…

But times are changing and faced with the success of premium computers – Apple’s MacBooks but also high-end models from Asus, Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo – Samsung has decided to return to this buoyant market. Thus, after a first salvo in 2022, the manufacturer presented in February 2023 a new range of ultra-portable PCs, the GalaxyBook3. A family comprising classic models, but also hybrids, with or without a touch screen.

The GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 belongs to this category, a convertible computer – it can turn into a tablet – that is both thin, light, elegant and versatile, without sacrificing anything on comfort, performance and durability. autonomy. A real premium ultra-portable that immediately aims for the top of the basket by facing the tenors of the sector, including Apple laptops, touchscreen and more. Of course, all these beautiful features are not without impact on the invoice, with a price above 2000 euros. A high price, but deserved in view of its many qualities, especially since this attractive PC makes computing rhyme with aesthetics.

Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360: Apple designers just have to watch out

In the world of laptops, the palm of the aesthetic reference generally goes to Apple for the exemplary and very refined design of its MacBooks. So much so that it often inspires many PC builders. At Samsung, we are pleased not to find any trace of any Californian inspiration. Since their debut, the design of its GalaxyBooks has been unique and recognizable and this new generation is no exception to the rule. The device offers very high-end finishes. The metal chassis, sand version in the copy that we were able to test, immediately provides a very appreciable premium appearance. And, for once, fingerprints don’t cling to it.

Despite its large size, the GalaxyBook 3 has a surprising thinness of 12.8 mm. It fits easily into a bag or briefcase. Its size still imposes. Normal since for this model, Samsung has chosen a 16-inch panel. Finally, on the edges, we are satisfied to find a complete connection which is therefore not limited to two USB-C ports as is more and more common. An HDMI 2.1 port, a USB 3 type A port, a 3.5 mm mini-jack audio socket – serving as both microphone input and line/headphone output – and even a microSD card reader are included . Enough to connect all types of peripherals without spending time looking for an adapter.

Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360: comfort above all

Once opened, GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 reveals a large keyboard with a handy numeric keypad when it comes to entering many sets of numbers. In the lower part, its TouchPad denotes. Its surface is very large: 15.2 x 10.8 cm. Enough to perform all the necessary manipulations without the fingers hitting the limits. A very pleasant situation.

The keys of the keyboard – which benefits from a backlight on three levels – allow for their side a very good typing comfort. Note in passing that the power key houses a fingerprint reader intended to unlock the device using Windows Hello. This is surprisingly not the case with the Full HD (1080p) webcam nestled above the screen, which delivers decent images for video conferencing sessions, provided you are in a well-lit room.

But let’s not spoil our pleasure: the most significant point of this PC is above all its magnificent AMOLED screen. Difficult to return to a good old traditional LCD screen after spending several hours in front of it. On the one hand, Oled technology allows infinite contrasts. We realize this immediately with the black areas of an image that do not turn gray depending on the viewing angle. Then, the colors turn out to be very well calibrated as soon as the device is taken out of the box. The definition goes up to 3K (2880 x 1800 pixels) for very good precision. The refresh rate can climb to 120Hz for smooth display as needed. Finally, this slab brings a beautiful luminosity… indoors. It is the counterpart of a touch screen. Samsung has not equipped it with an anti-reflective filter so that it shines brightly as soon as the ambient light is too imposing. It is therefore difficult to use this PC in direct sunlight.

Small bonus whose index appears in the full name of this ultra-portable: it is a convertible model. Understand that the screen can tilt 360° to fold down completely towards the base of the chassis. This GalaxyBook 3 then turns into a giant tablet (16 inches). You can therefore handle it entirely with your fingers or use the S-Pen stylus provided as on the brand’s high-end S23 Ultra smartphone (read our test). It can be used to take notes or draw with the manufacturer’s apps. Be careful though: the S-Pen is only very slightly magnetized to attach to the cover. It will therefore be necessary to be careful not to lose it on the way.

Still, this large template once turned into a tablet is not the most practical on a daily basis. It remains quite heavy to hold in the hands for a long time and ultimately too bulky. For a more serene and more comfortable use to watch a film for example, it is better to put it on a table by folding it in tent format to save space and not be bothered by the imposing keyboard. Convenient to fit on the small retractable shelves of a train or plane.

For the audio part, Samsung once again relies on AKG. The GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 has four speakers. Be careful, the sound is diffused from the underside of the chassis. If it turns out to be rather clean and quite vibrant when the PC is placed on a table or in tent mode, it becomes difficult to perceive when you hold it on your knees. Better to use headphones or earphones – Bluetooth or wired – since the PC has an analog audio output.

Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360: very decent performance

Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360: Specs

To animate this ultra-portable, Samsung has turned to the latest generation of Intel processors. We are entitled here to a Core i7 1360P of 13^e generation therefore (a 12-core model, 4 high performance and 8 high energy efficiency) backed by 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM (unfortunately soldered). For storage, the model tested has a 512 GB NVMe SSD (a 1 TB version is also available). We thus have, on paper, a solid technical data sheet. And it works. For everyday use, especially in office automation or video streaming, the GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 proves to be quite convincing. It remains silent, does not heat up and does not present the slightest slowdown. The results of the Passmark benchmark show it: the general score of 3699 points is quite honorable. The GeekBench score is no exception.

On the graphic side, it should not be too demanding. The GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 is not a gaming machine. Like many other ultra-portables in its class, it features a rather versatile Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics circuit that allows you to work on images or small video edits. and play some not too greedy games. But fashionable titles, demanding in 3D calculations with in particular Raytracing are not for him – no more than for other ultra-portables, for that matter. If you want to play more comfortably while staying in the GalaxyBook 3 range, you will have to turn to the top of the range, the GalaxyBook 3 Ultra, equipped with a choice of a Core i7 and an Nvidia RTX 4050 chip (3299 euros) or even better, the Core i9 model supported by a latest generation Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics circuit (3699 euros), even more powerful.

Note that when it is heavily used, the GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 triggers its two fans to cool its processor. Nothing excessive on a daily basis, the system being quite discreet in terms of sound.

Finally, on the autonomy side, the device relies on a 76 Wh battery. With our typical usage tests (office use, web browsing, video and audio playback and image editing) the GalaxyBook Pro 360 lasted just over eleven hours. That’s more than enough to last a day. The device comes with a 66 W charger to refuel quickly.

Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360: the home ecosystem at the party

Already have a Samsung smartphone or tablet? You will not be out of place with this ultra-portable. The Korean has indeed integrated many tools that can be found on his mobile devices. The image gallery, the note-taking or drawing app, the SmartThings app to manage connected objects in the home… everything is there with icons similar to those used in One UI, the software overlay affixed to the brand mobile android devices. In addition, if a Samsung smartphone is detected nearby, it is possible to operate an association with the PC in a few clicks in order to benefit from its content as well as its notifications. Remember that Samsung remains a privileged partner of Microsoft with whom the Connected Mobile function present in Windows is among the most complete.

Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360: should you fall for this luxury ultra-portable?

Exemplary finishes, elegance, magnificent AMOLED screen, honorable performance and very decent battery life, the GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 obviously has it all. It is at checkout that the enthusiasm goes down several notches. With an entry ticket to more than 2000 euros, it inevitably ranks in the category of luxury ultra-portable PCs. At this price, we find many models signed Acer, Asus, Lenovo certainly much less elegant but more efficient and displaying a much better autonomy. Only parade: wait for the promotions. Already, Samsung offers to double the storage space for free, thus offering the 512 GB model at the same price as the one with 1 TB. But if the manufacturer follows the strategy adopted for its smartphones (the Galaxy S23 range is already undergoing a price drop ), the price of this GalaxyBook 3 Pro 360 should also drop gradually.