Samsung Galaxy Book2 review: A stylish, capable 2-in-1 with ARM and 4G LTE

There are two ways of looking at 2-in-1 PC innovation. Companies tin either think outside the box, like the Lenovo Yoga Volume c930 and HP Green-eyed x2, or clone the Surface Pro.

Samsung did something in between with its Galaxy Book from 2022, which kind of felt like a Surface ... but in all the wrong ways.

Luckily, Galaxy Book2 innovates in the right area just sticks to what works in others. The effect is a very satisfying PC experience that fills a pigsty left by Microsoft in the market.

No-limit seekers

Samsung Galaxy Book2

From $999

Lesser line: Samsung delivered a Surface Pro-similar PC that runs on a Snapdragon 850 with LTE. And it's glorious.

Pros:

• sAMOLED display.
• Bang-up battery life.
• Good South-Pen.
• Solid audio.
• Fashionable.

Cons:

• Pen magnet is weak.
• Fingerprint reader is simply OK.
• Keyboard looks cheap.
• No eSIM and semi-locked to carriers.

Differentiators

What makes Samsung Galaxy Book2 unique?

The Samsung Galaxy Book2 is the offset PC that supports the make-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 processor. The concept of running Windows 10 on an ARM processor is now entering its second generation of devices, and while there are however some rough spots, the tradeoffs are worth information technology.

At its core, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 is 90 percentage a clone of Surface Pro, simply Samsung sprinkled in some welcomed improvements and innovations to brand the device its own.

The Samsung S-pen, which uses the same tech found in its other tablets and fifty-fifty Milky way Note series, is arguably ameliorate than the Surface Pen. The front and rear cameras are above boilerplate and the familiar fully articulating kickstand and keyboard design result in an outstanding user experience.

The real selling points of the Samsung Galaxy Book2 are outstanding battery life – at to the lowest degree 4 more than hours of real-world utilise compared to a Surface Pro – forth with instant-on abilities and always-connected 4G LTE.

Familiar design

Samsung Galaxy Book2 look and feel

Samsung went to the Microsoft well for industrial pattern and drank heavily with the Galaxy Book2. That's a compliment. The Surface Pro's design is arguably perfect for the device and while mimicking it may audio bad, it's tough to match Microsoft'due south manufacturing precision. Samsung has the hardware chops to do that, and it succeeds with the Milky way Book2.

Weighing around two.four lbs (1.1 kg) with keyboard and being but over seven mm thin, the Milky way Book2 is an all-metal Windows x tablet that still manages a different flair than Surface. The rounded superlative and lesser edges are flanked by sides that look cutting off, making it easy to hold, with a flat area for the ports and SIM slot.

Category	Samsung Galaxy Book2
Display	12-inch sAMOLED FHD+ (2160 x 1440)
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 (Quad 2.96GHZ and Quad ane.7 GHz)
RAM	4GB
Storage	128GB
Photographic camera	8MP rear-facing camera 5MP forepart-facing camera
Ports	Two USB Blazon-C microSD 3.5mm
Sensors	Accelerometer Fingerprint sensor Gyro sensor Geomagnetic sensor Light sensor
Wireless connectivity	802.11 a/b/m/n/ac 2.4+5GHz VHT80 MIMO
LTE support	Snapdragon X20 LTE Modem Cat.18 5CA, upward to 4X4 MIMO
Dimensions	11.32 in x 7.89 in ten .30 in
Weight	i.75 lbs (793 g)
Bombardment life	Up to twenty hours (S Style)
OS	Windows 10 Home in S Mode
Accessories	S Pen and keyboard (both included)

The all-silver chassis and grey keyboard scream business-first. While the keyboard does non look fantastic, typing is solid, with proper actuation and consistent force curves. At that place's also two-stage backlighting.

Microsoft Precision Drivers power the trackpad, then it feels great, just the trackpad tiptop is a bit on the curt side, making it less enjoyable than devices from HP or Microsoft.

The rear kickstand, while non as sturdy as the Surface Pro's, can still fully clear giving you endless angles for typing or drawing.

Two USB Type-C ports are found on the right-manus side along with a iii.v mm headphone jack and one of the AKG-tuned speakers. Those Type-C ports can be used for charging and peripherals simply can also be a scrap finicky (I could not get the Spyder Elite colorimeter to piece of work when using an adapter, for example).

On the left side are the physical SIM and microSD slots along with the second speaker. It'due south dual-sided, saving space compared to most dual-bill of fare options.

A ability button and volume rocker are found on the top of the Galaxy Book2.

Backlit keys of the Milky way Book2 when dark.

Turn to the rear and things get interesting. Samsung opted for a fingerprint reader near the rear photographic camera instead of a Windows How-do-you-do-based infrared camera for facial recognition. Samsung cites concerns about orientation issues for facial recognition that fingerprint readers don't have to contend with. That may be true, but a skillful IR photographic camera is all the same more accessible, faster, more than reliable and non biased towards left-handers like a fingerprint reader. The reader is mostly good, just at that place are occasional misreads.

The forepart and rear camers are also very good (run across samples below). Not quite as good as Surface Pro simply definitely ameliorate - and sharper - than most tablet and PC cameras.

For sound Samsung has dual side-flanking speakers tuned by its audio subsidiary AKG. The included Dolby Atmos software simulates peachy space and lets users customize the sound contour using the included graphic equalizer. Dolby Atmos is non for everyone and can be disabled.

Finally, for the OS, the Galaxy Book2 ships with Windows 10 Home in South-fashion. Users tin can easily switch out of S-mode, which restricts installation of apps simply from the Microsoft Store.

Due south-southward-super AMOLED

Samsung Galaxy Book2 display

The Galaxy Book2 features a dazzling 12-inch 2160 x 1440 (FHD+) Samsung Super AMOLED brandish. Since AMOLED pixels are their own power sources, there is no backlight compared to how typical LCD operates. Blacks are black considering the pixels plow off and the color and contrast are splendid. Brightness is fantabulous on the Galaxy Book2, and the FHD+ resolution makes text and images sharp.

Just like most AMOLED displays, there is occasional color shifting when using a web browser that has white backgrounds with black text. Information technology's rare but noticeable and an antiquity of this engineering.

We have not seen whatever other Windows on ARM laptops with AMOLED displays, nor ones with this loftier of a resolution. It all works great. The 3:2 aspect ratio and bezels, while large, are expected and shouldn't distract.

A worthy pen

Samsung Galaxy Book2 pen and inking

Samsung went a long way to carry over the Southward-pen experience from the Galaxy Note to this laptop. It feels 1:1 for features and execution right down to the Samsung Air Command radial menu that gives yous quick admission to Samsung Notes and screen capture tools. You can literally accept your little yellow Southward-pen from the Milky way Notation 9 and use it on the Galaxy Book2 and vice versa.

Samsung Air Control and S-Pen is ported from its Galaxy phones.

Inking with the Due south-pen is buttery polish, and the pen is comfortable to hold. Samsung included magnets to continue the pen on the left side of the device, but they're extraordinarily weak. Samsung says that magnets – no matter how strong – would never survive transport in a handbag or a sleeve, so the thinking was this would only be used during meetings as a quick, but temporary holder. Possibly, just a stronger magnet would have been ameliorate.

Samsung also included an odd holster for the S-pen. Information technology doesn't practise much likewise preventing the pen from rolling off a table, simply it does protect the plastic nib during ship. And a Bluetooth-enabled clickable top push would have been nice.

The turning point

Samsung Galaxy Book2 operation

I believe the Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 will mistiness the lines between Intel (x86) and Qualcomm (ARM). The ii.96GHz Snapdragon 850 is the first specifically-tuned ARM chip for Windows x, and it'south a welcome improvement over the previous Snapdragon 835, which was almost good enough.

Evaluating performance is tricky with ARM since it just surpasses Intel's lower-finish processors for single-core but trounces those same chips for multi-cadre, due to the different architecture. Geekbench 4.iii tin now benchmark Windows 10 on ARM, also as 32-bit applications running nether ARM.

CPU SSD

CPU

Geekbench four.0 benchmarks (higher is better)

Device	CPU	Single core	Multi core
Galaxy Book2 (ARM)	SD850	2,262	7,405
Milky way Book2 (x86)	SD850	1,345	4,164
HP Green-eyed x2 (ARM)	SD835	two,111	6,314
Surface Go	Pentium	2,078	iii,934
Surface 3	Cantlet x7	1,078	ii,777
Surface Pro 4	m3 6Y30	2,854	5,350
Surface Pro 4	i5-6300U	3,319	6,950
Surface Pro 2022	i5-7300U	4,302	8,482
Surface Pro 2022	i7-7660U	4,513	9,346

SSD

CrystalDiskMark (higher is better)

Device	Read	Write
Galaxy Book2	722 MB/s	205 MB/s
HP Envy x2	513 MB/south	197 MB/s
Surface Go (SSD)	ane,185 MB/s	133 MB/s
Surface Go (eMMC)	260 MB/due south	145 MB/s
Surface iii	149 MB/s	33 MB/s
Surface Pro four	758 MB/s	159 MB/s

Based on these metrics, nosotros tin can say that for unmarried-core processing using ARM-compiled apps, the Milky way Book2 pulls ahead of the Surface Go. And for multi-cadre processing using ARM-compiled apps, the Galaxy Book2 beats a Surface Pro 4 Cadre i5.

Those are some impressive results. When using Windows 10, native in-box apps like Microsoft Edge browser, Mail, News, Atmospheric condition, Office 365, Movies & TV, and most apps in the Microsoft Store (Netflix, Hulu, Sling, Slack, and Skype) the Galaxy Book2 feels very much like at least a Core i3 processor, but at times more like an older Cadre i5.

Where the story gets complicated is using non-Shop apps, or traditional Win32 programs like the Google Chrome browser downloaded off the spider web. Here, performance drops due to the mode Windows 10 on ARM runs those apps.

To sum that up, for single-core processing using Win32 apps, the Galaxy Book2 performs like a Surface 3 (Intel Atom). And for multi-core processing using Win32 apps, the Galaxy Book2 performs like the Surface Go. In other words, if you stick to Microsoft Store apps and the Border browser the performance is fantabulous, simply if you become outside the Store, yous get Surface 3 to Surface Get performance.

At that place are other rarer exceptions of apps that don't run at all. Adobe Photoshop Elements constitute in the Microsoft Shop is x64-based and does not run at all on the Galaxy Book2. That'due south a temporary hiccup as being able to recompile apps for ARM64 is due in the coming months, which should issue in Photoshop Elements running nigh-native in performance.

Gaming is also a weak spot. Most PC-based games are not compatible with the ARM architecture, and the system lacks a comprehensive graphics processor to rival even Intel's HD platform. While y'all can play some simple Store arcade games like Candy Beat out, more than intense ones are likely out of the question. However, brand-new games like Span Constructor Portal play just fine and are a boom on the Galaxy Book2.

Rear camera and fingerprint reader on the Galaxy Book2.

Turning to storage, the Galaxy Book2 uses a Samsung eUFS (KLUDG4U1EA-B0C). While non as fast every bit a PCIe NVMe SSD, the 722 MB/s read and just over 200 MB/s write speeds are faster than the HP Green-eyed x2 and Surface Become with eMMC for storage. Faster is ever amend, and the storage here did non feel deadening for this class of hardware.

Battery life is rated at 20 hours of video playback, only real-globe usage is effectually 12 hours. That's a bit less than the HP Envy x2 which can hit xiv hours oft, only it is about 4 hours more than the Surface Pro vi. Combined with excellent standby, instant-on (there is no hibernate mode), and rapid charge using Samsung's included Galaxy charger (same as its Galaxy phones), bombardment life is still significantly ameliorate than any Intel x86 organisation.

Since the Milky way Book2 is fanless and it runs an ARM processor, there are no real thermal considerations. It's tranquillity, it'due south cool and doesn't throttle.

The 4GB of RAM may be the most significant limiting factor if you lot have lots of tabs and apps open. Windows 10 does a not bad task with 4GB of RAM, simply having 8GB equally an option would give a little extra room to lets apps exhale.

Compared to the HP Envy x2 or Lenovo Miix 630, the Milky way Book2 feels substantially improve for processor performance and even beats the Surface Become peculiarly for multi-core processing.

Always connected (to one network)

Samsung Galaxy Book2 4G LTE

I've covered Microsoft's tweaks to Windows 10 to allow native LTE support that seamlessly changes data between Wi-Fi and LTE. There's and then much user control, even down to the app level, that those who are conserving data on their plans should never have to worry. Direction is a breeze; drop in a SIM, and the Os does the remainder.

Samsung plans to sell the Galaxy Book2 through AT&T starting November 2 in the U.S. and then information technology should hit Verizon and Sprint subsequently that month. The bad news is each device is semi-optimized for a specific network. The unit tested for this review is for Verizon, and if I drop an AT&T SIM in it works, merely it does not always choice up the same LTE bands equally a truly unlocked 4G device would. For instance, the Verizon SIM managed 55 Mbps down and 17 Mbps upward with simply 3 bars for a point. Dropping in the AT&T SIM, the Galaxy Book2 picked upward the LTE and pulled down 47 Mbps. Upload speeds were a paltry 1 Mbps. The aforementioned AT&T SIM in the Surface Pro with LTE did 70 Mbps down and 37 Mbps upwardly revealing quite a departure in how these devices treat different LTE networks.

That puts the Galaxy Book2 in a weird spot. It's not SIM locked – the AT&T SIM works – but it ways the Galaxy Book2 is less flexible than truly unlocked devices. Samsung is leveraging its long-continuing relations with carriers in the U.South. to go the Galaxy Book2 literally on shop shelves (and online). That probable ways co-marketing with those carriers like AT&T.

Until now, Surface Pro with LTE, HP Envy x2, and Lenovo Miix 630 accept had no carrier ties, and equally a result, no carrier push either. In the U.South. having carriers as partners is very important to any product'south success. That'south practiced for Samsung, and the success of Windows x on ARM, but information technology's bad for customers.

Another downside is there's no electronic SIM (eSIM) support. The Surface Pro with LTE, Lenovo Miix 630, and the Acer Swift 7 all support the new engineering. Chalk this up as some other victory for United states of america carriers, who probable pushed back on the idea from Samsung, because the hardware is capable.

Putting bated the carrier concessions LTE functioning is expert. On Verizon, even with simply three bars of reception, the Galaxy Book2 pulled down over 40Mbps and could often striking 70Mbps in areas with a ameliorate signal. GPS also works with the integrated LTE modem, letting users leverage Microsoft's Maps app for turn-by-turn directions and other location-aware apps.

Few flaws

Samsung Galaxy Book2 is the best of many worlds

While some may criticize Samsung for borrowing from Microsoft here, I won't. The blueprint works, and they did an excellent job all around at making this device. The processor never felt sluggish, the display is fantabulous, typing is accurate, and the audio is well washed.

The trackpad could be taller, the pen magnets stronger, and the keyboard could look better. But these are minor quibbles. The Galaxy Book2 fills a big void right now for those who want a Surface Pro-like device and want all the benefits of using ARM – long battery life, instant-on, 4G LTE, and no fans.

The virtually meaning compromise is how this device goes back on the idea of freedom from carriers. While the Galaxy Book2 is not exactly SIM-locked, it has made some concessions regarding eSIM and 4G LTE. Of course, if you program on buying this to apply on your carrier of pick through your carrier, that'southward probably no big deal. Simply you lot won't be able to purchase temporary data through eSIM if you travel.

It'southward besides currently non clear what Samsung plans to do exterior of the U.S. Right now, the Galaxy Book2 is slated simply for U.S. release on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, with straight sales through Samsung and Microsoft.

Pricing starts at $999 which includes the Galaxy Book2, keyboard, Southward-Pen, and rapid charger. That cost seems fair for the quality of hardware and native 4G LTE. (Surface Pro with LTE costs nearly $1,700 when you add together the keyboard and pen).

Perhaps the bigger news is just how the Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 works compared to similar Intel fries. The functioning gap is narrowing. Even if this version is not for you lot, it is but a matter of time before Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips rival Intel's Core i3 and i5 processors. That's genuinely exciting.

Never miss a vanquish

Samsung Milky way Book2

It's like a Surface Pro with an ARM processor. And that'southward a wonderful thing.

Microsoft failed to deliver a Surface Pro running on a Snapdragon processor. Luckily, Samsung stepped upward and created an excellent alternative with just a few catches.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Acquire more than.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/samsung-galaxy-book2

Posted by: merrymanblene1972.blogspot.com

Share this post