In this article, we will be discussing the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, which has made waves in the market recently. This review will cover everything you need to know about the laptop, including specs, pricing, design, ports, and display and more.
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Specs and Pricing
| Size | 13.99 x 9.93 x 0.5 inches (355.4 x 252.2 x 12.8 mm) |
| Weight | Wi-Fi Version (1.66 Kg) 5G Version (1.7 KG) |
| Webcam | 1080p Full HD |
| Windows Hello | Fingerprint Sensor (in Power Button) |
| Audio | Quad Speaker (2 x 5W Woofers, 2 x 2w tweeters ) Dolby Atmos \ Dual Array MICS |
| Colors | Graphite \ Beige |
| Price | $1,699.99 |
First, let’s talk about pricing. For those who have been on the fence regarding the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, great news – it is now available for $200 off, bringing the price down to $1,699.99. That is a great savings on an improved laptop in terms of display performance, battery life, and overall build quality. This is a deal you don’t want to miss, especially if you’ve been debating whether or not to get it.
Build, Design and Size
When it comes to the design and build quality of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, it’s definitely an improvement over last year’s model. The laptop is very thin and light, with an aluminum build quality instead of magnesium. While this makes the laptop slightly heavier, it also gives it a sturdier feel. The Samsung branding is visible on the unit, but it also attracts fingerprints easily.
Ports and Connections
The port selection on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is impressive. On the left side, you get an HDMI 1.4 port, two USB-C Thunderbolt four ports, and a full-function supporting data charge and display out. On the right side, you get a Micro SD card reader, a full-size USB-A port, and a 3.5mm microphone headphone combo jack. However, it’s worth noting that Samsung is listing this as an HDMI 1.4 port, which only supports monitors up to 4K 30 Hertz. Some users are reporting that it works with a 4K 60 monitor, but it’s unclear whether it’s actually an HDMI 2.0 port.
Internals and User Upgradeability
When it comes to upgrading the RAM, it’s not an option on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, as it’s soldered into the motherboard. However, the good news is that the SSD is upgradable. The laptop supports Gen 4 speeds, and there may even be another M.2 SSD slot next to the one currently in use. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are both working well, and the combo card is soldered in, so it’s not upgradable.
Display
The display on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is impressive. It’s a really good one, with a high resolution and excellent color accuracy. It’s perfect for those who work with graphics, photos, or videos. The screen is bright and has a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is great for watching movies or TV shows.
The Modes and S Pen
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 has three modes – tent, stand, and tablet – and is compatible with the S Pen. The tent mode is perfect for using recipes in the kitchen or watching media. Stand mode is great for presentations or watching movies with the glossy 16-inch display. And, the tablet mode is perfect for using with the S Pen, which is great for taking notes, drawing, or sketching. As shown in the review, the device is good for left-hand users as well.
FHD Webcam & Array Mics
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 has a 1080p camera with good video quality. The array mics have extra features, such as Face Effects, background blur effect, changing the color of the background, Auto framing, HDR effect, and eye contact. The video quality is great, but the audio quality needs more exploration. It is essential to note that the camera is not an IR camera, so you cannot use face recognition with Windows Hello.
Hinges, Keyboard and Touchpad
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 has one-finger opening hinges that are loose and exhibit screen wobble, which can be annoying when typing. The keyboard key travels a bit shallow but is good for comfortable typing. The touchpad is oversized, clicky, and responsive, although it is off-center due to the inclusion of the numpad. Some users may not like the style of the numpad key layout.
Battery And Charging
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 sports a 76 watt-hour battery that lasts for decent hours. The battery life is not outstanding, but it is good enough to last for a reasonable amount of time. The battery life can be improved by switching to a lower refresh rate, from 120 Hz to 60 Hz, which saves energy.
Performance
Samsung’s Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 for 2023 is a step up from its predecessor in many ways. The 13th Gen Intel P-Series processor, the Core i7 1360p, with 12 cores, 8 efficiency cores, and 4 performance cores, ensures that the CPU’s single-core and multi-core performance is better than ever. The performance out of the CPU is ideal for everyday tasks such as web browsing, Microsoft Office, and email, and 1080p video editing is no problem. However, 4K video editing can be a bit of a challenge, as the integrated Iris XE graphics is a bit long in the tooth, and the performance hasn’t increased significantly year over year, especially when compared to something like the integrated Radeon 680m found in the HP Dragonfly Pro.
Gaming
When it comes to gaming, it’s not possible to play AAA titles on the highest settings, as the Iris XE graphics card just doesn’t have the power for it. Lowering some of the settings will get you playable frame rates on some of the more popular titles.
Thermals
The Thermals are impressive as the laptop scored a 97.2 percent passing score on the time spy stress test, which means it maintained good clock speeds even under heavy load. The fan noise in ultra-performance mode never went above 39-40 decibels, which is really good, and the surface temperatures were also kept relatively cool, with a few hot spots here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Audio Speakers
The quad speakers sound pretty good, and with Dolby Atmos and the dynamic range setting, you can get the best sound possible. You can also tweak it in the settings that you get on this Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360.
Pros and Cons
The improvements over the last year’s model are noticeable, such as the higher-res display with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and better build quality. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360’s aluminum material gives it a premium feel that was lacking in last year’s magnesium alloy model. Although the build quality makes it a bit heavier, it’s worth the trade-off. It works seamlessly with other Samsung devices, thanks to the Quick Share functionality, among other features, which works very well and is comparable to what you get on the MacBook or the Mac side of things.
However, the laptop has a few downsides. The touchpad, although spacious, is not a haptic touchpad, and the 1080p camera is not IR. The display is reflective, and there is a noticeable screen wobble.
Final Thought
Overall, Samsung has made all the improvements we wanted to see over last year’s model, making this one of the better, more premium two-in-one convertibles on the market today. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 receives a solid score and is definitely worth considering for those in the market for a premium laptop.
