Samsung Galaxy Book2 review: Not the brightest, but still a star

The Samsung Galaxy Book2 is not perfect but has a strong foundation geared towards performance and ease of use in order to compensate for the modern-day frills that it lacks

There are not many 15.6-inch screen-based laptops in the thin-and-lightweight category, and those that are there are not worthy. But if you are looking for one, there are exceptions like the Samsung Galaxy Book2 from South Korean electronics maker. It is one of the few 15.6-inch screen-based laptops in the thin-and-lightweight segment that does not feel like a brick. Moreover, it covers the fundamentals right in terms of performance, connectivity, battery life, ports, and software.

Starting with design, the Galaxy Book2 is broad but not thick and heavy. It is portable and easily fits in tight spaces like laptop sleeves. Made of aluminium, the laptop has a sturdy and durable build, but it is reactive to ambient temperature conditions. With no flashy element and minimal body work, the Galaxy Book2 might look boring to some, but it is practical and functional.

Speaking of practicality, it is surprising to see a 15.6-inch screen in a thin-and-lightweight laptop simply because most others go for a smaller 13-inch one. The extra screen estate helps in everyday computing work by providing ample space to accommodate multiple windows on screen. The screen is complemented by a full size keyboard with a dedicated block of number keys. Both the big screen and keyboard with number keys add to comfort and also boosts productivity.

Though the screen size seems to be a right fit, there are things that could have been better. For example, the screen is of 60Hz refresh rate and stretched in conventional 16:9 aspect ratio. A screen of higher refresh rate and 16:10 aspect ratio would have been a better fit here, especially if the laptop’s target audience is working professionals. Nevertheless, the screen is good. It is an LED screen of modest brightness, which makes it easy to read in bright outdoor conditions. The screen is covered in an anti-glare film to reduce external light reflections for a comfortable experience.

Coming to the audio, there are two bottom firing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. The speakers’ output is good and balanced, but their overall loudness is on the muted side. Therefore, they are unusable in environments with loud ambient noise. For the input, there are two front facing microphones. They are good and backed by software-based effects for personalised experience, especially during video conferences.

Coming to the performance, the Galaxy Book2 works smoothly for everyday tasks like web browsing, content cataloguing, working on spreadsheets, attending video conferencing etc. Content production work such as image and video editing is not its forte, and so is gaming. Not that it fails while doing heavy lifting or lacks the performance, but the lack of discrete graphics put it a notch behind laptops specifically made to handle power-intensive tasks. Important to note, the laptop delivers best performance on AC power. On battery power, the performance deteriorates with respect to power and graphic-intensive tasks but it is the same case with any other laptop.

Samsung Galaxy Book2: Specifications
Screen	15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 LED, 16:9 aspect ratio
OS	Windows 11 Home
Processor	12th Gen Intel Core i7 (1255U)
Graphics	Integrated: Intel Iris Xe
Memory	16GB LPDDR4x
Storage	512GB NVMe SSD, 1 x empty slot
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Camera	720p
I/O Ports	2 x USB 3.2 Type-A
	2 x USB Type-C
	1 x HDMI 1.4
	1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack
	1 x microSD card slot
Audio	Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
Battery	54WHr
Weight	1.57 kg

Verdict

Priced Rs 69,990 onwards, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 is a capable thin-and-lightweight laptop with a large 15.6-inch screen. It is not perfect but has a strong foundation geared towards performance and ease of use in order to compensate for the modern-day frills that it lacks. That said, the Galaxy Book2 would get eclipsed by feature-rich laptops in its segment, but it is a good package in its own right.