Samsung adds a Snapdragon 850 chip and claims 20 hours of battery life for its latest 2-in-1 hybrid laptop. For just under $1,000, you also get an S Pen and keyboard/screen protector.
Samsung first introduced the Galaxy Book 2-in-1 hybrid laptop in February 2017 with both a 10.6- and 12-inch model. They ran Windows 10 using Intel chips and shipped with an S Pen in the box to offer a very lightweight and flexible machine for travel. Today, we get the second-generation Galaxy Book2, and it sees a switch away from Intel.
The Galaxy Book2 is touted as an « always on, always connected PC. » That’s quite a common claim to hear in 2018, but Samsung decided to embrace ARM rather than Intel to achieve it. Inside the Galaxy Book2 you’ll find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 quad-core chip running at 2.96GHz, complemented by 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
That combination powers Windows 10 S running on a 12-inch sAMOLED FHD+ display sporting a resolution of 2,160 by 1,440. And yes, the S Pen is still included in the box along with a keyboard that doubles as a screen cover. Other features of note include a Snapdragon X20 LTE modem, two USB Type-C ports, a microSD card slot, and headphone jack. The two speakers built into the Book2 have been tuned by AKG and support Dolby Atmos.
The combination of Qualcomm’s chip and Windows 10 S allows Samsung to claim up to 20 hours of battery life. Of course, that will vary with usage, but Adaptive Fast Charging means recharging shouldn’t take very long and the battery is automatically protected from overcharging. It should be very easy to carry around, weighing just 1.75 pounds and measuring 11.32 by 7.89 by 0.3 inches.
The original Galaxy Book ranged in price from $630 to $1,300 depending on the model chosen. The Galaxy Book2 will start from $999.99 and arrives on Nov. 2. It will initially be available online from AT&T, Microsoft, and directly from Samsung. Expect AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon to offer it in-store before the end of November.
When PCMag used the original Galaxy Book we found it to be a very nice lightweight travel machine, with the main strength being its display. We should expect more of the same from the Galaxy Book2, but the big unknown this time is just how good the Windows 10 experience is running on Qualcomm.
Whether you need a laptop or a tablet, the Galaxy Book2 is certainly worth a look. The inclusion of the S Pen and a keyboard as standard is sure to help it sell.
