Samsung's Galaxy Book 2 Lineup Upgrades to Intel's Latest, Plus 1080p Webcams

Ahead of Mobile World Congress, Samsung is announcing a new suite of premium Windows 11-based PCs under the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 (stylized "Book2") umbrella.

The four new notebooks are the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, a convertible 2-in-1 with Intel's 12th Gen Core P-series processors; the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro, a clamshell with P-series chips; the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360, a consumer-grade convertible with Intel's 12th Gen U-series chips; and the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Business, an enterprise portable.

The goal, it seems, is to have a lineup of laptops with different form factors and levels of power, albeit it all at fairly premium price points.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is the flagship, with both clamshell and 2-in-1 capabilities. It's the only laptop in the lineup to exclusively use a Core i7 processor. Its other differentiation is the lack of a USB Type-A port. Instead, Samsung has opted for a Thunderbolt 4 port and a pair of USB Type-C ports. It also features a 1080p webcam and a fingerprint reader on the power key. It will come in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch sizes. The smaller version will be 11.5 mm (0.45 inches) thick, while the model with the larger screen will measure 11.9 mm thick (0.47 inches).

Additionally, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 will come with the S Pen in the box. That will work on the laptop's 1080p Super AMOLED touch screen. If you like color, the Book 2 Pro 360 comes in three varieties: Silver, graphite, or an eye-catching burgundy.

For those who prefer a standard clamshell, there's the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, which is thankfully a way simpler name than the other notebooks. It, too, will come in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch sizes. The 15-inch version will be the only notebook in the consumer lineup with 5G, as well as Intel's  discrete Arc graphics in some markets. Here, Samsung is trading out one of the USB-C ports for a Type-A port, suggesting that people who don't want touch screens will be more likely to desire legacy ports. It, too, gets a 1080p webcam, but its color options are more limited at just silver and graphite.

The only non-Pro version, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360, uses Intel's U-series Core i5 and Core i7 processors, which should make it the most power efficient of the bunch. It gets a combination of the other two notebooks’ features, with a USB Type-A port and a Super AMOLED touchscreen. But apparently 1080p webcams are only for pros: this one steps down to 720p.

Samsung's enterprise model, the Galaxy Book 2 Business, has a wide variety of specs that the company says will differ depending on which company you're in. That laptop has a 14-inch, 1080p screen, but no word of AMOLED like its consumer counterparts. It's a bit thicker at 0.77 inches, but that gets office workers more ports, including two USB-A ports to go along with Thunderbolt and USB-C. Like the 15.6-inch Galaxy Book Pro, this will have support for discrete graphics in the form of Nvidia's low-end MX570 A.

It's notable that Samsung is sticking with 16:9 displays on its laptops. Many of the best ultrabooks now have a 16:10 or even 3:2, which are taller screens that make for less awkward tablet experiences. That would have been enticing to see on the Book 2 Pro 360, for instance.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 will start at $1,249.99, while the clamshell Book 2 Pro will start at $1,049.99. The non-pro Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360 will be cheaper, beginning at $899.99. No pricing has been announced for the business notebook.

Pre-orders for the laptops start on March 18, and the company says they should arrive in stores on April 1,  with the exception of the Galaxy Book 2 Business, which is expected to launch later in the spring.