Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360: hands-on & how to pre-order | CNN Underscored

Samsung might be best known for its Galaxy phones, but the company’s laptops are no slouches either. The Galaxy Book series has consistently impressed us with its range of slim, attractive and versatile designs, so it’s no surprise that Samsung isn’t reinventing the wheel for the Galaxy Book 3 range — though it is bringing a powerful new member to the family.

This year’s lineup consists of the Galaxy Book 3 Pro, the convertible Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 and the debuting Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, the latter of which features the highest end Intel and Nvidia chipsets for serious productivity and immersive PC gaming.

That all sounds promising, but with starting prices ranging from $1,450 for the Pro to a whopping $2,400 for the Ultra, these premium PCs don’t come cheap. Wondering if they’re worth the preorder? We’ll have to properly test Samsung’s latest notebooks to see how they stack up to the best laptops, but here’s what we think after some early hands-on time.

Galaxy Book 3 price and preorders

All three Galaxy Book 3 models are available for preorder now, and will ship on Feb. 17.

The Galaxy Book 3 Pro starts at $1,450, and will be available in Graphite and Beige in both 14-inch and 16-inch variations. The 16-inch Book 3 Pro 360 starts at $1,900 in the same colors, while the 16-inch Book 3 Ultra will run you at least $2,400 and comes only in Graphite.

Slim looks, big power and cross-device functionality

I spent the majority of my hands-on time with the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, a mouthful of a laptop that improves on the Book 2 Pro 360 we really dug last year (seriously, Samsung needs to streamline these names). Its slim frame looked very slick in beige (which appeared more like gold in person), and felt impressively lightweight for a 16-inch laptop — something that especially stood out when I picked it up and folded it into a tablet.

The notebook’s 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen looked bright and colorful in my limited testing time, and its smooth 120Hz refresh rate made swiping my way through web pages — and taking notes with the included S Pen —  feel great. Packing a vivid 2880 x 1800 display, the Book 3 Pro 360’s panel is both sharper and taller than the previous generation, adopting a 16:10 screen ratio that seems to be the new standard for many 2023 machines.

I appreciate that the Book 3 Pro 360 has a healthy port selection, and is one of the few laptops to still include a USB-A connection — something particularly handy if you use lots of older accessories. You’ll also get the typical duo of USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, as well as an HDMI port and microSD card slot. The 360’s keyboard was responsive but a bit shallow for my liking; I had a much better time typing on the standard Pro and Ultra. Also, while I love that this laptop includes a stylus — something rare for a 2-in-1 — I’m disappointed that there’s nowhere to neatly store it within the notebook itself (the S Pen can attach magnetically to the laptop, but that’s less ideal than having a secure place to slot it).

The Pro 360 I tested was synced up with a Galaxy Tab S8, which allowed me to try out Multi Control (which lets you control multiple devices from your laptop’s keyboard and touchpad) as well as Second Screen (which turns your tablet into an additional monitor). Moving between the laptop and tablet from a single trackpad mostly felt intuitive, though I did notice a bit of lag on the latter. This feature is available on the entire previous and current generation of Galaxy Books, and seems like a nice perk for folks who primarily use Samsung devices.

I didn’t spend quite as much time with the Book 3 Pro and Book 3 Ultra, but the latter has me especially intrigued. Samsung’s highest-end laptop comes loaded with up to a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processor as well as Nvidia’s new RTX 40-series graphics, which should make it a beast for tearing through everyday workloads as well as intensive photo and video edits. That powerful Nvidia GPU, which I got to see in action on other notebooks earlier this year, could make the Book 3 Ultra the perfect unassuming gaming laptop — one that you can sneak into the office or coffee shop without raising an eyebrow. The Ultra’s rich AMOLED screen looked impressive at a quick glance, and its keyboard was satisfyingly bouncy. Samsung is calling this the “fastest Galaxy Book to date,” which is a claim we’re eager to put to the test on our benchmarks.

Display	14-inch or 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2880 x 1800 display at 120Hz	16-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2880 x 1800 display at 120Hz	16-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2880 x 1800 display at 120Hz
Processor	13th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7	13th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7	13th Gen Intel Core i7 or Core i9
Graphics	Intel Iris X Graphics	Intel Iris X Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or 4070
Memory	8GB / 16GB / 32GB	8GB / 16GB / 32GB	16GB / 32GB
Storage	256GB / 512GB / 1TB	256GB / 512GB / 1TB	512GB / 1TB
Ports	Thunderbolt 4 (2), USB Type-A (1), HDMI 1.4, microSD, headphone jack	Thunderbolt 4 (2), USB Type-A (1), HDMI 1.4, microSD, headphone jack, nano SIM (optional)	Thunderbolt 4 (2), USB Type-A (1), HDMI 2.0, microSD, headphone jack
Size and weight	12.3 x 8.8 x 0.44 inches, 2.58 pounds (14-inch); 14 x 9.85 x 0.5 inches, 3.4 pounds (16-inch)	13.2 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches, 3.7 pounds	14 x 9.85 x 0.64 inches, 3.9 pounds
Colors	Graphite, Beige	Graphite, Beige	Graphite
Price	From $1,450	From $1,900	From $2,400

The Galaxy Book 3 Pro, Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 and Galaxy Book 3 Ultra are looking like a compelling trio of laptops aimed at a very specific user — one that’s already deep in the Samsung ecosystem, and doesn’t mind paying a premium for great looks and performance.

The Book 3 Pro 360 is shaping up to be a worthy follow up to one of our favorite notebooks from last year, and could be the way to go for folks who want a powerful laptop that can also double as a tablet for drawing and taking notes. Meanwhile, the Ultra is one of the sleekest laptops we’ve seen that offers as much power as it does — and could prove to be a legitimate gaming laptop alternative for folks who want something less conspicuous. We’ll be putting the latest Galaxy Books through their full paces soon, so stay tuned for more.