Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 review: Out of the Galaxy performance

We have been extensively testing the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 and this is what we could make of it.

May 17, 2023

Samsung is no stranger to laptops and this year they have refreshed their Galaxy Book series. There were 3-4 notebooks launched in the entire 2023 Samsung Galaxy Book 3 series and we got our hands on the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360. We spent over 4 weeks with the device and this is our Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 review you need to read if you are in the market to buy an ultra-portable workhorse.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 review: Design and Display

If you love all things super cool, then you are in luck. Right out of the box the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 demands attention. The notebook weighs just under 1.8kg and is 12.8mm thin. The shell is made up of light yet sturdy aluminium, which makes it portable yet keeps the internals protected from any external harshness.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is dressed in the graphite colour (the one we are reviewing), but there is a lighter white colour available too, but not in India. Talking more about the form factor, you get a large 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED touchscreen up front with a full HD web camera above it. The bezels around the screen are minimal, except for the bottom part.

In the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, you get a fairly large full QWERTY backlit keyboard with a NUM pad. Right below is the larger-than-usual trackpad as well. Robust hinges connect the screen and bottom façade, which can swivel all the way to the back making this machine a 2-in-1. Yes, this notebook can be used in tablet mode as well since the display is a touchscreen.

In total, you will get 6 ports on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360. These are located on the left and right side of the machine and include HDMI, 2 USB type-C, 1 USB 3.2, 3.5mm combo audio port and a microSD card reader. The laptop can be charged using the USB type-C port using the supplied charger and charging cable. Furthermore, you will also find the Samsung branding on the top of the lid and speaker vents on either side under the structure.

Since Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is a machine specifically made for creators in mind, you will also get a large stylus, also known as the Samsung S Pen in the box. This comes in handy if you want to draw, mark content or create something new. The S Pen has a click button on it, which can be used as a mouse right-click to open the menu system. For easy access, the S Pen can be magnetically placed on the top part of the laptop’s lid.

Now let’s jump back to the display and take you through. The screen resolution you get on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is 2,880 x 1,800 pixels, which makes it FHD+. It is a beautiful touch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate that showcases extremely vivid colours and deep blacks. Everything on this display looks fabulous. The graphics are provided by Intel Iris XE and it does a very good job. There is no discrete graphical system on board, yet the performance is top-notch.

We played games like DOTA 2 and CS: Go and we were able to get 100FPS on the system with ease. But games like BattleField 2042 struggled at medium to high-end graphics settings. You will get 30-35FPS at low settings. But hey, this device is not made for gaming, it is made for consuming or creating content along with business needs.

So, we switched gears and watched a few movies on Netflix and Prime Video. Since Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is Dolby Atmos ready, the experience was superb. We enjoyed every bit of it as the display was able to handle and differentiate between dark and light parts of any scene with ease. Also, there was no ghosting. The only issue we faced was and is a problem with all touchscreen AMOLEDs is the glossiness of the screen. If you have a direct light source behind you, it will ruin the watching experience.

Also, if you are one of those who loves to use his/her fingers on the touchscreen, then please keep a microfibre cloth handy, as the screen is a smudge magnet. But luckily, a quick wipe takes all the smudges away. All in all, the design and display scored quite high on our test tables.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 review: Performance

It gives us goosebumps to talk about the spectacular firepower Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 has under the hood. Ok Ok, let’s quickly get the broad tech specs out of the way. This notebook has an Intel Core i7 13 gen 1360 CPU below the keyboard that has a clock speed of up to 5.0GHz. 16GB of RAM is soldered onto the chipset and as said graphics are powered by Intel Iris XE on board graphics card.

With that, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 also has 1TB of NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1 and quad speakers are their powered by AKG. Two 5W Woofers and two 2W tweeters complete the audio setup. The power button on the device also doubles up as a fingerprint reader, which works very well. Window 11 Home is what you get installed on the machine, which came across as odd because this laptop is built for superior business needs. Windows 11 Pro would have been advantageous.

We had a gala time with this laptop. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is a treat to work with, we did a lot of things using this laptop. From typing out work documents to drawing on MS Paint. It handled everything like it is child’s play. We even opened over 40 tabs in the Chrome browser on this notebook and it did not flinch.

Impressed? Wait, here is the best part – its battery life. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 comes with a 76Wh battery that can be charged with the supplied 65W faster charger. On our tests, this Samsung notebook stayed alive for almost 10 hours at 60% screen brightness. We did a lot of things on it, watched 1 Netflix show, did our full day of office work and even played music while we were at it.

The S Pen is a neat addition as it does help if you are an avid creator and use a lot of Photoshop or similar software. You can do so much with it and more. Over that, if you are in the Samsung Ecosystem and use a Samsung mobile then transferring files between the devices is very easy. Just remember you have to be logged on to the same Samsung ID on both of them and you can easily make use of the Samsung native apps.

Samsung also provides an extra layer of security, which keeps your files and data safe from scammers and hackers.

We did use the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 in tablet mode, which some might like, but for us, it was slightly big to be used as a tablet. 11 to 13-inch form factor is perfect for any tablet use. But hey that is just us, some creators would love the extra screen space when they use it in the tablet mode.

We loved the audio this laptop produced. Since the speakers are powered by AKG and are Atmos-ready, you will love editing videos and even watching high-res movies. One will get good virtual surround sound from them when sitting close and they do perfect justice to the whole scheme of things.

Verdict

So, at Rs 1,79,990 is this laptop worth picking? The answer is an astounding yes. The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is a brilliant machine that has all the ingredients one would want from a powerhouse laptop. Yes, a discreet graphic card would have been a boon, but that would make the aesthetics look bulky and will definitely make it much heavier.

To make it look stunning, Samsung would have gone for the onboard GPU, which is not bad for any professional work-related tasks. Programs like Photoshop and Premier Pro will work well on it and then you get a beautiful touch screen, which others will not have. If you are a professional looking for great performance and stunning looks, we see no reason not to invest in this machine.