Great to use in tablet mode; the best 1080p display around; bassy speakers; big trackpad and pleasant keyboard; versatile S Pen

Fans get going early; no 16:10/3:2 display

Samsung reintroduced itself as a serious laptop contender back in 2019, with the Galaxy Book Ion and Galaxy Book Flex. Both devices offered solid specs and a decent look to differentiate them from the rest of the field but a fairly high price in a competitive market meant they didn’t make a huge impact. In 2021, Samsung has shifted its priorities – with the launch of the Galaxy Book, Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360. Looks have been reigned in, giving a couple of key features their chance to shine. For the Galaxy Book Pro 360, Samsung has genuinely taken the 2-in-1 category up a notch.

You’ll be best served if you’re someone who’s long had their eye on a laptop with a 360-degree hinge – ideal for watching movies in “tent” mode or doing some sketches in tablet mode.

However, this doesn’t have to be your priority, as Samsung’s new 2-in-1 is a top performer as a regular ol’ ultrabook too – with one of the best 1080p displays around and a range of other high-spec features. The Galaxy Book Pro 360 does come up against stiffer competition in that area though, such as the Dell XPS 13 and Apple MacBook Air. The regular Galaxy Book Pro is one to consider too, if 2-in-1s aren’t your thing, adding the option of LTE support and some upgradeability too, which you don’t get here.

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 is one of the best looking laptops you can buy right now. While the Galaxy Book Flex and Ion were slightly more eye-catching, this laptop is laser-focused on a thin and contemporary look. No frills, just finesse.

At between 11.5-11.9mm thick and 1.04-1.39kg – depending on if you opt for the 13.3 or 15.6-inch model – the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is remarkably portable. The 15.6-inch model we tested is easily one of the most portable takes on this size. Samsung has taken many cues from the LG Gram range with these new machines but turned up the dial on build quality as well as its display capabilities. That's a clever move as LG’s laptops are already strong options in their own right.

Samsung’s latest 2-in-1 is nothing short of a pleasure to use – from the moment you pick up its light, aluminium body to opening it up and getting to work with its Super AMOLED display. The trackpad and keyboard keep this standard up too, with an impressively large trackpad flanking a keyboard with a surprising amount of travel – if lacking a bit of tactile response.

Performance is up there with the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360 14, even slightly topping rivals when it came to our graphical testing – meaning you’ll be able to eke out some basic gaming in titles like Rocket League and Fortnite. It does fall down when it comes to fan noise – they are very eager. Even when carrying out fairly low demand productivity tasks – 3-6 tabs in Chrome – the fans got going. It wasn’t all that distracting but it’s there and most substantial than rivals.