REVIEW: Galaxy Book3 360 hits the performance and has good battery

O Galaxy Book3 360 was announced in February 2023 and almost 4 months later, it arrives in Brazil with the proposal of being a true partner for its user. Updated with processor 7th Generation Intel Core i13, it also has a battery that promises to stay on for more than 4 hours, as well as a very bright screen. And we cannot fail to mention the integration with the ecosystem Galaxy da Samsung.

But is the investment in this model really worth it? We've gathered everything you need to know about day-to-day use after using it for a week.

Design and construction

It is clear that the attempt Samsung in putting a model on the market that can face the famous Macbooks and this can be even more seen with the launch of the third generation of the line Galaxy Book. The model with a 360º screen is very light and can be easily held with just one hand. It weighs 1,71 kg and feels like holding a book of about 400 pages.

At least in the model sent to the showmetech, there is no S Pen inside the box of the premium notebook. Instead, in addition to the user manuals, the USB-C charger and a power supply can be found.

The keyboard follows the pattern already adopted by previous generations and I, as a person with a not so small hand, really liked the large keys that prevent two keys from being pressed at the same time. Even working for Showmetech with this model was a very interesting experience.

However, I missed some shortcut keys. I am a person who really likes to listen to music at different times of the day and having to open the app just to repeat or play the music can take the focus away. My traditional notebook has keys to pause, skip and rewind the music that was being played. I didn't find it here on Galaxy Book3 360 and it was somewhat missed, as I needed to use the notepad or mouse for such a simple action.

We received the variant in gray, which resembles a slightly lighter graphite. Despite having a premium appearance, the palm rest for a long time leaves a certain mark of use. It seems that the material chosen by Samsung manages to accumulate the heat that the hand does on the model.

There is no denying that this notebook is quite beautiful and light, but in my opinion, there are still some improvements to be made to make it perfect. The shortcut keys for playing music were missing in my daily life, but this is a problem that can be solved. My biggest concern is the material chosen for the interior, because after a while, it can wear out and require changing the casing.

ports and connectivity

It is true that USB-C ports and connections are more present today and the future prepares a “death” for the USB-A we know. But this still does not seem to be the time for a company like Samsung save money by putting ports on your premium notebook. I say this because the Galaxy Book3 360 has only one USB-A connection and, if necessary, you would have to disconnect the device, without the possibility of making two uses at the same time.

In total, there are two USB-C ports, an SD card reader and an HDMI input. A 3,5mm headphone jack is also available over here. Of course, these days, USB-C cables are being shipped by companies in new devices, but I really think that the Samsung could have put at least one more USB-A port so that users didn't have to use just one device with this connection at a time.

The good news is that the USB-C ports can be used for both charging and data transfer. So, not all is lost, but we could still have a better amount so that the use would be better.

About connectivity, I have a 2.5 GHz router in my house, but the Galaxy Book3 360 Can be connected with routers with standard Wi-Fi 6E, which guarantees better speed and exchange of connections.

The notebook also arrives in the Brazilian market with an antenna Bluetooth 5.1 that can reconnect with devices in less than 2 seconds, which helps in the day to day while you go back to work or need agility to take care of a project.

I had no connectivity problems at any time that I spent with the model and quite the opposite: it managed to fulfill its proposal of being a useful model in my daily life. At this point, really everything worked as expected.

Camera

It is obvious that, at this point, you already know that notebook webcams are not so focused on delivering quality and their focus is not on having the same resolution that we see on smartphones. The Galaxy Book3 360 hits the Brazilian market with a lens that records videos in 1080p quality and, outdoors, it even manages to do a quality job. Check out this selfie:

Indoors, you can't expect much, but that happens because the Samsung it is not intended to deliver videos with high amounts of megapixels.

Despite everything, the studio mode, developed by Samsung, manages to blur the background, perform automatic framing and also has facial effects. It's an important tool and even complements the Windows Camera app, but it's worth having low expectations for it.

In the review on the Galaxy Book2 Pro, I mentioned that I hoped that a lens with 2K quality could be included in the third generation and, unfortunately, the Korean company did not make drastic changes at this point. In other words: Samsung does not want to deliver high quality video calls anytime soon.

Screen and sound

Samsung has improved the screen quality in the third generation of its Galaxy Books: while the models launched in 2022 had FHD resolution, the screen of the 2023 notebooks arrive with a panel of the type Dynamic AMOLED 2X 16-inch (aspect ratio 16:10) with the same FHD quality (1920×1080). The refresh rate is 120Hz and the response time is 1 millisecond.

Coming out of the alphabet soup and technological terms, the screen manages to deliver a good visual experience on a daily basis and, honestly, it manages to be useful for my daily life. In addition to using the notebook to work, I really like watching series on the notebook and I didn't have any problems using it.

The screen of the 2-in-1 models finally became a touchscreen, which makes day-to-day use more dynamic and having a tablet that runs Windows and with a 16-inch display is really interesting for anyone who works on the move.

My tip is that you support your hand on the opposite side of the air vents, as it can be a little uncomfortable to receive the heat that comes out of the processor. I also missed playing in tablet mode, as this is not supported yet. Reading is definitely the highlight and selfies are also better taken in this way of use.

Talking about working outdoors, I recommend that you always stay in the shade, since the screen doesn't (yet) have anti-glare protection. That doesn't mean the model is going to present a bad experience if you're in a park and the 400-nit peak brightness really makes a difference.

But it's worth that tip: the visual experience will be better in places with low natural light. I could still see my hands when writing when I tested the screen outdoors, but I had a better experience using the Galaxy Book2 Pro.

About the sound there is a set of speakers AKG Quad Speaker (Woofer Max 5Wx2, Tweeter 2Wx2) on the bottom of the notebook Samsung, with support for Dolby Atmos e smart amp. I had a good experience and the sound emitted also managed to fill the space where it was. Outdoors, with the sound at the maximum level, I was also able to listen to the audio of the video or music without any problems, even with other external noises.

The possibility of having a touchscreen makes everything more intuitive and if you are a person who likes to draw directly on the screen, you will definitely gain a lot with this model.

Battery

I am a heavy notebook user and last year I was able to achieve 03:44 usage on Galaxy Book2 Pro. This year, due to the processor 13th generation Intel Core and also the 76Wh battery (8 Wh increase), the battery life of the new generation is longer.

By making traditional use of browsing, writing and playing music on the Spotify (via Bluetooth), I was able to reach a maximum of 04:56 before being asked to connect to the charger. I still needed to connect the notebook to power only once a day, but this gain in autonomy can make a total difference when delivering a job after covering an event.

My traditional notebook has the Lenovo Vantage, which locks the battery percentage at 60% so that maximum capacity is not reached. By fiddling with the settings, I found a setting that even does this in Galaxy Book3 360, but it locks the percentage at 85%. It's a feature that increases battery life and will definitely bring the use of the light notebook for much longer.

Charging time was an average of two hours and the same charger can be used to recharge models with a USB-C connection. When testing with my Realme 9 Pro +, the battery was fully recharged in just one hour. Power source power is 65W.

In games, the maximum time I was able to play Fortnite was 03:34 before the operating system asked for the charger to be plugged back in. But, as much as autonomy matters, we always remember that it is recommended that you always use the notebook connected to the socket so that autonomy does not deteriorate over time.

Noise, heating and lighting

As soon as the notebook is turned on, the processor goes to work so that essential applications are preloaded. After about five minutes, it runs fairly quietly in lighter activities like using the Google Chrome, Netflix and Spotify.

I am a user who likes to have many applications open at the same time and in addition to the browser, I work with WhatsApp, Slack and Telegram. In the seven days I had the model, I only heard the fans running when the system needed to be restarted.

Keyboard lighting also helps a lot in darker or low-light environments, but I would like to be able to turn this off for perhaps longer battery life. I still can't do this on the OS, but given the purpose of this, it has been helpful at all times.

I have the habit of using the notebook on my lap when I'm at home office, even when I was playing, I didn't realize that the Galaxy Book3 360 it got hotter than it should have. This is due to the power management of its processor, which delivers performance without the need for a large energy expenditure.

System

belonging to the platform Intel Evolution, the processor present in the Galaxy Book3 360 that we receive for testing is the 7th Gen Intel Core i1360-13P. The maximum speed reported is 2,20 GHz and the factory installed operating system is Windows 11. The SSD installed in the model is 1 TB and there is 16 GB of LPDDR5 type RAM.

A Samsung made a point of letting the user have a “pure” experience in this model, but also brought the famous One UI applications. Simultaneously, here seems to have more additional apps than Windows really needs.

For example: the Gallery seen on Galaxy smartphones is still available here and, honestly, we all know that the Windows Gallery does a very thorough job. O Quick Search it's Samsung's attempt at having its own File Explorer, but Microsoft's flagship tool is also much more accepted.

Another app that you might miss here is Samsung Notes, which is an attempt by the Korean company to clash with the famous Microsoft Notepad. This application is even interesting for those who have a Galaxy smartphone with a Samsung Account, but if you don't, it will be just another option that will be left out.

However, not everything went wrong: the Samsung Pass (not Android, was replaced by SamsungWallet) made its debut on Windows and promises to bring password synchronization and an important security layer that complements what Microsoft's operating system. And you can also use the QuickShare to easily send files from your device Galaxy for the Samsung notebook, as both are part of the same ecosystem.

Another application that had already worked on the model I tested last year is also here: the Samsung Flow allows the screen image of a Galaxy tablet or smartphone to be seen on the laptop screen. The smaller device's clipboard also appears on your computer so you can continue your work on the big screen.

Anyway, there are apps that work and others that easily couldn't even be here. But, of course, the use of Galaxy Book3 360 it will be more complete if you have a tablet or smartphone from the Galaxy line.

Gaming performance

Again, as part of the platform Intel Evolution, this lightweight notebook from Samsung does not have a dedicated video card. But this is far from bad: I was able to run Fortnite at maximum quality and without the need for the processor to become a real fan. Of course, due to running heavier games, it will make that noise to let the hot air out, but nothing that is a nuisance or that causes crashes in online matches.

I also tested with fall guys 2 and it may even be that I didn't win a game, but that was more my fault than the processor's. In a general way, the Galaxy Book3 360 it is an interesting model for those who want to do tasks that require a little more performance, such as photo and video editing.

The model also did not have any problems with crashing in all the activities it put to work and, for sure, I would have this model in my daily life to fulfill the demands of Showmetech, play games and even for entertainment.

At the same time, it is worth remembering that the Galaxy Book3 360 it's not aimed at games and, in heavier titles, it certainly must give those "chokes" for being placed in a task that it was not manufactured to work. But it should meet the needs of most Brazilians.

synthetic tests

Due to having a 13th generation Intel processor, there is no denying that the model should do a good job. But I also put the Galaxy Book3 360 through apps that crank up the power to the max to see how far it can go. Let's see the results.

PCMark 10

In a very basic way, this app puts the computer to the test in various activities, such as video calls, document typing and content editing. For comparison, the Galaxy Book2 Pro managed to reach 5.137 points. Now check out Samsung's model score with the processor Intel Core i7-1360P on 5589 points:

Cinebench R23

This other application is more focused on performing tests on the light notebook video card that is the subject of this review. For comparison, the Galaxy Book2 Pro reached 8735 points in the Multi Core CPU test and 956 points in the single core test. And these were the results of the Galaxy Book3 360:

It is important to remember that both models have an integrated Intel graphics card and, as I said in the review posted in 2022, Samsung's notebook can meet the needs of many users. But since he did well in game tests, he certainly has everything to be your partner in various tasks.

Conclusion

There's no denying that the Galaxy Book3 360 is a premium model and that's not only because of its looks but also because of its price. Sold in Brazil from May 31, 2023, whoever invests the amount of $ 11.363 Add to cart in the model will have a very complete experience.

The purchase will not be the cheapest, but you will certainly be purchasing a model that is quite complete and up-to-date with the latest technologies on the market. It is certain that it will receive the next generations of Windows and run the latest applications.

Perhaps, the exchange for a GalaxyBook2 not be so favorable. But if you have a model released in 2021, the update can be quite favorable. I reach the end of this review with the certainty that I would have this model on my possible purchase list if I were to change notebooks at some point, due to the fact that it manages to deliver a complete user experience and the most interesting thing: its battery lasts for more than 4 hours (it is possible to reach up to 6 hours, with the proper settings).

There's no way to say that this 2-in-1 notebook is perfect: despite having a fingerprint reader on the power button, it still lacks support for facial recognition. Another negative point is the excessive amount of applications Samsung. It's clear that the company wants to give maximum support to the Galaxy ecosystem, but some of the available options just don't make sense.

Do you really need a second File Explorer? And you also need a second notebook? Some applications can really be useful for those who have a Galaxy tablet or smartphone, but if you don't, it will all just take up space without the need for it to even exist.

That said, you're sure to make even better use of it if you already have a tablet or smartphone from Samsung. But if you haven't yet, you'll also be tempted to buy a device like this to get even more complete use out of your new notebook.

Technical specifications

MODEL	Galaxy Book3 Pro 360
Colors	graphite or cream
Operational system	Windows 11
Processor	13th Generation Intel Core (options with i5 or i7)
Video card	Integrated Intel Irise Graphics
RAM memory	8, 16 or 32GB (LPDDR5)
Storage	256GB, 512GB or 1TB + room for expansion
Fabric	2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 16X (16:10 aspect ratio) 400nits 120 Hz 120% core volume (DCI-P3) Capable of rotating 360 degrees Touchscreen and S Pen compatible 400nit (Typ) 500nit (HDR) -VESA HDR 500 authentication, HDR content only.
Resolution	FHD (1920 × 1080)
Dimensions	355.4 x 252.2 x 12.8 mm
Weight	16 inch model: 1,66kg or 1,71kg (5g model)
Audio	AKG Quad Speaker (Woofer Max 5Wx2, Tweeter 2Wx2) smart amp Dolby Atmos
WebCam	1080p Full HD with dual microphone, studio quality and noise canceling
Battery	76Wh (Typical)
Keyboard	3-line numeric, backlit island type
Charger	USB-C 65w, compatible with the entire Galaxy ecosystem
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6e, 802.11ax 2×2 Bluetooth 5.1 5G Sub6 (Optional)
other entries	1x MicroSD 1x USB 3.2 Type A 1x HP/Microphone 2x USB-C Tunderbolt 4 1x HDMI 1.4
Accessories	S Pen (8.2 x 7.7 x 144.84mm, 7.9g)
technology solutions	Galaxy Echo (Phone-Tab-PC-Wearable) Samsung MultiControl Second Screen Expert RAW (AutoShare) Quick Share & Private Share  phone link Samsung Pass
Availability in Brazil	31 May 2023
Price	R $ 11.499

What did you think of Galaxy Book3 360? Do you have any questions about use? Tell us us Comment!

Watch the comparison video between the Book3 360 x Ultra:

See also other features

Interview: Samsung VP comments on the advantages of Galaxy Book3 notebooks

https://www.showmetech.com.br/entrevista-samsung-galaxy-book3/

reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 31 / 5 / 23.