Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is one of the effective time value Chromebook laptops you may buy for less than £ 500 , with a high - solving display that arrive at it ideal for watching TV . But its Intel central processor underwhelms for both performance and battery living .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
If you were to spot the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 on a workshop ledge in Currys or PC World , you ’d in all likelihood dismiss it as yet another mediocre Chromebook .
Its pliant upcountry design and keyboard are not pleasant on the centre , while the chunky under - screen lip makes it front like a laptop that launch several years ago , despite hitting stores in 2022 .
But Samsung ’s latest Chromebook is a cracking example of why you should never adjudicate a laptop computer solely by its looks . I ’ve been incredibly impressed with this machine , with a remarkable 2560 x 1600 screen resolution , portable 2 - in-1 design and optional accompaniment for LTE when paired with a SIM card .
What ’s more , this Samsung Chromebook is available for just £ 319 for the Wi - Fi model , or £ 399 if you ’d prefer the LTE version . On newspaper publisher , that looks like an unbelievable steal . But is this really one of thebest Chromebooklaptops you’re able to buy justly now ?
Design
Chromebooks are n’t known for own fashionable design , and the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 does not shoot this drift .
Samsung has opted for an all - charge plate construction . That means the entire chassis , keyboard and even the trackpad are made of plastic . For anyone who has used a alloy laptop before , you wo n’t avail but feel that this Samsung laptop computer feel well cheap by comparability . Although give the price of this Chromebook , that is whole understandable .
The full-grown issue , at least in term of looks , is the chunky under - screen bezel . The 12.4 - column inch screen is surrounded by huge grim bars which look really outdated in an age where laptop manufacturer are assay to squeeze the bezel out of existence . Even theSurface Laptop Go 2doesn’t look quite this gawky .
The Samsung Chromebook have a 360 - academic degree flexible joint , allowing me to flip the keyboard around so it ’s laying flavorless against the screen ’s rear . This allow you to use it like a tablet , although I in person find it a little too heavy ( at 1.28 kg ) to expend it as such – you ’ll get a far better experience with a consecrate pad such as aniPadorGalaxy Tab .
That say , I still encounter the flexible hinge useful when flip the keyboard backwards to habituate as a stand . Then you may watch the the likes of of Netflix and Disney Plus with the keyboard hidden from view .
The laptop has a silver eyelid and rim , helping to make it stand out a little more than a basic all - shameful design . I ’m still disappointed that Samsung is n’t offering multiple color options though , as some extra patrician , ruddy and unripened models would contribute some extra personality .
The Speakers are situated on the bottom of the laptop computer , which has the unfortunate event of muffling the sound . And yet , I was impressed with the performance of the speaker unit , with plenty of item to present dialogue understandably . You ’ll still probably choose to don a distich of headphones , although I ’d mirthfully depend on the speakers if required .
The port situation is comme il faut . You get two USB - C connection , a USB - A port for older peripherals , a microSD card reader and a headphone jack . With the LTE model , you get a SIM card slot – slide in your SIM circuit card , and the Chromebook will have on - the - go connectivity via your internet .
A 1MP webcam is cuddle in the top bezel , but it offer poor gaining control calibre with television observably pixelated and foggy . But if you merely need a webcam for meeting at employment , it should n’t be an number .
I ’m not a big fan of the plastic key on the keyboard , as they finger slight and generate a fair bit of haphazardness . Fortunately , the keyboard is well-situated to type on thanks to the cryptical keystrokes , and each key is large enough that you do n’t need to gall about frequent typos . As you ’d expect from a laptop at this price , there are no fancy features such as a fingerprint sensor .
The trackpad is also made of plastic , but I in person did n’t find this an issue . It ’s legato enough for comfortable swiping , while right- and unexpended - clicks were always reactive .
Screen
It ’s middling vulgar for a laptop computer under $ 600 to skimp on the screen quality in parliamentary procedure to ensure other areas are up to sniff – just look atMicrosoft ’s Surface Laptop Go 2 .
But Samsung has gone in a all unlike direction , as the screen is arguably the best plus of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 . It is admittedly low at just 12.4 - column inch , but it has a dazzling 2560 x 1600 resolution which is even good than some laptops that cost over a grand .
By hitting the sweet-flavored spot between Full HD and 4 K , you get fabulously sharp video without pay over the betting odds . I was stunned by the vibrant colours and high detail when viewing high - solution YouTube TV .
I was impressed with the bench mark scores after testing the laptop computer with a colorimeter , too . The Chromebook is capable of a 371 - nit brightness , which is brighter than the average laptop . And an dumbfounding contrast of 2742:1 mean that bright colouration remain firm out really well from colored background .
With such stunning display gobs , I think this is an first-class laptop computer for teem video – just as long as you do n’t mind the compact screen size . countenance ’s not blank out that this is also a touchscreen , so you may easily zoom in by simply pinching or scrolling down a newsfeed by swiping .
Performance
Chromebooks are n’t bang for mellow performance , and while the simplicity of ChromeOS does make them more effective compared to Windows portable , it does n’t guarantee you ’re go to get a unseamed performance .
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 features an Intel Celeron N4500 processor , which is one of the weak option for a laptop . As a issue , I noticed a bonny turn of retardation when graze the World Wide Web , specially when attempting to load multiple effigy on a site .
With just 4 GB of RAM , you need to be button-down with your workload , as have multiple apps and web browser app open simultaneously will notably contract performance , but it ’s still dead manageable . I never got torment with the load time , even when using this laptop for work .
The bench mark results back up my thoughts . you’re able to get more powerful Chromebooks at a similar price with the like of theAcer Chromebook Spin 513 , while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offer both faster public presentation and the exemption of Windows if you ’re happy to expend a few hundred quid more .
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 sports a 128 GB eMMC . That ’s not a whole lot of repositing distance , but you ’re expected to apply swarm services when buying a Chromebook at this price . And while you will get faster speeds with an SSD compared to an eMMC private road , you broadly speaking do n’t get such luxury with a laptop at this damage .
I was also impressed with the cellular carrying out when sticking my SIM card at bottom . f number will patently be qualified on your cellular coverage and select plan , but even with a weak sign , I was capable to browse the web with a decent performance . Wi - Fi will always be better , but it ’s still great to have cellular as an alternative when out and about .
Battery life
The Intel Celeron N4500 chip does n’t just limit performance , as it also has a big impact on battery living .
During my first mental testing , I used the Android interpretation of PCMark 10 to simulate day - to - Clarence Day chore until the shelling hit 20 % , with the screen brightness dialled down to 150 nits . It hold out for 4 hours and 36 transactions . And estimate by the pace of bombardment depletion , it ’s dependable to assume the laptop would have lasted at least another minute before hit 0 % , taking the battery life to around 5 and a one-half hours .
This result seemed scummy to me , believe most mod laptop computer are capable of lasting around 10 hours on a single explosive charge . And so I also set another battery trial , with a YouTube video Seth to loop until the battery was entirely drained . This metre , the Chromebook go 6 minute – a little beneficial , but still a very poor answer .
If you were using this laptop for work , and forgot to bring the charger into the office , you ’d be pretty knackered . For setting , theAcer Chromebook Spin 513lasted around 13 minute in our stamp battery benchmark tests , despite being uncommitted at a similar cost .
So there are estimable choice if you care about bombardment life-time , but then again , you ’ll struggle to obtain an alternative Chromebook at this price with a superior screen .
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Should you buy it?
- : This Chromebook may only have a 12.4 - inch blind , but it has a fulgurous 2560 x 1600 resolution to ensure on - filmdom icon and video take care improbably sharp . This is a with child little Chromebook for watching the like of Netflix on the go .
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 has a very unsatisfying battery life , lasting just 6 hour in our bench mark test . That could be a major matter if you care to work on the go .
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a great value laptop computer , especially if you want a high - resolution display to check Netflix and YouTube . It also has a various 2 - in-1 design , and is compact and portable enough to easy drop away into a bag . LTE support also set aside you to keep on pasture away from the router .
The major takings here is the central processor . It offer a comparatively slow performance , although it ’s still perfectly serviceable if you stick to basic workloads . But the battery life is less forgeable , lasting just 6 hours in our bench mark trial run .
TheAcer Chromebook Spin 513is worth checking out as an alternative , as it has both better performance and battery life . But if you ’d prefer a mellow projection screen resoluteness for watching video , then the Samsung is still a fantastic option .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of unvarying checks design to gauge primal things including anatomy quality , carrying into action , screen quality and battery life .
These admit formal celluloid benchmarks and scripted tests , plus a serial of literal - cosmos bank check , such as how well it run democratic apps .
FAQs
The Samsung Galaxy Book range generally uses Windows or else of ChromeOS , and so offer more versatility in terms of software downloads , and ordinarily offer a faster performance .
Yes , you’re able to flip back the keyboard in parliamentary law to employ this laptop like a improvised tablet .
Test Data
Full Specs
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