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Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360: Two-minute review
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a 2-in-1 Chromebook with a small form factor for easy portability. It’s this miniature size that first strikes the eye, followed by the sleek and minimal design. It also has a sturdy construction, although it’s thicker and heavier than you might expect. Regardless, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is still easy to carry around.
Opening up the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 further reveals its high level of engineering. The hinge mechanism, for instance, is silky smooth to operate yet provides plenty of stability.
Of course, as you may have guessed from its name, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is convertible, so you can flip the screen all the way back and use it as a tablet. However, this isn’t ideal, as the aforementioned heft prevents this from being practical for extended periods. It does much better, though, when tented upside down on a desk, as you can still operate it via the touchscreen, but without being burdened by the weight.
When it comes to performance, there are some disappointments. The specs of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are rather middling compared to the best Chromebooks, which means that multitasking and even moderate gaming can be a stretch for it. Thankfully, it does much better at light productivity and playing back video content.
The 12.4 inch display I had in my review unit was glorious, rendering images and scenes vividly and with plenty of brightness. The 2560 x 1600 resolution also provides stunning clarity, as does the high gloss finish.
However, the latter aspect can cause prominent reflections, and the contrast can be too high. However, these drawbacks aren’t persistent or egregious, and they didn’t ruin the overall experience for me.
The touchscreen is very responsive and easy to use, as is the trackpad and keyboard. I could type accurately thanks to the generous spacing of the keys, which is impressive when you consider the small form factor of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360. They’re also very tactile for Chromebook keys.
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 sits at the mid-to-high end of the market in terms of pricing, which may seem unjustified given its performance is lacking in certain departments, especially when compared to Windows or Mac laptops. However, that small and sublime build, combined with the exquisite display, might just be enough to win you over.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Price and availability
- $429.99 / £419 / AU$707
- Available now
- Higher end of the market
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 costs $429.99 / £419 / AU$707 and is available now. However, we have seen it on sale for considerably less. It can be configured with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, and various screen sizes are available, although only one colorway is offered.
This is a good price for a convertible and expertly crafted Chromebook. However, the CPU and RAM it’s equipped with are on the weaker side, but the performance is still capable enough.
It’s still quite a lot more expensive than the Acer Spin 314 Chromebook, though, which is one of our favorite models. This has more storage and a much better battery life than the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, although its resolution isn’t as high, and we found it can get quite hot when processing strenuous workloads – but these were about the only drawbacks we could find with it.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Specs
My Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review unit was configured with a 12.4-inch display and 64GB of storage.
|
Price |
$429.99 / £419 / AU$707 |
|
CPU |
Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz (2 threads, 2.80GHz) |
|
Graphics |
Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics |
|
RAM |
4GB LPDDR4x |
|
Screen |
12.4-inch WQXGA LED Display (2560 x 1600), Touch |
|
Storage |
64GB e.MMC |
|
Ports |
1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio |
|
Wireless |
Wi-Fi 6, LTE (Option), Bluetooth v5.1 |
|
Camera |
HD 720p / 8MP |
|
Weight |
2.82lbs (1.28kg) |
|
Dimensions |
11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches (28.8 x 20.7 x 1.7cm) |
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Design
- Looks premium
- Heavier than expected
- Great hinge mechanism
The design of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a notable step up from the usual budget fare of many Chromebooks. It looks very sleek, especially in the light grey colorway, and its metal-looking imparts a premium appearance that rivals even some of the best laptops around.
Every dimension is almost completely flat, save from the most minimal of protrusions of the power and volume buttons on either side. Even the underside is free from unsightly vents or etchings, and the four rubber feet are very small and thin, which also makes it easier to slide the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 into your bag.
Despite appearances, however, the unit is made from plastic, not metal, and as a result the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 doesn’t feel quite as premium as it looks. It’s still well-made, and Samsung even markets the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 as a tough device, with its spill-resistant keyboard and ability to withstand light drops.
The downside is that it’s thicker and heavier than its small form factor might lead you to believe. This is a minor disappointment from a portability perspective, although it’s still easy to carry around.
Flipping open the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 and positioning the screen at different angles is easy, thanks to the silky smooth hinge mechanism. There’s a small amount of wobble after making adjustments, but this isn’t concerning and it remains perfectly stable in use.
The screen can also rotate all the back to 360 degrees, letting you use the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 as a tablet. This works well to an extent, although the aforementioned thickness and weight means this mode isn’t practical for long periods, and isn’t a match for the best tablets in this regard. However, it works much better when you rotate the screen by about 315 degrees instead, flip it upside down, and tent it on a desk.
The keyboard is also well made, although it feels less premium than the rest of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, since the keys have a scratchy texture that doesn’t feel the most pleasant to touch. However, they operate very well, and despite the small layout, they’re generously spaced apart. There’s also a good selection of keys available, including various ChromeOS shortcuts on the top row, arrow keys and a long enter key.
The trackpad falls more in line with the overall standard of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360. It’s quite small but reasonably wide and feels very smooth to the touch, making it easy to operate.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Performance
- Unimpressive specs
- Some stuttering
- Excellent display
Benchmarks
These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360:
TechRadar Battery Life Test: 6 hours and 30 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 108.216
Kraken Benchmark: 1298.6ms
Speedometer 3.0: 4.79 (±0.23)
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 features an Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz CPU and 4GB RAM, neither of which are particularly promising in terms of performance, even by Chromebook standards.
It can handle light tasks, from entertainment to general productivity, but it can come somewhat unstuck even when reasonable demands are made of it. For instance, switching between various windows isn’t always the smoothest experience, and I did experience some stuttering when loading pages and navigating between multiple tabs in Chrome, despite not having an excessive amount open.
Light productivity work is also subject to small amounts of lag on occasion, although for word processing and spreadsheet editing, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is still capable enough to be usable without frustration.
When it comes to gaming, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is even less impressive. Playing Asphalt Legends Units was a slow and stutter-ridden experience, even on moderate graphical settings.
However, it was much more competent when streaming video content, with 4K videos loading quickly and playing without buffering midway. The viewing experience is further enhanced by the excellent display of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360.
The WQXGA resolution is very welcome on a Chromebook device, and even more so on a display this small, since the crispness and sharpness is more apparent. This benefits not just video content, but also general navigation and productivity, since the whole UI is rendered with brilliant clarity.
Colors are vivid and there’s plenty of brightness on offer too, both of which mean the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is immune to the washed-out look that some Chromebook displays suffer from.
However, the contrast can be a little too strong, which creates a more garish image at times. What’s more, the screen is very glossy, which, while radiant, is prone to heavy reflections. This is more noticeable at lower brightness settings, but thankfully it didn’t ruin my viewing experiences completely – although there were certainly occasions when it was less than ideal.
This high shine also means that finger marks are highlighted more than I would’ve liked, so you’ll likely want to have a cloth to hand if you’re using the touchscreen frequently.
Thankfully, the touchscreen performs excellently: it’s responsive and smooth, which makes navigation and gesturing easy. It’s also great for doodling and creating signatures, although it’s a shame no stylus is included to unleash its full potential in this regard.
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a joy to type on, with the aforementioned spacing of the keys helping me to achieve greater accuracy. They also have a surprising amount of depth to their travel, which makes them feel more tactile.
The trackpad is pleasant to use as well, despite its relatively small size. Cursor movements are incredibly smooth, and, as with the touchscreen, it’s responsive to the various gestures you can perform.
As for audio, the integrated speakers on the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are sufficient for clear, distortion-free listening; however, as you might expect, they lack low-end depth. I wouldn’t recommend them for listening to music, but for the odd podcast or YouTube video, they fit the bill.
- Performance score: 3.5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Battery life
The battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 isn’t terribly impressive. During our TechRadar test, where we play a video on a continuous loop, it managed to last six and a half hours. This is considerably down on the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023), our current pick as the best Chromebook overall, which managed over ten hours.
Still, it did better than the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, which we rate as the best student Chromebook, as this managed just over five hours. What’s more, charging the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is reassuringly quick, as it took just just over two hours to fully replenish from empty.
Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Price |
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 verges towards the higher end of the Chromebook market, but its design and screen are class-leading. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
Small, good-looking, and well-made, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 puts many other Chromebooks to shame. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is capable enough, but serious multitasking and gaming are beyond its means. The display is excellent, though. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Battery life |
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is on the lower end of the longevity spectrum, and didn’t perform terribly well in our battery test. |
3 / 5 |
|
Total Score |
The excellent design and display of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are great, but don’t expect blistering multitasking or gaming performance. If you want a small device to do some light work and watch content, it could be the ideal choice. |
4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 |
Acer Chromebook Spin 314 |
Acer Chromebook Plus 515 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Price |
$429.99 / £419 / AU$707 |
$380 / £329 (around AU$661) |
$399.99 / £399.99 (around AU$633) |
|
CPU |
Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz (2 threads, 2.80GHz) |
Intel Pentium N6000 Processor |
Intel Core i3-1215U |
|
Graphics |
Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics |
Intel shared graphics |
Intel UHD Graphics |
|
RAM |
4GB LPDDR4x |
4GB DDR4 |
8GB |
|
Screen |
12.4-inch WQXGA LED Display (2560 x 1600), Touch |
14-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p |
15.6-inch full HD (1920×1080) display with IPS, 16:9 aspect ratio |
|
Storage |
64GB e.MMC |
128GB eMMC |
128GB |
|
Ports |
1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio |
USB Type-C x 2, USB 3.1 x 1 , HDMI x 1 |
1x Type-A USB port, 2x Type-C ports, 1x HDMI port, and 1x headset jack |
|
Wireless |
Wi-Fi 6, LTE (Option), Bluetooth v5.1 |
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.1 |
|
Camera |
HD 720p / 8MP |
720p webcam |
1080p HD video at 60 fps |
|
Weight |
2.82lbs (1.28kg) |
3.42lbs (1.55kg) |
3.7lbs (1.68 kg) |
|
Dimensions |
11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches (28.8 x 20.7 x 1.7cm) |
26.5 x 326 x 227mm |
14.2 x 9.39 x 0.79 inches (360.6 x 238.5 x 19.99 mm; W x D x H) |
If the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 doesn’t seem right for you, here are some alternatives:
How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360
- Tested for full day
- Ran benchmark tests
- Experienced Chromebook reviewer
I tested the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 for a full day, during which time I used it for general browsing, working, and gaming.
I also put it through TechRadar’s battery test for laptops and Chromebooks, which involves playing back a 1080p movie on a continuous loop. I also ran various benchmark tests to further assess its performance.
I have reviewed numerous laptops and Chromebooks in the past, including other Samsung models. These have ranged in price, form factors, and specs, so I am well versed in the wider portable computer market and know how the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 stacks up to the competition.
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lewis.maddison@futurenet.com (Lewis Maddison)
