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As a Windows tablet with integrated LTE gigabit and a battery life of 20 hours, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 has a lot of potential for tablet buyers looking for a more powerful alternative to the Apple iPad. Theoretically, the $ 999.99 Galaxy Book2 combines the best of the big Apple iPad Pro screen (long battery life, instant start, brilliant touch screen, stylus support) and the power of Windows 10. Use a mouse and run a desktop software). . Add a gigabit LTE modem and it gets even more intriguing. The big unknown, however, is whether the Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 processor from Book2 will be powerful enough to deliver a computing experience that is not spoiled by slow and incompatible applications. We had a quick overview and have some impressions.
Keyboard and pen included
Samsung gave PCMag a quick overview of Book2, which went on sale November 2nd. As soon as I picked it up, I noticed that the physical design of the tabet shared much more with the Microsoft Surface Pro than with the Apple iPad Pro. Indeed, it has a built-in kickstand for attaching the tablet to your desktop and a keyboard cover in the box. Attach the keyboard shell (equipped with the miniature touchpad) to the tablet with the help of the POGO style magnetic connector, and you will get a credible substitute for a laptop.
Microsoft was the first to use this configuration with Surface Pro, and other companies such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo later upgraded it with devices such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 520. In the case from the Galaxy Book2, the full package looks more like a big book than a coffee table. a laptop. The 12-inch screen is slightly smaller than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and those of the Surface Pro, but the difference is negligible when you hold it. Example: Without the keyboard cover, the Galaxy Book2 weighs 1.75 lbs and measures 0.3 x 11.32 x 7.89 pounds (HWD), while the Surface Pro 6 measures 0.33 x 11.5 x 7 , 9 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.7 pounds. You would have a hard time giving one or the other advantage.
The keys are very sturdy and travel a good distance when you press them, but the keyboard cover is quite flexible, which causes a lot of bending if you tap hard. I appreciate the textured back of the keyboard shell, but the best thing I can say about it is that it's included at no extra charge, unlike the Surface Type cover, which must be purchased separately from the Surface Pro.
The screen is an AMOLED panel and its resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels is between 4K and Full HD. This is not enough as high resolution as the Surface Pro 6 screen of 2,736 x 1,824 pixels, but the AMOLED technology gives liveliness to the colors that the Surface Pro can not reproduce. Personally, I would prefer a higher resolution than the AMOLED technology, but it is certainly an urgent call.
The Galaxy Book2 S Pen Pen (which is also included in the $ 1,000 base price, unlike the optional $ 99 Surface Pen) is pleasant to use, with excellent sensitivity to pressure and rejection of palm. I appreciate that Samsung includes a spare pen tip, as well as a tool for exchanging spikes, which will tarnish the task over time, as would a pencil tip.
The major disadvantage of the S Pen is that it has a weak magnet. It sticks to the left edge of the tablet, but it takes some effort to make it stay, and every time I take the tablet, the pen falls. Microsoft has also struggled with the problem, especially with a pocket clip in early versions of the Surface Pen, until it finally adds more powerful magnets to Surface Pro 5 2017.
I'm not a fan of the Galaxy Book2's pale gray color scheme, but at least it's consistent: the S Pen, the keyboard cover, and the back of the tablet are all about the same shade. of gray. The bezel, or border around the screen, is a jet-black and quite wide, especially if compared to the extremely fine bezel that now adorns the latest ultraportable laptops, such as the Dell XPS 13..
More connectivity than an iPad
If you are in the market for a Windows tablet, it is likely that you are looking for more connectivity options than an Amazon Fire iPad or tablet. The Galaxy Book2 offers you partial coverage, with two USB Type-C ports, a headphone jack and an SD card reader built into the SIM card tray. To insert an SD card, you must open the drawer using the provided SIM tool. It is unfortunate that there is no USB Type-A port, which you can find on the IdeaPad Miix 520.
Two ports are patched to the ports, one on the left and right edges. They seem to offer an above average sound quality for a tablet, based on streaming a YouTube music video for a few seconds. I will do a more detailed assessment of the audio quality in my review of the entire machine, but for the moment, suffice it to say that the fact that AKG set the 2-watt speakers seems like a perceptible benefit rather than a gadget.
The 8 megapixel main camera offers a very good image quality for webcams for laptops or tablets, with a near-absence of grain in still images taken indoors in low light. There is also a 5 megapixel front camera for Skype sessions.
The 4GB of memory and 128GB of Galaxy Book2 storage are pretty cool for a $ 1,000 machine. On the plus side, you probably will not do a lot of multitasking or other memory-hungry activities, or large game files on this tablet.
Promising battery life and performance
The true potential of the Galaxy Book2 as a revolutionary Windows tablet lies in Samsung's claims about battery life and computing performance, and we strive to test them with the help of PC Labs. Evaluating the performance of the Book2 Snapdragon 850 is not like testing on ordinary Intel or AMD-based laptops or desktops because the processor uses a completely different set of instructions. This means that some of the PCMag reference applications are not compatible and that despite Microsoft's efforts to involve application developers, some of your favorite applications may not be un-supported. more.
The good news is that the situation of Windows on Snapdragon seems to have improved considerably since the appearance of the first machines earlier this year. Rampant to a slower processor (the Snapdragon 835) and an earlier version of Windows 10, the Asus NovaGo was so slow that it was virtually unusable when I first tested it for the first time .
But this is not the case at all with the Galaxy Book2. Thanks to hardware and software improvements, the few hours spent using it so far have gone on without stuttering. This applies not only to Microsoft applications like the Edge Web browser and the Sticky Notes application, but also to third-party applications such as the Opera browser, Samsung's note-taking application and the Verizon app preinstalled that allows you to manage your data connection. Note that the Book2 comes with Windows 10 S mode enabled by default and you need to upgrade to the full version of Windows to install applications that are not available on the Microsoft Store.
Although I have not done extensive testing on the wireless connection, I know one thing: thanks to the reliable Verizon network and the Snapdragon X20 LTE modem, the Galaxy Book2 can take advantage of the fast speeds of mobile data. I've measured download speeds of 37 Mbps and 4 Mbps using the Speedtest.net of Ookla in PC Labs, which normally produces a very weak signal strength on the networks of all operators. (Note: The PCMag editor, Ziff Davis, is also an owner of Ookla.) This means not only fast downloads and web browsing, but also the possibility of never needing to ever again. connect to a Wi-Fi network of airport or cafe.
You can use the Galaxy Book2 on three major US carriers: AT & T and Sprint, in addition to Verizon. Samsung has not announced whether there would be a T-Mobile version or not. Whichever carrier you choose, you will need to purchase a data plan and obtain a SIM card. This is a major disadvantage compared to the iPad, which does not require a physical SIM card and allows you to register and cancel data packages directly from the device without having to speak to an operator.
The last unknown about the Galaxy Book2 is the battery life, but I'm pretty sure it will be better than the Windows tablets I've ever used. Not only is there no 4K screen or energy-saving cooling fan (additional benefit: no noise!), But the Snapdragon 850 is extremely energy-efficient. The Asus NovaGo lasted a whole weekend of occasional use without being plugged. Samsung claims up to 20 hours of autonomy, which seems very promising.
The Samsung Galaxy Book2 will be available online at AT & T, Microsoft and Samsung for $ 999.99 starting November 2nd. It will be available at AT & T, Sprint and Verizon stores later in the month. Come back soon for our comprehensive review.
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