Samsung Galaxy Book2 360 (13in)

This is the best convertible we've seen that costs under a grand: Dell's XPS range has competition at last

PRICE Core i5, £791 (£949 inc VAT) from samsung.com/uk

For almost a decade, Dell has been the clear leader when it I comes to stylish, slim Windows laptops. Challengers to the Dell XPS series have come and gone, but none has dislodged a crown that appeared cemented to Dell's head. With this second iteration of the Galaxy Book series, Samsung not only grabs the headwear but does so at a bargain price.

Samsung's range needs careful explanation, though. Here, we have the 13.3in Galaxy Book2 360. That is, a convertible that directly targets the XPS 13 2-in-1 (see issue 330, p82). We tested the £949 version, but £200 upgrades that to a Core i7.

There is a plain, non-convertible version of the Book2, but this features a 15.6in screen (it starts at £599 with a Core i3 inside). I hope that Samsung releases a 13.3in version, but there's no sign of that yet.

Over the page we review the Galaxy Book2 Pro, which comes in 13.3in and 15.6in forms (including 360 2-in-1 variants). It's a lighter, slimmer and more premium device, with a metal lid compared to the plastic construction of the plain Book2, and the 2-in-1 versions include an S-Pen in the box. Aside from a fingerprint reader, though, there isn't much else to differentiate them.

Classy design

Every time I picked up the Book2 360 I had to remind myself that this laptop costs less than £1,000. If someone told me that the lid was made from aluminium rather than plastic then I would believe them, as it looks and feels resolutely solid. It was only once I unpeeled the bottom - a process of removing four screws and using iFixit tools to prise the back away - that I was convinced.