Samsung Announces Galaxy Book2 Series

[BroccoLee]

At MWC 2022, Samsung announced 3 new PCs of the Galaxy Book2 series.

The main improvement is in the webcam department. Samsung increased the webcam resolution for both the Book2 Pro & Book2 Pro 360 from 720p to 1080p. Samsung also brought over the Auto Framing feature from the Tab S8 series and introduced it to all 3 models in the series this year.

Unfortunately, like previous generations of Galaxy Books, the laptops are unlikely to be sold in Singapore.

Source: Samsung US

I personally own last year's Galaxy Book Pro and I must say it is a really portable laptop. The one thing I wished it had was a 16:10 aspect ratio display instead of 16:9. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the few who like narrower displays) the Galaxy Book2 series retains that 16:9 aspect ratio on all models.

[JP19]

Is there a particular reason why they don't intend to sell in Singapore?

[BroccoLee]

According to a conversation I've had with a Samsung support staff last year, they mentioned that Samsung Singapore doesn't have any plans to bring laptops to Singapore at the moment. Officially, I haven't found any explanation too.

However, in my personal opinion and observation, I think that the laptop market in Singapore is already saturated enough with brands like Apple, Acer, Dell, Asus, Lenovo, H P, Microsoft, Razer, Aftershock etc. All these brands already command significant mindshare and market share among Singaporeans.

Therefore it may be quite challenging for Samsung to differentiate its laptops enough to the point where existing customers of those brands mentioned are willing to accept the switching cost.

I think that's why, in Singapore at least, Samsung is pushing its tablets (a.k.a Tab series). Samsung's Tabs are already unique and differentiated from other tablets (think DeX, think included S-Pen etc.). It is way easier and more cost-effective for Samsung to promote a differentiated product in a market where they have a significant standing.

That's just my personal observation.

[JP19]

I see.. but I think Samsung needs to work on their Exynos chipsets like Apple with their M chips. As I feel that more and more are breaking away from Intel and tying up with AMD, Mediatek or using their in-house chip.

[JP19]

So that could be a main advantage compared to the rest where they don't have their own chips and need to rely on AMD or Intel.

[BroccoLee]

Good point. For Apple, everything from the hardware to the software to the OS to the applications are designed by Apple and are made to work seamlessly. All of which are the results of decades of development. It is worth noting that at the end of the day, Samsung's laptops are Windows laptops. For Samsung to design a new in-house chip that is able to run Windows, One UI Book 4 etc. will be a costly investment. And also one that may not work as well as Intel and AMD.

I think we have to keep in mind that Samsung Mobile's primary USPs are its smartphones and, recently, its tablets. Until and unless PCs and laptops become a champion device category for Samsung, investing capital and time into a comparatively small business unit may not be the wisest decision.

That said, one can always hope. But maybe let's hope for Samsung to bring back laptops to the Singapore market first before we hope for further things. ;)

[JP19]

Yeah.. have to agree that it will be a costly investment for its laptops to run on Windows, concurrently with a new OS.

Yup let's hope that they bring laptops back one day. Have never bought a Samsung laptop before. Since I have a Samsung device, will be good if the integration can be seamless.

[BroccoLee]

Yeah. Trust me when I say that using Quick Share to transfer files between Samsung devices and a Samsung laptop is just *chef's kiss* smooth.

[JP19]

Beats using BT haha.. BT needs to have the laptop to standby receiving file mode, if not the transfer will fail.

[Gillian104]

These announcements give me a headache. Does anyone else think that in the near future some innovative device will be released that is not similar to the previous ones? I think I will wait another five years to be at least a little bit surprised. People who are surprised by this even Intel(R) Graphics Control Panel driver can't install it themselves, although it's easy to find on the web.