Samsung Samsung 16" Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 2-in-1 Review

Buy this only if you're an artist or designer who values a stunning touchscreen over speed. For any other professional, the sluggish CPU makes it a hard pass.

This laptop is a paradox. It's a stunning, premium 2-in-1 with a screen that makes you drool, but its brain is surprisingly slow. The one thing you need to know is this: it's a beautiful canvas with a mediocre painter inside. If you're buying this for its looks and touchscreen flexibility, you'll be thrilled. If you're expecting top-tier performance from a $1800 machine, you'll be disappointed. It's built for business and media, not for crunching numbers or running demanding apps.

The performance story here is weird. Our database shows its CPU ranks in the 1st percentile, which means it's dead last compared to similar laptops. That's shocking for a machine with an Intel Core Ultra 7 label. In real use, it feels fine for web browsing and office work, but it stumbles under any sustained load. The surprise is how well everything else holds up. The 32GB RAM is a standout, the 1TB SSD is solid, and the Intel Arc graphics are actually decent for light tasks. It's a case of the foundation being shaky while the furnishings are luxurious.

Prices swing from $1510 to $1850. At the low end, it's a questionable deal given the weak CPU. At the high end, it's a bad deal. You're paying for the screen and the Samsung ecosystem, not for raw power. If you find it under $1600 and your work is light, it might be worth it. Otherwise, not.

The most relevant competitor is the ASUS ProArt PX13. It has a similar OLED touchscreen, but packs a much faster Ryzen AI 9 CPU and an RTX 4050 GPU for about the same price. It's a better performer in a smaller package. If you're all about the Apple ecosystem, the 14" MacBook Pro with an M4 is in another universe of performance and efficiency, but you lose the touchscreen and 2-in-1 flexibility. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is a gaming beast that costs more and isn't a 2-in-1, but it shows what real performance looks like at this price.

If you're a programmer, data analyst, or anyone who runs heavy software, this isn't it. The CPU will bottleneck you. Go get an ASUS ProArt or a MacBook Pro instead. If you're a gamer, skip it and look at a Lenovo Legion.

We can't recommend this as a general-purpose powerhouse. Its weak CPU is a fatal flaw for anyone needing speed. However, if your workflow is 100% about looking at beautiful visuals, drawing with the S Pen, and doing basic tasks, and you're willing to trade speed for that gorgeous AMOLED canvas, then this is your machine. For everyone else, look at the ASUS ProArt or a MacBook.