Here's a helpful hint...if you are upgrading from the Galaxy Book Pro 360 to the second edition primarily because of the webcam: Don't Do It!Maybe a bit dramatic, but honestly, I could have saved myself a bit of aggravation this week if I knew that.
I placed my preorder on March 17th. At the time I decided to give it a try. I mistakenly thought that I'd have a $250 credit headed my way from my S22 Ultra purchase from last month.
Let me address this credit first: When you purchase a phone, or other device from Samsung with a promo, it is extremely unclear what your credit will be, and when you will receive it. In spite of it stating I would have it within 14 days of receiving the phone, the truth is, it does not get released until 30 days. And, it is not a straight $250 credit for you to apply to anything you want- it is a very specific promotion on certain items only. After much trial and error I decided to get a Galaxy Watch 4 which I will sell on eBay to offset costs. A bit annoying that I have to now become a Samsung distributor instead of just getting a straightforward discount.
FedEx sent me a notice on Thurs 3/24 that my shipment would be delivered on Mon 3/28. I was pleasantly surprised to be ahead of the Fri 4/1 release date and even further ahead of the Mon 4/5 deliver by date quoted when I ordered. To ensure that it was delivered after I would be home to sign for it, I paid the $5.55 to FedEx and selected the 5-8pm window on Monday. And here is where FedEx failed me miserably:
FedEx inexplicably just stopped processing my package and finally on Weds 3/30 I had to go there first thing in the morning after several useless phone calls on Tuesday and picked up my laptop. (Fortunately, it looks like my bank will handle the dispute for the money I paid to select my delivery window- I would rather poke my eyes out than go through speaking with FedEx again!).
I knew there would be an issue with fingerprints on the burgundy color so I already had a clear, matte Sopiguard skin waiting. (Both the 2021 and 2022 Galaxy Book pro 360s have the same dimensions, FYI). What I didn't factor in was how tricky it would be to apply it without bubbles.
Now, I have been quite happy with my original Galaxy Book Pro 360 in the mystic bronze color. The lighter color makes it immune to the fingerprint, smeared appearance of the Navy version. The webcam issue has generally been addressed by using a high end external webcam:
Once I powered on the new version, the biggest immediate difference was that it was running Windows 11. I set up a few things then powered on the camera and.... was confused. The improvement was so marginal that until I opened the original GBP360 and put them side-by-side, I couldn't even see a difference. The wide field of vision was very noticeable but the 1080p quality seemed uncomfortably close to the 720p.
The other odd thing I noticed was that YouTube videos had audio out of sync no matter how many changes or tweaks I made. It was a puzzling mystery that I never did solve. Within a few hours I knew that I was not in love with this tech. I pulled out my original GBP and did a factory reset on the new version. It was, in a word, underwhelming.
If I'm truthful with myself, I really didn't have a compelling reason to upgrade. I keep my Webcam in my home office which is where I have 99% of the meetings I use my laptop for. I've been extremely happy with my GBP360 and the fact that it color coordinates with just about everything else in my realm makes me so aesthetically pleased with it. I do see that it gives me the option to upgrade to Windows 11- I need to do some more research before I pull the trigger on allowing it to process.
I've got my return authorization for the Burgundy Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 (and the promo 36" monitor that came with it for me to also sell to offset some of the cost). I am excited to drop it off at FedEx and get my $1500 back. But I don't regret the journey- I know definitely now that I have the very best laptop for my workflow and life.
Comments