Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro: Is the ecosystem worth it? - Android Authority

I have owned Samsung phones since the Galaxy S8 and only bought my first pair of Galaxy Buds last year, but I never expected to use a Galaxy laptop.

At the end of my experience, I found the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro to be a reliable work machine that has quickly become the central orbit of my Galaxy devices.

So far, Apple has been leading the way with such an interconnected ecosystem with its walled-in garden, but Samsung is quickly catching up as an enticing alternative — something exemplified by the addition of the Galaxy Book 2 Pro.

Setting up the Galaxy Book 2 Pro was quick and easy, and as soon as I signed in with my Samsung account, all my linked devices popped up immediately.

After granting permission for them to communicate via Quick Connect, I soon saw notifications from my Samsung phone — a Galaxy S21 Ultra — pop up in the corner of the laptop screen.

To put these start-up features into perspective, I could begin writing an email on the Galaxy Book 2 Pro within the Samsung Email app and finish typing the email on my phone while listening to the same song through my Galaxy Buds Pro.

And with Auto Switch, you can seamlessly switch device connections between Galaxy devices running the same Samsung account.

Additionally, newer versions of Galaxy Buds, such as the second-generation Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, offer exclusive features such as seamless codec, high-bitrate audio, spatial audio, and more, which are only compatible with Samsung products.

If you misplace your Galaxy phone or earbuds, you can use your Galaxy Book 2 Pro (or a compatible Galaxy phone or tablet) to pinpoint where the device was last seen on a map.

At first glance, it looks like an impressive library of functions, but digging a little deeper, I found that as with the auto-connect of the Galaxy Buds, not everything here is exclusive to Samsung products.

For instance, Samsung apps such as Notes, Gallery, and Flow are great for syncing and sending my files back and forth between devices to the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, but they are downloadable on any Windows PC and work just as well with a Galaxy phone.

As a daily work machine, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro allowed me to focus on my tasks without constantly checking my phone for notifications (since they showed up on my laptop) and instantly share photos and files between devices.

But I found the Galaxy Book 2 Pro to be the best of both worlds — a centerpiece to a collection of devices that work together in synergy without completely closing the door to integrations with products from other manufacturers.

As far as non-Apple ecosystems go, Samsung Galaxy devices are leading the pack, pulling more products and people into its orbit.