When it comes to my daily devices, I live in two worlds. For work, I use a MacBook Pro and an iPhone. My personal devices, on the other hand, are a Chromebook and a Pixel phone. Now that I’ve used a Googlebook and seen what it can do, I’ll likely swap out my Chromebook for one. That’s because, much like the MacBook and iPhone work well together, the integration between an Android phone and a Googlebook is absolutely fantastic.
What is a Googlebook?
Essentially, a Googlebook is a premium laptop running on Googlebook OS, which brings together Android, Gemini AI and the desktop functionality and robust security of ChromeOS. While Google Chromebooks and ChromeOS were made for life on the web, Googlebooks are about how we work today. They’ll let you seamlessly move between your phone and your laptop, while also giving you access to powerful AI-based tools. You’ll also have full access to the Google Play Store, including apps and games developed for mobile and desktop use.
When Google announced Googlebooks back in May, it didn’t say much about the actual devices. Mainly, just that they’d be premium laptops — a departure from Chromebooks’ budget-friendly identity. Check out the video below for a better look at the features of Googlebook OS and the laptops. Specs for the first five Googlebooks are also below.
You can order the Googlebooks now, or you can wait until Oct. 4 when they arrive in stores in the US (Oct. 5 for Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia). Prices start at $899, but these are premium devices, so you’ll find things like high-quality materials, haptic touchpads, backlit keyboards, OLED touchscreens and Intel Panther Lake and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors.
Every purchase also includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, which normally costs $200 and comes with 5TB of cloud storage and Gemini Advanced tools. You’ll also get three months each of YouTube Premium and Adobe Photoshop, plus one year of Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service. And, like current Chromebooks, Googlebooks will get new features and OS updates for 10 years.
Dell XPS Googlebook
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The smallest of the Googlebooks, the XPS has the same high-end look and feel as the XPS 13 Windows laptop, which is awesome. It’s a great design with a full aluminum body that weighs 2.2 pounds. However, unlike the Windows version, it starts at $1,199, not $799. The Dell XPS Googlebook is currently $999 at Best Buy.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- 16 or 32GB of memory
- 512GB of storage
- 13.4-inch 2.5K-resolution touchscreen, 500-nit brightness
- Fingerprint reader
Lenovo Googlebook 15
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With a beautiful 15.3-inch OLED touchscreen, the Lenovo is the largest of the launch Googlebooks. Made from magnesium-alloy and carbon fiber, it not only looked and felt good, but it was incredibly light for its size at 2.8 pounds. Pricing starts at $1,299, but the Lenovo Googlebook 15 is currently $1,099 at Best Buy.
- Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 3 (Panther Lake)
- 16GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 15.3-inch 2.8K-resolution OLED touchscreen
- Dolby Atmos
- Haptic touchpad
- Facial and fingerprint recognition
Acer Googlebook 14
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The lone two-in-one in the group, it looks like a sleeker, slimmer version of the company’s Chromebook Plus 714. It’s also the only $899 model, though like the others, this is a limited-time offer at Best Buy. Made from magnesium and aluminum, it weighs only 2.5 pounds.
- Intel Core Ultra 5/7 Series 3 (Panther Lake)
- 16 GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 14-inch 2.8K-resolution OLED touchscreen
- USI 2.0 pen support
- Fingerprint sensor
HP Googlebook 14
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Starting at $1,299, the 14-inch laptop has an all-aluminum build and weighs in at 2.7 pounds. It’s certainly nice-looking, with a sturdy build, similar to the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 — one of our favorite premium Windows laptops.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- 16 or 32GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 14-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen
- Haptic touchpad
- Fingerprint sensor and Face authentication
Asus Googlebook 14
Josh Goldman/CNET
Asus’ Googlebook appears to follow the design path of the company’s ExpertBook Ultra, a $3,600 business laptop. It’s a beautiful laptop with a body made from aluminum and magnesium with a ceramic finish that feels incredible and weighs just 2.2 pounds. Like the Lenovo and HP, it starts at $1,299.
- Intel Core Ultra 5/7 (Panther Lake)
- 16 or 32GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 14-inch 2.8K OLED touch display
- Haptic touchpad
- Fingerprint sensor
Are Chromebooks dead now?
The short answer is no, Chromebooks are not dead. For the moment, they’ll coexist with Googlebooks because they serve different users. New Chromebooks currently have 10 years of software support, and that’s not going away. Plus, you’ve got millions and millions of students using them daily, not to mention enterprise users. Given that Googlebooks are premium devices, it’s unlikely they’ll replace Chromebooks for education or commercial use anytime soon.
I’d expect ChromeOS development to slow somewhat over time, with at least some higher-end Chromebook Plus models eventually transitioning to the new operating system.
Joshua Goldman
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