A Googlebook is a laptop that runs Googlebook OS, a new operating system Google built on Android with desktop foundations from ChromeOS. Google makes the software, and Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo make the hardware. The first five models went on sale in the US on October 4, from $899 to $1,299.
Google designed it around two ideas: Gemini sits inside the operating system, and the laptop works closely with your Android phone, the way a MacBook works with an iPhone.
The biggest change from a regular laptop is the software. You install Android apps from Google Play and use web apps in Chrome. Windows programs and Mac apps won't run on it.
What a Googlebook offers.
Your phone on the laptop
Continue On picks up a phone task from the taskbar. Quick Access lets you open your phone's files and photos from the Files app, and Cast My Apps runs your phone's apps in a desktop window. All of this needs a phone on Android 17 or later.
Gemini across the desktop
Wiggle the pointer and Magic Pointer brings Gemini to whatever you select. Rambler turns speech into clean text, Create My Widget builds desktop widgets from a description, and file search looks inside files and photos.
Android apps and Chrome
You get Google Play and the desktop Chrome browser with extensions. Google names Adobe Photoshop, Netflix and the Microsoft 365 app. Developers get a terminal and Google's Antigravity platform. Google Play covers mobile games, and GeForce NOW streams PC games such as Cyberpunk 2077.
Premium hardware and the Glowbar
The first five have touchscreens, haptic glass trackpads, backlit keyboards, 16 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage. Four of them use OLED screens. The Glowbar on the lid lights up at startup, shows the battery level and animates when you talk to Gemini.
Security and updates
Each model has Google's Titan C security chip and a fingerprint reader, and the HP and Lenovo add face unlock. Linux runs in an isolated environment. Google promises feature drops and updates for up to 10 years.
Subscriptions included
You get a year of Google AI Pro, which Google values at $249.99, with 5TB of cloud storage. Google also includes 12 months of GeForce NOW and Luminar, plus 3 months of YouTube Premium, Photoshop, BandLab and CapCut, for a limited time.
Googlebook vs regular laptops.
| Googlebook | Samsung Galaxy Book6 14 | MacBook Air 13 M5 | Acer Chromebook Plus 514 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Googlebook OS | Windows 11 | macOS | ChromeOS |
| Windows programs | No | Yes | No | No |
| Mac apps | No | No | Yes | No |
| Android apps | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Built-in AI | Gemini | Copilot | Apple Intelligence | Gemini |
| Best phone match | Android 17 | Samsung Galaxy | iPhone | Android |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Not listed | No | Yes |
| Memory and storage | 16 GB, 512 GB | 8 GB, 256 GB | 16 GB, 512 GB | 8 GB, 256 GB |
| Tom's Guide battery test | 10:04 to 11:52 | No result | 15:37 | No result |
| Price | $899 to $1,299 | $764.67 | $1,099.99 | $599.99 |
How it differs from a regular laptop.
The software
Windows laptops and MacBooks run full desktop programs. On a Googlebook, you use Android apps and websites, plus Linux tools from the terminal. Tom's Guide found that many Android apps still feel like mobile apps scaled up to a laptop screen. You can open and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in the Microsoft 365 app, but Windows software won't install.
The phone connection
A MacBook has this kind of link with an iPhone, and Samsung's Windows laptops handle calls, texts and file sharing with Galaxy phones. A Googlebook also streams your phone's apps into a desktop window and opens its files directly. You need Android 17 for that, and Android Authority points out that many older and mid-range phones don't have it yet. iPhone owners miss these features.
The AI
Gemini is part of the desktop here, so you call it up over any app with the pointer. Microsoft and Apple also build AI into their systems, and Digital Trends argues much of Google's version could reach other devices later. A year of Google AI Pro comes with each model, and some features may need that subscription for heavier use.
The hardware
Inside, a Googlebook looks like a premium Windows laptop. Three models use the Intel Core Ultra 5 325, the chip in Dell's Windows XPS 13, and two use the Snapdragon X Elite. Tom's Guide found the Snapdragon models scored about 14,700 in Geekbench 6 multi-core, against 17,276 for the MacBook Air M5. Every first-wave model has a touchscreen, and the MacBook Air doesn't.
Battery life
Google quotes up to 13 to 19 hours, depending on the model. In Tom's Guide's test the five lasted 10 to 12 hours, and its Windows XPS 13 and MacBook Air lasted about 15 under a separate test script. Dropping the screen from 120Hz to 60Hz added nearly two hours on the two models it tried.
Early rough edges
Googlebook OS is new, and Computerworld's work test hit problems. The Superhuman extension failed, Notion's Android app did less than its website, and Notion and Slack wouldn't install as web apps. PCWorld reported occasional crashes on the Lenovo. Check that the apps you depend on work before you commit.
Is it a Chromebook?
No. Chromebooks run ChromeOS and, per Tom's Guide, mostly sell from about $150 to a little over $600, often in plastic. Google says they focus on simplicity and offer lighter phone links. Googlebooks run a different system at higher prices, and Tom's Guide says they aren't replacing Chromebooks.
The first five models.
Acer Googlebook 14, $899
It's the cheapest of the five and the only convertible, so the screen flips back into a tablet. It has a 14-inch OLED and an Intel Core Ultra 5, and it weighs 2.51 pounds. It lasted 10:25 in Tom's Guide's battery test.
Visit googlebook.google →
Dell XPS Googlebook, $999
It's the smallest, with a 13.4-inch LCD, the one screen here that isn't OLED. It weighs 2.2 pounds and uses a Snapdragon X Elite. It lasted 10:04 on the smallest battery of the five, 52 Wh.
Visit googlebook.google →
Lenovo Googlebook 15, $1,099
It has the biggest screen, a 15.3-inch OLED, plus an Intel Core Ultra 5, and it weighs 2.84 pounds. It lasted 10:25 and adds face unlock. PCWorld liked the speakers and the display and disliked the keyboard.
Visit googlebook.google →
ASUS Googlebook 14, $1,299
It puts a 14-inch OLED in a 2.2-pound body, tied with the Dell as the lightest. It uses the same Intel chip as the Acer, costs $400 more and lasted 10:19.
Visit googlebook.google →
HP Googlebook 14, $1,299
It pairs a 14-inch OLED with a Snapdragon X Elite, adds face unlock and weighs 2.74 pounds. It lasted 11:52, the longest of the five, and Best Buy buyers rate it 4.6 stars from 38 reviews.
Visit googlebook.google →Regular laptops on Amazon.
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2026, M5, 16 GB / 512 GB)
M5, 10-core CPU · 16 GB unified memory · 512 GB · 13.6-inch Liquid Retina · up to 18 hours of video, per Apple
The Air has the same memory and storage as a Googlebook, runs Mac desktop apps and works with your iPhone. Tom's Guide tells iPhone owners who aren't switching to Android to choose a MacBook.
- Highest Geekbench scores in Tom's Guide's comparison
- Runs Mac desktop apps
- No touchscreen and no OLED
- $200 more than the cheapest Googlebook
Get the Air if you own an iPhone or need long battery life. It costs about the same as the $1,099 Lenovo Googlebook 15.
Apple MacBook Neo 13 (2026, A18 Pro, 8 GB / 256 GB)
A18 Pro, 6-core CPU · 8 GB unified memory · 256 GB · 13-inch Liquid Retina · up to 16 hours of video, per Apple
The Neo costs $209 less than the cheapest Googlebook, with half the memory and half the storage.
- The lowest-priced Mac here
- The 512 GB version sells for about $790
- 8 GB of memory, against 16 GB in a Googlebook
- One external display, and no touchscreen
Buy this for schoolwork, browsing and streaming if you already carry an iPhone. For heavier work, the Air above doubles the memory and the storage.
Samsung Galaxy Book6 14 (Intel Core 5, 8 GB / 256 GB)
Intel Core 5 · 8 GB · 256 GB · 14-inch FHD+ · Windows 11 Home
The Galaxy Book6 suits a Galaxy phone owner who needs Windows programs. You can answer calls and texts on the laptop and send files with Quick Share.
- Runs Windows programs, which a Googlebook can't
- Calls and texts through Phone Link, per Samsung's listing
- Half the memory and storage of a Googlebook
- Doesn't stream your phone's apps the way Cast My Apps does
Choose this if your job depends on Windows software and you still want your Galaxy phone connected to your laptop.
Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (Core i3-1315U, 8 GB / 256 GB)
Intel Core i3-1315U · 8 GB · 256 GB · 14-inch WUXGA IPS touch · Wi-Fi 7 · ChromeOS
This Chromebook gives you Gemini, a touchscreen and 12 months of Google AI Pro at no cost, per its listing, for $299 less than the cheapest Googlebook.
- The lowest price on this page
- Touchscreen, backlit keyboard and Wi-Fi 7
- No Magic Pointer, Continue On or Cast My Apps
- Half a Googlebook's memory and storage
Buy this if your day runs in Chrome. PCWorld's reviewer preferred a Chromebook Plus to the Lenovo Googlebook and said the platform doesn't justify the extra cost.
FAQ.
A premium laptop that runs Googlebook OS, Google's operating system built on Android with desktop foundations from ChromeOS. Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo make the first models.
It runs Android and web apps in place of Windows or Mac desktop programs. It also has Gemini built into the desktop and connects closely with an Android 17 phone.
No. Chromebooks run ChromeOS and usually cost less. Googlebooks run Googlebook OS, start at $899, and add deeper phone features and Gemini tools such as Magic Pointer.
No. Computerworld reports that Google offers no Windows compatibility layer or emulation. You can use the Microsoft 365 app for Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint files.
You can use it as a laptop, but Continue On, Cast My Apps and Quick Access require an Android 17 phone.
You can play Android games from Google Play and stream PC games through GeForce NOW, with 12 months included. Windows games won't install on it.
The first five cost $899 to $1,299. Best Buy sells all five. Amazon's US store listed none of them on November 2, 2026.
A laptop built around
your Android phone.
A Googlebook makes sense if you carry an Android 17 phone and your work fits in Chrome and Android apps. You get strong hardware, Gemini across the desktop and your phone's apps on a big screen. It's a first-generation platform with app gaps and shorter battery life than a MacBook Air, so choose a regular laptop if you rely on Windows or Mac software or carry an iPhone.
Models, features and images from Google → Battery results from Tom's Guide → Chromebook comparison from Tom's Guide → Work test from Computerworld → Lenovo review from PCWorld → Android 17 reporting from Android Authority → Hands-on from Digital Trends →