Meet the Googlebook I tried Google's new answer to the MacBook that combines ChromeOS with Android, and this could be the start of something big

Date:
Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Description:
Googlebook is officially here, and we got an up-close look and a little face time with Google Android lead Sameer Samat.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Beaming so brightly, I was tempted to measure his nits, President of Android Ecosystem at Google ,
Sameer Samat, grasped my hand tightly and asked, "So what do you think?"

Samat was referring to the five brand-spanking new Googlebooks arrayed around the room, all running Googlebook OS, the first hybrid lovechild of ChromeOS and Android. A year ago in an interview with me ostensibly about Android 16, the over-sharing Samat let slip , "were going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform," and set the tech world on fire. Latest
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He said it so casually back in July 2025 that I scarcely grasped the significance. After all, there's been chatter about the idea for ages, but no one had confirmed it, and if it were true, it would mean Google was looking
at the idea of an Android ecosystem in a whole new way. Image 1 of 3 Google Android lead, Sameer Samat (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image
1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original Now, however, we have the fruits of that comment and all the labor in Googlebook OS and Googlebooks laptops from partners Asus, Acer , Lenovo ,
Dell , and HP , which go on pre-order today and start shipping October 5. You may like Should you buy a Chromebook now or wait for the Googlebook? Rethinking the laptop is a big undertaking why Googlebooks are so much more than overpriced Chromebooks, and why Apple should be worried The first Googlebook has been spotted but does anyone really care?

Samat told me that he wanted five partner brands and not just two because he wanted to show the breadth of options and noted that they have some points of differentiation, like some have facial recognition, and other Googlebooks include a fingerprint reader. To this point, we have ultra-lights, like the 2.2lb Asus, and workhorses, like a 15-inch Lenovo, and pen-supporting convertibles from Acer. While there's a range of CPUs, from the Intel Core Ultra line to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, and even MediaTek, they do all share some core Googlebook features. Image 1 of 6 The Dell XPS Googlebook (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) The downside to this enhanced Cap Lock key might be that you'll need to use
it with the Shift key to enact the standard cap-lock action. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 6 View Original Image 2 of 6 View Original Image 3 of 6 View Original Image 4
of 6 View Original Image 5 of 6 View Original Image 6 of 6 View Original There's the Glowbar, a thin, multi-colored bar on the top cover of all the laptops that lights up to let you know, among other things, that Gemini is at work, or to show battery status. There are even some Easter Eggs to discover. I wondered out loud if the battery status would work when the laptops weren't plugged in. Unfortunately, it's to show charge status. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Each laptop has a massive, haptic touchpad, and there's a G key for quick access to Google features, and a special Caps Lock key with instant access to text-based add-ons like emojis. They all offer the magic cursor, which you
can jiggle to open screen-aware Gemini access, basically telling Gemini to do [this] with [that] on-screen element. They all also start with 16GB. Samat told me he was excited that they all start with the "right amount of RAM." 16GB means these natively Gemini-supporting portables are ready for a lot of local AI (the CPUs can reportedly handle up to 45 TOPs).

While a hybrid platform, there's no indication that this is a mobile OS in desktop clothing. Yes, there are things like customizable widgets (and ones you can create via prompts) that I, after a two-finger click on the trackpad, could endlessly resize and move, and access to all your Android Apps. But there are also desktop-level apps and services (online and offline access to Canva, Netflix, and Adobe apps), a dock, and a full file system.

One cool demo showed how you could search across files on your Googlebook and Android phone and even dig into inscrutable file names because the system can see inside files. What to read next I don't think Googlebooks are just Chromebooks they're a direct shot at Windows I tried the new Pixel 11 range, and Google's made improvements all over, with a surprising 'HiLight' Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold review: a collection of refinements that don't quite add up to perfection Image 1 of 5 Asus Googlebook (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 5 View Original Image 2 of 5 View Original Image 3 of 5 View Original Image 4 of 5 View Original Image 5 of 5 View Original The Android infusion combines the Android in your hand and the Googlebook laptop on your desk. There's a single sign-on that recognizes you as one user on the phone and laptop. An email started on your Android phone can be continued seamlessly on the laptop (it does not yet let you go in the other direction). There's a small icon that appears in the dock, showing a tiny phone. You
click that, and it opens the email draft on the laptop Gmail app.

The intention here is quite clear: a true Android ecosystem where, Samat told me, it all just works. "That's the dream," he said. The benchmark for such an ecosystem will always be Apple and how its laptops, desktops, phones, and wearables all work together. I asked Samat if I could expect similar levels
of interoperability, zeroing in on how when I get an authentication code on
my iPhone, it automatically appears on my MacBook Air. He said the unified messaging system will allow this, and added that they would've demoed it on stage that day, but wanted to keep the presentation relatively lean. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Before the event, I wondered if Googlebooks were intended to compete with Apple's new and quite popular $699 / 699 / AU$1,049 MacBook Neo . However, these systems start at $899 / 999 (around AU$1,899) , and a few were $1,199 (around 1,200 / AU$1,680) and $1,299
(around 1,300 / AU$1,800).

That was intentional. Samat, who said Neos are great but that people often find their performance limits, told me they wanted to start with premium offerings. Instead of compromises, Googlebooks offer eye-catching designs and real performance. Image 1 of 3 Lenovo Googlebook (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original Googlebooks run desktop-grade apps online and offline, though App downloads appear to come exclusively through the Google Play Store, and
in demos I saw, the systems have the power to do traditional coding and Agentic or Vibe Coding with Google Antigravity. It's worth mentioning,
though, that to do the latter, you will need a Gemini account and tokens.

Samat, though, is excited about the power and possibilities, enthusing over the inclusion of a Linux Terminal, a fact that's not surprising since the stack includes a Linux Kernel (right below the Android Stack). Image 1 of 1
HP Googlebook (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 1 View Original Glancing around the room, Samat asked me which Googlebook was my favorite. As I scanned the crowded demo space, I realized just how much each laptop looked like a standard Windows system, until, of course, you opened them up and saw that Googlebook OS desktop. After a moment, I told him the 2.2-lb. Asus Googlebook is quite attractive. Samat grinned and asked me if
I'd checked out the aluminum-clad HP. I agreed that it looked like a premium laptop, too.

On stage, Samat said, "For so long Ive wanted to do what were doing today," calling Googlebooks "a new category of laptops built for how people actually work today."

Later, Samat told me this is "just a start," and there's a lot more to come. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original The
Googlebooks I saw were notable for their smooth and polished operation. It
may be the merging of two platforms, but each Googlebook's desktop and operations I tried felt remarkably unified, as if they'd been together all along.

Still, I had to wonder how this all fits in with Googlebook's cousin, the Chromebook, low-cost laptops that are more or less shell systems offering
easy access to cloud-based apps. Schools love them. Samat claimed that 70% of all US education is using them and said it's the only system designed to be passed from one person to another (as each user signs in and out and so on).

Googlebooks and Chromebooks are not mutually exclusive. Samat said Chromebook is important, but it's for a different user and purpose. I said that Chromebook is a doorway, but the Googlebook appears to be about productivity. "Exactly," he told me, still smiling. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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