Up until now, Google has been content to play in the budget PC space with its affordable Chromebook laptops. Priced to suit students, these computers primarily relied on web-based apps within ChromeOS. Shedding the budget-only perception, Google unveiled the Googlebook overnight, a more premium range of laptops made by the biggest laptop brands.
Much like the interplay between iPhones and MacBooks, Googlebook aims to streamline the connectivity between Android phones and laptops. This comes via “Googlebook OS”, a platform that combines a ChromeOS and Android-like experience for cross-device compatibility. Anything you start on an Android device can be quickly continued on the laptop, in addition to quick file sharing and browsing, and app casting between a phone and the laptop.
In Australia, Google’s new laptops start at $2,299, with models coming from Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. 16GB of RAM is the baseline spec, with 32GB the maximum available. According to Google, the laptops’ batteries last up to 16 hours of web browsing or up to 14 hours of video playback.
Google’s Gemini AI technology features heavily throughout the brand’s new laptops. Wiggling the mouse cursor conjures Gemini to provide context-specific suggestions, while Google’s new Rambler dictation tool automatically cleans up voice notes into complete sentences, like Nothing’s Essential Voice feature.
Asus to debut Googlebook soon
Asus is the first brand to confirm its Googlebook availability in Australia, launching on 5 October. Its range consists of two models: one costs $2,999 and includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 chipset, while the $2,799 model runs on an Intel Core Ultra 5. Aside from the third-gen Intel Core Ultra chips, Googlebooks will also come in Snapdragon variants.
Asus advertises its first Googlebook as weighing a svelte 0.99kg, made from a magnesium-aluminium alloy, and sporting a 14-inch 3K OLED touchscreen. It also includes a full array of I/O ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C slots, two USB-A (3.2 Gen 2) ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Googlebook is a bold play from Google. Windows has bridged the gap in cross-device functionality in recent years, but few integrations are as seamless as the connectivity between Apple’s laptops and phones. If it comes off, Google’s laptops could make life a lot easier for Android users, leaving Windows in an awkward position.
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