Googlebooks are here. Foreign editors tried them out, and this is what they think about them

Googlebooks are out, along with the first impressions of journalists who spent a few tens of minutes with the notebooks live. The new category with Android, ChromeOS, and Gemini pleasantly surprised most of them, but the price tag tempers the greatest enthusiasm.

Googlebook Hardware Surprised

Relief is the strongest sentiment. The editorial team at 9to5Google admitted they went into the event with low expectations due to the mixed history of Chromebooks, but the lineup of five notebooks exceeded them, according to their own words. They named the Dell XPS Googlebook and HP Googlebook as the most successful pieces, with the remaining trio from Acer, ASUS, and Lenovo reportedly only slightly behind.

Praise for the build quality is echoed across reviews. Tom’s Hardware highlights aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber instead of plastic and compares the entire concept to a MacBook, but for Android. Editors rate the performance as snappy – after all, desktop Intel and Qualcomm chips are beating inside.

Journalists identify touch control as the biggest draw. All five Googlebooks feature a 120 Hz touchscreen, and this is where Android reportedly shows its strength: swipes, taps, and gestures are said to work like on a phone, whereas Windows and ChromeOS have always struggled with touch, and macOS doesn’t support it at all. Thanks to this, the convertible Acer, according to 9to5Google, transforms into possibly the best laptop-tablet hybrid on the market.

The System Feels Seamless, Editors Reserve Judgment on AI

Googlebook OS combines two platforms, yet according to TechRadar, it feels unified, as if ChromeOS and Android have always been together. It’s reportedly not a mobile system in disguise – it features a dock, a full-fledged file manager, and desktop applications. Chrome Unboxed adds that Android apps launch natively as full programs, not in a virtualized sandbox as before, and a full desktop Chrome with extensions also runs.

However, editors are more cautious about Gemini-based features. Magic Pointer, which summons artificial intelligence to on-screen content by wiggling the cursor, and the dictation Rambler make sense on paper, but journalists consistently write that they need more time for a true verdict. Tom’s Hardware summarized it by saying that AI features are sometimes useful, sometimes more for show.

Where is the Enthusiasm Most Often Tempered?

The most frequent criticism is the price. While the cheapest Acer starts at $899, most of the lineup costs $1,299, which is roughly 33,000 CZK including VAT. 9to5Google calls the price tag inflated but also admits that the higher cost at least keeps the build quality high.

Other snags are emerging. Tom’s Hardware points out that the promised ten-year support is counted from the introduction of the platform and chip, not from the sale of the notebook, so Snapdragons are already two years old. 9to5Google editors, in turn, miss a memory card slot and remind that applications come exclusively from the Play Store and the web, with no classic installers. According to them, anyone who doesn’t mind this and primarily wants a mobile device that expands into a larger display is the target audience for Googlebook.

Do you believe Googlebooks will succeed where Chromebooks never did – establishing themselves as full-fledged work notebooks?

Sources: TechRadar, 9to5Google, Chrome Unboxed, Tom’s Hardware