Google wants you to see Googlebook as the premium step above Chromebooks. It’s the alternative to MacBooks and sleeker Windows PCs for people who want to go all-in with Android and Gemini.

In practice, Googlebook will fix the most glaring issues with Chromebooks — it’s really what the Google-powered laptop should have been from day one. While there are still concerns about how well it will compete against Apple and Microsoft, I’m genuinely excited about Mountain View’s PC efforts for the first time in a long while.

Googlebook is an admission: people want native apps

You can get serious work done

When Google helped launch ChromeOS and the first Chromebooks in 2011, it was betting that web apps were the future. Why worry about local computing power and app updates when a browser will do? To a degree, it was right. You can accomplish a lot on a Chromebook, including office work and even some gaming. That’s not even including support for Android apps.

However, the reality is that many people want native apps on their PCs, myself included. You can’t handle serious audiovisual editing in a browser. Enthusiast-level gaming is out of the question unless you’re content with game streaming or emulated mobile titles. Valve even dropped support for Steam on Chromebooks this year. Some tasks simply need local computing power, and even higher-end ChromeOS machines can’t usually deliver that.

The Googlebook, with a native Android foundation, acknowledges this truth. While it’s unclear how many apps will take full advantage of PC hardware (all eyes are on the upcoming Adobe Premiere for Android), it will at least be an option. I can see a day when I’m editing complex images or playing a blockbuster game on a Googlebook.

That’s not a far-fetched vision. Google VP John Maletis tells Chrome Unboxed that developers are rethinking their apps for Googlebook, and that you should see Android software designed for both PCs and phones. That’s thrilling, as I love the potential of a creative app that gets more room to breathe when I return to my desk.

Premium Google laptops you’ll actually want to buy

There will be a reason to spend more

High-end Chromebooks, including the more recent wave of Chromebook Plus models, can feel wasteful. What good is a more powerful laptop when you’re just loading web pages faster? There are good reasons why Chromebooks mainly dominate in education, and why most of them are budget PCs: you can get the core experience on a basic but easily replaceable $250 laptop.

That will change when the first Googlebook models are available. While Google’s promises of “premium craftsmanship and materials” are hyperbolic, it’s true that you’ll have real incentives to spend extra: native apps will run faster, more AI tasks will run on-device, and you’ll have more room for all the content you’d rather keep on your PC instead of the cloud.

This is nothing new for Linux, Mac, and Windows buyers, and it’s not clear just how capable Googlebooks will be. I wouldn’t count on a gaming model with a speedy dedicated GPU. Google is setting firm hardware requirements, though, including chips from Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. It’s reasonable to expect Googlebooks with quick performance to match their good looks.

At last, a good PC companion for your Android phone

Apple-like integration without a steep walled garden

You’d think Chromebooks would be ideal partners for Android devices given Google involvement, but not so. Even if you’re using a Pixel, it’s common to deal with unreliable connections and notifications in Phone Hub, not to mention inconsistent access to app streaming. Contrast that with the Mac, where you can take iPhone calls, run native mobile apps, sync your clipboard, and otherwise have perks that ChromeOS users can only dream of.

Googlebook is built on Android, so many of those issues are expected to go away. The phone tie-in should be not just more reliable, but seamless. You can quickly hop into an Android app, and you won’t need AirDrop-like sharing when you can simply browse your phone’s files.

This won’t represent a complete escape from the walled garden, as you’ll still need Google platforms on both ends. However, you won’t be tied to any one manufacturer, or limited to non-native integrations like Windows’ Phone Link. A Googlebook might be the ideal laptop if you expect to stick with Android for a long while.

Some challenges remain

Design, performance, and app support will matter

Credit: Tada Images/Shutterstock.com

As you’ve no doubt gathered, Googlebook isn’t a guaranteed success. We have yet to see the first shipping PCs, and it’s not certain how (or if) they’ll stand out from the crowd. SamMobile recently claimed that Samsung is making Android-based Galaxy Books with a One UI layer on top. Are you ready for a Googlebook that feels like your Galaxy S26?

Design will matter. Apple’s MacBook Neo is garnering attention in part because of its better-than-average build quality for the price class. Googlebooks will need to manage a similar feat if they’re going to gain traction. If they’re mainly warmed-over Windows models, they may be tough sells.

Questions linger around performance, too. Will you see Googlebooks with flagship-class chips like Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 (aka Panther Lake) or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite series? Will there be enough RAM and storage for large-scale video projects? I’d love to have a Googlebook that can compete with faster MacBooks and Windows laptops, but a rehash of Chromebook Plus (where specs were mid-range at best) would dash my hopes.

There’s also the inevitable concerns around app compatibility. Native Android app support is a great start, but it won’t make much difference if key developers either don’t optimize for Googlebook or refuse to write supporting apps in the first place. Windows continues to lead in PC market share thanks in no small part to its exceptional software support. You can assume there’s a Windows app for what you need, even if you’re in a specialized field.

Google isn’t going to match that level of support any time soon, but it still needs to court developers that normally wouldn’t write apps for Android. A more capable Googlebook platform won’t make much difference if companies are just upscaling phone apps.

Google’s future in laptops is brighter than ever, and I’m hoping the company will eventually move away from Chromebooks as Googlebook-level hardware becomes more affordable. Just remember that we’ve seen some of this movie before. Google has made multiple failed efforts to break into the PC mainstream. Here, though, Google isn’t merely repackaging Chromebooks. It’s trying a genuinely new experience where native Android support and AI agents promise to redefine computing. Don’t be surprised if Google finally carves out meaningful demand for its PC platform beyond schools and offices, even if it takes a few years to get there.